Last June, Qatar Airways announced a plan to eliminate its long haul first class product, which is currently only available on Airbus A380 aircraft and on ex-Cathay Pacific 777s. But then the airline’s CEO was out under mysterious circumstances. And now the Doha-based global carrier has reversed course and plans a new first class product for new planes they’re considering ordering.

Qatar Airways has one of the world’s best business class products, but it is not a first class product. You don’t get as much space on the airplane as in the first class cabin on a comparable airline. And ground services aren’t as bespoke.

For instance, when I’ve flown Qatar’s first class I’ve been escorted from the aircraft on arrival in Doha from plane through immigration formalities. And the design aesthetic of Qatar’s first class al Safwa lounge is among my favorites.

People often comment that the al Safwa lounge ‘looks like a museum’. But it doesn’t just look like one. It has pieces on loan from the Museum of Islamic Art.

While Qatar has an amazing business class their first class is limited:

• Short haul flights are marketed as economy and first class, with standard business class seats but first class lounge access

• Only their Airbus A380 offers a first class cabin long haul, and while good enough, the seats are entirely ‘open’ in design, two rows of four abreast seating. There are no doors, which Qatar offers in business class on many of their widebody airraft.

Long-term the Airbus A380 will retire. And rather than add a new, top-end first class along the lines of something that might compete with Gulf rivals like Emirates, Etihad and even Saudia, or even like European carriers Lufthansa and Air France, Qatar had planned to eliminate long haul first class – believing that the extra perks of first class didn’t drive enough additional revenue.

In June the plan was for new Qatar Airways 777-9 (“777X”) aircraft not to feature a first class cabin. So when the A380s retire, that would be the end of long haul first class for Qatar Airways. And that would leave the most premium offerings from Singapore; Emirates; Air France; ANA; Cathay Pacific; JAL; Etihad; Air France and Lufthansa as superior to Qatar’s best product (though I’d potentially choose Qatar business, for instance, over British Airways first).

Now they plan to reverse course on a quick phase-out of the Airbus A380, a next generation of business class QSuites planned for an unveiling in July, and a new first class seat that is ‘70%-80% done.’

Qatar Airways is developing a First Class concept and pursuing aircraft orders from aviation giants Boeing and Airbus, as part of a broader strategic overhaul under new group CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer.

…“We wanted to combine the experience of flying commercial and flying on a private jet and develop something new,” he said. “We are 70% to 80% ready. We are only finalizing colors and small touches, but hopefully we will be able to announce it very soon.”

The airline generated record load factors, yields, and profit last fiscal year. The new CEO, though, has been around only since November – and has already reversed course and completed a strategic review – and pulled the trigger on planning for a first class seat that is 70%-80% done? That seems kind of surprising. A new, bespoke first class seat would surely take longer than this. That means the seat was either already planned under the previous CEO (who was lying about their plans – not the first time!), they aren’t nearly as far along, or they’ve just picked an off-the-shelf product.