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I went on board Qatar Airways' Boeing 777 that took Europe's best soccer team to the US in the 'world's best business class'

13 July 2025 at 11:01
The author takes a selfie in front of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 in the PSG Champions League livery, at the 2025 Paris Air Show
The author and the Qatar Airways Boeing 777 at last month's Paris Air Show.

Pete Syme/BI

  • Qatar Airways brought a unique Boeing 777 to the Paris Air Show.
  • The same plane transported the PSG soccer team days before the huge industry gathering.
  • I toured its award-winning business class and the large cockpit.

I might never have achieved my childhood dream of becoming a world-class soccer player, but at June's Paris Air Show, I had the chance to see how some of them travel.

Qatar Airways exhibited a Boeing 777-300ER dressed in a unique blue livery, decorated with the logos of the Champions League and Paris Saint-Germain.

The airline sponsors the French soccer team, which isΒ also owned by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund. This particular plane was used to transport them to the US for this year's FIFA Club World Cup. PSG play in Sunday's final against Chelsea.

While the interior was the same as a typical Qatar Airways 777, it was certainly an added highlight knowing that some of the world's best athletes had been flying on the same jet just a few days earlier.

Regardless, it's also safe to say that the interior is best-in-class. The day before my tour, Skytrax named Qatar Airways the world's best airline.

From the cockpit to the award-winning QSuite business class, here's what it was like on board the jumbo jet.

Qatar Airways' Boeing 777 attracted a lot of attention at the Paris Air Show.
A front view of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 in the PSG Champions League livery at the 2025 Paris Air Show
People waited to tour the huge plane throughout the weeklong air show.

Pete Syme/BI

Unlike most of the other planes on display at the Paris Air Show, anybody could line up to see on board without an appointment.

However, only some of us were allowed to sit inside the cockpit.

Just the week before, the plane took PSG to Los Angeles for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain team members hold a USA flag in front of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
The PSG soccer team touched down in Los Angeles a few days before the Paris Air Show began.

Courtesy of Qatar Airways

In May, PSG won the Champions League, the highest honor in European club soccer, for the first time.

They then also made it through to Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup final after beating Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday.

Qatar's vast wealth has allowed PSG to buy the two most expensive players ever. Neymar moved from Barcelona for 222 million euros in 2017, and Kylian MbappΓ© joined from Monaco a year later for 180 million euros, although both players have since moved on.

It was an imposing aircraft to walk around.
A side view of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 in the PSG Champions League livery at the 2025 Paris Air Show
The Boeing 777 is the world's largest twin-engine jet.

Pete Syme/BI

The Boeing 777-300ER is over 240 feet long and has a wingspan of 212 feet 7 inches. Qatar Airways' layout can accommodate 354 passengers, with a maximum range of nearly 8,500 miles.

That's enough to go nonstop from New York to Thailand.

I boarded the plane in the business-class section, checking out the QSuites.
A view of the business class cabin on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
There are 42 QSuites on board the 777-300ER.

Pete Syme/BI

Business takes up a sizable portion of the plane, with 42 suites.

Qatar Airways' business class was named the world's best for the fifth year in a row by Skytrax, considered the Oscars of the industry.

It's won many plaudits thanks to the quad layout in the center of the cabin.
A top view of a QSuite quad on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
The QSuite Quad is ideal for groups and families.

Pete Syme/BI

The TVs can slide to the side, opening up the divider with two rear-facing seats. Privacy dividers also go all the way down, which can make passengers feel like they're sleeping in a double bed, a comfort usually reserved for only the very most expensive airplane seats.

With all the dividers down, the quad seemed like its own enormous, unique suite.
The view from inside of a QSuite quad on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
A view from inside the Quad.

Pete Syme/BI

I took a moment to sit down and was impressed by the atmosphere it created, making the Quad a clear selling point for families compared to competitors' offerings.

Even traveling solo, QSuites are a cut above much of the competition.
A top view of a QSuite on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
Qatar Airways' QSuites are among the best business-class seats in the industry.

Pete Syme/BI

I had the opportunity to fly in a QSuite on a Qatar Airways A350 last year, and was also impressed by the friendly service and Diptyque amenities.

The spacious suites and privacy doors make for a luxurious experience.
A front-view of a QSuite on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
A QSuite by the window is ideal for solo passengers.

Pete Syme/BI

The seats have an array of different positions, and can lie flat at 6 feet 7 inches long.

Plus, the area on the left can be raised for use as an armrest and opened up for stowage.

