RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 3 – Doha (DOH) to London Heathrow (LHR)

By Nige on January 20, 2026 at 8:15 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: DOH | Doha | LHR | London Heathrow | Qatar Airways | QR

I arrived at Hamad International Airport just after 11am. I was hoping to find an American Airlines agent who might be able to change my seat on the LAX–JFK flight, as some more favourable options had opened up.

Unfortunately, Qatar had already checked me in for that sector — scheduled for late Wednesday evening/early Thursday morning UK time — and every attempt to change my assigned seat had failed. I assumed this was because I already held a boarding pass.

The AA check-in desks didn’t open until midday and I couldn’t be bothered to wait around, so I headed through Fast Track Security instead. I had a bit of trouble getting my passport to scan, but an agent stepped in and helped me through without fuss.

I initially made my way into the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at the southern end of the terminal, which I recognised immediately from my last visit to Doha.

However, the real prize now was the newer Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden, located at the northern end of the terminal and accessible via the internal train.

I had no trouble getting in, and it was virtually empty — in fact, there were almost too many seats to choose from. It’s a fabulous lounge, overlooking The Garden, which I took a short walk around a little later on.

With plenty of time on my hands, I decided to head back to the southern end of the terminal (via the train) in search of a Starbucks.

There appeared to be no maps showing where shops and eateries were located, so I had to ask for directions and was pointed towards Gate B1, where I ordered my usual drink at a very quiet Starbucks.

Naturally, as I wandered back, I promptly stumbled across another Starbucks not far away. That always seems to happen — you search for ages, then two appear within minutes.

I took my drink back to the fancy lounge, only to be told that I couldn’t take it through to my seat. The furthest I was allowed to go was the foyer, so that’s where I ended up staying until I’d finished my coffee.

I assumed this was all about maintaining appearances. It was a shame I couldn’t simply enjoy my drink at my own pace while using my laptop.

By around 2:30pm, I was feeling peckish, so I wandered up to the dining area, helped myself to a paneer butter masala with rice, and sat at one of the high tables. I’m not generally a fan of cheese in curries, but this was surprisingly tasty.

While I was there, I got the distinct impression that buffet diners weren’t especially welcome at the more formally set tables. I found the attitude a little disappointing.

If that really was the case, it did make me wonder why the buffet had been placed right in the middle of the “posh” dining area in the first place.

My flight back to Heathrow was due to depart from Gate C12, with boarding scheduled for 16:35. Assuming this would require another train journey back to the C gates at the southern end of the terminal, I set off around 16:00.

It quickly became apparent that the train wasn’t needed at all, and that the gate was only a short walk away. That left me with a bit of a wait once I arrived.

The pre-boarding process was slightly unusual. The long economy queue appeared to require manual bag checks, while the priority queue involved walking through an old-style body scanner — bags and all.

The alarms went off, were largely ignored, and after a quick passport check I was waved through into the waiting area.

I expected a short delay, but not quite as long as the one that followed.

The aircraft was ready when I reached the gate at around 4:15pm, yet boarding didn’t begin until nearly an hour later.

No announcements were made to explain the delay, and frustration among passengers steadily grew. At one point, a man even opened the boarding gate door, triggering the alarm — and was swiftly escorted away.

Eventually, boarding commenced and I took my place in seat 09A. It was a rear-facing seat, so Vick definitely wouldn’t have approved, but on the plus side, it was a Qsuite — always a treat.

Storage space felt a little limited, meaning most of my belongings ended up in the overhead locker.

Starlink Wi-Fi was available again, and based on experience so far, it continued to perform very well.

I received a personal introduction to the suite from the cabin crew member looking after me — clear, friendly and clearly focused on doing a good job. I also received a warm welcome from the Cabin Service Director.

We pushed back about twenty minutes late, and not long after take-off I was placing my dinner order: Qatari mezze to start, followed by butter chicken, and a New York cheesecake for dessert.

As I was driving later that evening, I avoided alcohol and opted instead for one of Qatar’s non-alcoholic sparkling drinks.

I tried So Jennie, which tasted a bit like Appletiser — pleasant enough, and certainly better than sticking to water.

Qatar’s service followed its usual, consistent rhythm, beginning with drinks and nuts. Dinner came next, starting with a slightly odd amuse-bouche before moving on to the mezze, which was very similar to what I’d been served on the Oslo–Doha flight the previous day.

The butter chicken was enjoyable, though it reminded me somewhat of the ready-made curries we used to buy from Sainsbury’s years ago.

The New York cheesecake was good, although not quite as memorable as the cheesecake I’d had the day before.

While all of this was unfolding, I watched The Astronaut starring Kate Mara — a new one for me. Unfortunately, it turned out to be fairly forgettable sci-fi nonsense, which neatly reinforced why I usually stick to tried-and-tested films.

I eventually settled down for a nap and enjoyed a couple of hours on the lie-flat bed. I was offered a mattress, and after wrestling briefly with the awkward headrest, I completely understood why they provide them.

When I woke, there were a couple of hours left to run. I was offered a drink, as you’d expect from the attentive Qatar crew, but this time I politely declined.

Final approach and taxiing were largely uneventful, and we arrived at Gate 409 — my first ever arrival into Terminal 4 at Heathrow.

Next up: Heading home for the night on Day 3 of my Round The World trip of a lifetime.

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026