How fine can you cut business class checkin on Qatar at LHR?

[schmalex]

Hi folks,

Does anyone have specific experience of how tight you can cut checking in on Qatar business class at LHR4?

I have a flight to Singapore next Sunday at 1505 but want to watch my lad play rugby in Newbury with an 1130 kick off.

My thinking is

1130 - 1200: First Half
12:00 - 12:05: Half Time
12.05 - 12.35: Second Half
12:40 - Leave Newbury
13:40 - Arrive LHR4 Short Term Parking
13:50 - Checkin and bag drop
15:05 - Flight Leaves

I'm trying to bribe the ref to bring the kick off forward, as it's cutting it damned fine!

[schmalex]

I think I've answered my own question. 1 hour.

[schmalex]

Ooh. That’s good to know. I’m only in Singa for 4 nights so might get away with carry-on if I can roll a couple of suits well enough!!

[schmalex]

I miss so many of his matches due to work travel that I’ve made a promise to myself and him that I’ll be there if I possibly can be.

[schmalex]

I would never trust valet parking if time's tight, to be honest. I've been stuck waiting 10 mins++ for Purple Parking reps to turn up so many times that I'd prefer to be in control of my time at the airport!

I thought about a driver but I reckon I can hot-foot it to LHR and park quicker than the driver will get me there! I use the EK service a lot and there can be a lot of dawdling at 60 / 65 along the M4 - fine when you've got all the time in the world, but sometimes...

[schmalex]

I absolutely have to be on the flight. I've got a 1hr transfer window at Doha and the connection gets to SIN at 3.35pm on the Monday and I have a 4.30pm meeting at Marina Bay that I can't miss, but there's no way I'm missing the game (or as much of it as humanly possible!). I deliberately didn't take the 11.55am EK flight so I could watch it, so I'm damned if I'm going to miss the game AND not fly my preferred airline!!

I'm not that fussed about all the rubbish in the lounge beforehand - as long as I can get to watch the game, get to LHR and jump on the flight, that's all I need.

[schmalex]

There’s something in that. Some of the EK chauffeur companies do have trackers and limiters - I had one guy collect me in an S Class that was limited to 72. He said it drove him bananas.

Another bunch that EK use refund their drivers for fuel based on manufacturers claimed mpg, so they spend their whole lives sitting at 55, trying to eek out as much as possible. To be fair, he did say that if the passenger insisted he travelled at 70 (where safe and legal), he was obliged to do so.

[schmalex]

It’s next Sunday. I’ll update from, hopefully, the plane!

I’ve got to nip to Canada for a couple of days this week

[schmalex]

Panic over. As normally happens as soon as we get a drop of rain, Newbury RFC have cancelled all matches (one would have thought they would have figured out that rugby is a winter game and it rains occasionally in winter, so increase the drainage on the pitches ). Consequently, I now have a slightly gutted 14yr old but do get a leisurely trip to LHR.

Thanks for all the input, though.

Edited by schmalex on Saturday 27th January 16:51