66 eateries: How your family can dine for free at the world's best airport
Foodie heaven at a hip Gulf airport.
Aussie families will have the chance to eat for free at the best airport in the world as part of a sweet new perk from Virgin Australia.
Virgin Australia, through its new partnership with Qatar Airways, is giving every passenger on its new long-haul flights to Doha a $33 voucher to use at Hamad International Airport when the new flights launch in June.
Hamad airport was named the World's Best Airport in 2024 at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.
It offers 66 restaurants, including celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's burger and street pizza outlets, as well as Fendi Cafe, Harrods Tea Room, Oreo Cafe and Shawarma Station. There are also the old favourite fast food options including KFC and Burger King.
Conde Nast Traveller said some of the best places to eat at Hamad were providing local flavours, such as Baladna Express where you can get a freshly grilled carved shawarma, Evergreen Organics which offers plant-based coffee, and Chapati and Karak which offers spiced milky tea with flat bread.
Doha the new 'it' stopover
Hamad International Airport in Qatar's capital city, Doha, served almost 53 million passengers in 2024, and though this isn't a patch on Dubai International Airport's 90 million passengers annually, it is staking its claim as the new 'it' airport in the Middle East.
The airport offers a 600-square-metre indoor tropical garden called the Orchard featuring 300 trees and 25,000 plants.
It is family-friendly, offering eight bronze sculptures throughout the airport that kids can play on, with stairs, tall slides, and hollow nooks.
Shopping is one of the drawcards, particularly for those who love a little luxury, with Rolex, Dior and Fendi among the 50 boutiques on site.
The airport lounges are next level, with the world's first Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alleno available for Qatar Airways Privilege Gold Club and Platinum members.
More perks as Virgin flights to Doha begin soon
Virgin Australia's new long-haul international flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to Doha launch from June 2025, with Melbourne to follow in December 2025.
Passengers flying on these new long-haul services to Doha can access a number of new family-friendly perks including free on-board Wi-Fi and family pooling, which allows Virgin Velocity Frequent Flyer members to combine points and status credits with up to five other family members living at the same address, which could help fast-track their way to rewards.
Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Nick Rohrlach told ACM families and individuals who book their abroad trips with Virgin via Doha will get a premium service at an affordable price.
"We set some pretty great fares out there, and we've seen a huge take up for that. It's really great to see people flocking to these great value fares, which is a really important way to get to Europe, and at a much better value," Mr Rohrlach said.
Other benefits for Velocity members include business-class upgrades using points, advance seat selection for Gold and Platinum members with a 10 per cent discount for Red and 20 per cent discount for Silver members.
My all-time favourite destination is ... Cornwall. From the giant seagulls to the blustery beaches, Cornish pasties and fishing villages, it stirs something romantic and seafaring in me.
Next on my bucket list is … Mongolia. I want to go somewhere really unique that feels totally foreign and challenges my way of life.
My top travel tip is … Don’t plan too much. Walk the streets and let it happen. And make sure you check out what’s within a few blocks of your hotel - sometimes the best local food is found that way.
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