The 10-abreast economy cabin looked pretty comfortable, too.
The economy cabin as seen from the rear, of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
There are 312 seats in the economy cabin.

Pete Syme/BI

Some rows offer huge amounts of legroom.
The economy cabin as seen from the front of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
Some aisle seats have nothing in front of them.

Pete Syme/BI

The first two center rows are only three seats wide. This means seats 19D, 25D, and 37D can offer plenty of legroom β€” perhaps the best choice for economy travelers.

The plane has just two classes, as Qatar Airways doesn't have premium economy, while first-class is uncommon.
A row of economy seats on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
Economy seats have a roomy pitch of 31-32 inches.

Pete Syme/BI

Rival Emirates was relatively late to the premium economy game, only introducing it in 2021, while Qatar Airways doesn't have any plans for it.

Meanwhile, it maintains that its QSuites are better than some other carriers' first-class cabins.

Some of its older planes, like the Airbus A380, don't have QSuites, but instead have a more traditional business and first-class setup.

At the end of my tour, I also got the chance to check out the flight deck.
The flight deck of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 with a view of the 2025 Paris Air Show through the windscreen
The 777's windscreen offered the best vista of the Paris Air Show.

Pete Syme/BI

It was a fun moment to take a breather and chat to the pilots.
A first-person perspective view from the copilot's seat on a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
A first-person view from the first officer's seat.

Pete Syme/BI

I was impressed with how friendly they were, pointing out the various bells and whistles of the intimidatingly large flight deck.

One button, at the top left, controls the WiFi, provided by Elon Musk's Starlink.
Switches on the dashboard in the cockpit of a Qatar Airways Boeing 777
The dashboard was replete with different controls.

Pete Syme/BI

Qatar Airways announced Thursday that it has completed rolling out Starlink WiFi on 54 of its Boeing 777 jets, with its Airbus A350s up next.

Business Insider previously tried it out on the airline's Starlink launch flight last October and found speeds of up to 215 Mbps β€”Β faster than most home internet connections.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Flying taxi pilots could use AI for fast answers during emergencies, Archer CEO says

19 June 2025 at 10:02
Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL aircraft on display at the 2025 Paris Air Show
Archer plans to deploy its Midnight aircraft in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Pete Syme/BI

  • Archer Aviation makes the Midnight VTOL aircraft that is often called a "flying taxi."
  • CEO Adam Goldstein said it may create an AI flight manual for air taxi pilots.
  • Archer is partnering with Palantir, Goldstein told Business Insider at the Paris Air Show.

Archer Aviation is considering creating an AI flight manual for its air taxis, its CEO told Business Insider.

"We look at using AI and LLMs [large language models] to help simplify things," Adam Goldstein said in an interview at the Paris Air Show this week.

"So, we can look at anything from a flight manual β€” which may be quite complex, that you can query and ask questions β€” to internal tools to help us move faster.

"You can imagine if you're in some type of scenario and there's a big flight manual, and you need to understand what to do very quickly, you don't want to be thumbing through some multi-hundred-page book," he added. "You want to ask a quick question, get your answer, and fix your problem."

Pilots have manuals called quick-reference handbooks that outline procedures for emergencies or other situations where the aircraft signals a warning message. The handbooks are typically on a digital device that are easier to search.

AI could make searching faster, but large-language models such as ChatGPT have faced criticism for sometimes generating incorrect information, known as hallucinations.

Silicon Valley-based Archer has partnered with Palantir for work with AI, saying they would develop software to improve a range of systems, including air traffic control, movement control, and route planning.

"There's big complicated systems that need near 100% reliability, if not 100% reliability, and that's why we partnered with Palantir," Goldstein told BI.

He said he used ChatGPT daily: "I think it's a great way to do research and to view the world, and I only expect that to continue."

Archer is one of the premier players in advanced air mobility, which is regarded as the next generation of aircraft.

Its aircraft, Midnight, is electric and can take off and land vertically β€” called an eVTOL for short, or a "flying taxi."

The goal is to transform commutes in cities. For example, Archer says it would take 9 minutes to travel between Newark Liberty International Airport and downtown Manhattan, instead of the roughly hourlong journeys by car or public transit.

United Airlines has placed an order worth up to $1.5 billion, and Archer last month announced it was chosen as the official air taxi partner of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Also in Paris on Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced an alliance to streamline the certification of eVTOLs, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Archer plans to deploy its first Midnight aircraft in the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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