Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite has long been among the world’s best business-class products.
The Qsuite experience features sliding doors and high walls (providing incredible privacy), dining-on-demand food and drinks, and a premium ground experience at Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha. In short, flying Qsuite is a terrific way to travel.
But it gets better.
The product is usually bookable using points and miles, especially when booked in advance and with some flexibility in your dates. For many US-based travelers, this centers around the American Airlines AAdvantage program, which traditionally offers Qsuite redemptions at a reasonable price – even using the published award chart.
However, TPG readers recently questioned whether these business-class suites can still be booked with AA miles. Keep reading to learn more, as well as tips on how to redeem your AA miles for maximum value.
Basics of booking a Qsuite with AA miles
Related: Best Websites to Check Oneworld Award Availability
U.S. And you’ll only need 70,000 American Airlines miles plus minimal taxes and fees to fly Qatar Qsuite one-way between the Middle East or the Indian subcontinent.
You can also add a flight between Doha and one of several African cities that Qatar serves in business class for just 5,000 more miles each way. This means you can fly one-way between the US and Africa for just 75,000 AAdvantage miles and minimal taxes and fees.
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Assuming you don’t live near a Qatar Airways gateway. In that case, you should be able to find an itinerary that allows you to connect domestically in the US on American or Alaska Airlines for the same price.
Can you still book Qsuite with AA miles?
Qatar Airways’ approach to releasing award seats has been unpredictable for some time now. However, a few unique events in the past two years may help explain the current state of the game:
- In early 2022, Qatar Airways announced that it will adopt Avios as the loyalty currency for its Privilege Club program. Privilege Club prices align with other programs that use Avios, such as British Airways Executive Club; You can easily move Avios in any direction between programs at a 1:1 rate at no cost.
- In July 2022, American began flying to Doha for the first time. Therefore, it started offering award seats on its flights in addition to the flights operated by Qatar Airways.
- Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup, which brought heavy demand for flights to Qatar’s hub in Doha. As a result, cash prizes were high during the event, and prize availability was rare.
Business-class award seats on Qatar Airways have always been capacity-restricted. However, in 2023, these award seats became virtually impossible to book through partner airline programs such as AAdvantage and British Airways Executive Club.
This was a big change, especially since American charges 300,000 miles for its own business-class flight (compared to the 70,000-mile partner award operated by Qatar).
Right now, there are only a handful of business-class awards available on nonstop Qatar Airways flights between North America and Doha at the 70,000-mile rate, and these are all at the end of next year’s schedule.
However, we found good business-class availability for 70,000 AAdvantage miles if you first take a domestic flight on American Airlines and then connect to a long-haul Qatar Airways flight to Doha.
For example, in February 2025, no seats are available on nonstop service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Doha.
However, if you add in domestic stops, suddenly, there are a handful of February dates for the 70,000-mile price.
If you look at an itinerary with less than $20 in taxes and fees, it will include a combination of American Airlines and Qatar Airways flights. If you find a route with more than $1,000 in taxes and fees, that will include a transatlantic flight in British Airways Business Class (then Qatar Airways to Doha). Ideally, avoid British Airways in favor of Qatar because of the surcharges imposed by its colossal carrier.
You may need to play with the dates to find the prices you need to avoid British Airways, and there is more availability in 2025 than in 2024. We are looking at the best availability connecting Qatar Airways flights in the following airports:
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
So, if you can book connecting flights at this low price, why can’t you book Qatar flights alone? It appears that Qatar Airways uses married-segment logic when making awards available. This logic states that connecting itineraries have less demand than nonstop itineraries, so more seats are made available.
Economy-class seats on Qatar Airways are widely available on most routes using AA miles; Qatar does not have a premium economy product.
Additionally, several OneWorld airlines – including Finnair and Iberia – now fly between the US and Doha via Europe; Availability in business class over the next 12 months is excellent. These flights cost 70,000 Avios.
You can also redeem AAdvantage miles for flights to Etihad Middle East. Etihad offers a terrific business-class product, especially on the new A350 aircraft. Although Etihad is a smaller airline than Qatar, it flies through the same US gateway. As with Qatar, availability from the US to Zayed International Airport (AUH) is not spectacular, but some seats are available in advance.
You can also find success using marriage-section logic to find travel routes beyond Doha to other destinations in the Middle East, South Asia, or Africa.
Unfortunately, we are no longer seeing last-minute releases of additional Qsuite business-class seats from North America to book with AAdvantage miles.
Finally, consider booking Qsuite awards from other regions such as Europe. These are still easily available and bookable online using American miles or through other partners such as British Airways.
How to earn AAdvantage miles
Aside from flying with American (and its partners), American is the easiest way to earn Aadvantage miles. American Airlines Credit Cards. For example, you can apply for Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® And earn 70,000 bonus miles after spending $7,000 in the first three months of account opening (see rates and fees). The card also comes with an array of benefits to make your travels with American more comfortable.
Citi is a TPG advertising partner.
Finally, you can earn AA miles through a variety of other non-flying activities, including the AAdvantage shopping portal, the AAdvantage dining program, and the SimplyMiles platform.
Read more: How to earn miles in the American Airlines AAdvantage program
Bottom line
Unfortunately, nonstop Qatar Airways Qsuite redemptions using AAdvantage miles between the US and Doha are mostly unavailable unless you book 11 months in advance. The good news is that availability in business class is better for the 70,000-mile rate if you try to add the domestic American Airlines segment first.
You can also consider booking AAdvantage award flights on these routes operated by partner airlines such as Iberia, Finnair and Etihad for the same low price (pending availability).