Qatar Airways – self-confessed ‘Five Star’ airline is having trouble due to the current political problems in the Gulf. Banned from flying to several neighbouring states, including Egypt, passengers are having problems travelling with them in the local area.
When this issue came along, Qatar scrabbled to rebook passengers and there are reports of quite generous re-routings being offered. Royal Jordanian has recently refused to accept Qatar tickets forcing passengers on to Middle Eastern Airlines or Turkish.
In the past week, Qatar has been cancelling tickets (without notice) for future dates, including my tickets for October and November. Luckily, My Flights warned me and so I called Qatar yesterday.
Reports on Flyertalk indicate that the US office has been more generous than other stations with rebooking options, so I used Skype to call yesterday afternoon. The FT thread has lots of real world experiences from travellers so if you are involved in this too, it is worth subscribing to it.
The generosity reported wasn’t my experience – in summary:
- They could rebook me immediately on Turkish, except that they don’t have any space on my travel days
- Or, I could have a refund – that doesn’t really help
- Or, I can call back three days before travel and they can rebook me on MEA
- Or, I can call back one day before and might get BA, AirFrance, or some other airline, including Royal Jordanian
The one missing option – getting rebooked today.
It’s very unusual for an airline to cancel a ticket and then not reinstate it in my experience, but perhaps we live in difficult times.
See this is what we now infamously know as “fake news” and not even written by a credible journalist.
I had booked 8 in and out’s of Cairo in the 6 months since the blockade took place, all with QR. And not once have I had an issue. Sure, I have to be a little bit flexible, sure I have to be pragmatic, sure I have to have understanding and have patience, but to say Qatar are “doing nothing” in you headline is an outright bloody lie. Fake news.
They have been extremely accommodating. They have arranged flights for me and so far every one of them has been honoured without any issues with the likes of MS, OM, RJ and TK. In fact, it has been such a smooth change of schedules. ( I’d like to see an example of where RJ refused to honour a ticket – fake news )
“In the past week, Qatar has been cancelling tickets (without notice) for future dates” fake news.
This whole issue is not Qatar’s fault, it is because those recalcitrants from Egypt, Saudia, Yemen and Bahrain have blockaded them. The traveling life is fraught with issues and changes and cancelled flights and overbooked flights and aircraft malfunctions and delays and electronic bans and British amongst other things. And you should know better if you claim to be a traveler.
Yet this poor darling, from the UK ( which explains a lot ), is all upset because the poor darling had to change a few bookings around that didn’t suit him. Oh boo-hoo-bloody-hoo mate. And that is called “Qatar doing nothing”. Fake News.
Get a grip, get your hands off it and give yourself an almighty upper-cut. You sound and look like a right goose. Mate.
Robbo – if you are happy with being rebooked the day before travel, then I am delighted you chose Qatar.
Absurd post. You sound incredibly petulant or just shamelessly desperate for clicks.
They cancelled your ticket because they have been banned from operating in Egypt and have offered you a full refund along with several other offers. That’s MORE than accommodating as far as I’m concerned to address a political situation outside of their control.
Sack up and deal with your issue and stop whining publicly that QR is “doing nothing”. They only owe you your money back – and you have it. Rebook yourself if you want it done today.
@Matthew – why do they have no responsibility to rebook me now? Why are the 24/72 hours timings such magic? If they want to cancel now they can rebook now.
Wow! We got a sissy snowflake from brexit here… they offer a refund and a couple of alternatives. But you insisted that it have to be done in accordance with your timing, which is NOW. Then get the bloody refund, you wankers!!! Bloody clickbait for some smear campaign done by a crybaby blogger
The trouble with them wanting you to wait for 72 hours / 24 hours before is that by then, your preferred option may no longer be available.
I’ve been affected by the Qatar blockade too, in my case the relevant sectors were cancelled out around 5 days before flying, but they wouldn’t rebook until 72 hours no matter what (just the offer of a refund which didn’t help as flights were more expensive by then). On the outbound, one leg was downgraded because on my preferred routing the origin cabin was fully booked. On the return, my preferred routing was sold out by 72 hours before and I had to fly with someone else at less convenient times
I can understand why Qatar Airlines don’t want to rebook people months and months ahead, as they’re clearly hoping that the relevant governments can reach a compromise and flights be reinstated. Refusing the rebook at the time they decide to cancel, that’s the annoying part for me.
I went into a QR office and changed the flights I needed to change. I sat with the reservations manager in the particular office, face to face. I told them what I wanted, I was given various options and made decisions on the spot. They helped me. They were great. New arrangements made on the spot, ticketed on the spot. I think it’s called negotiation for christ’s sake. I did that in the first week of July, changed 13 bookings up to and including January 2018.
The key is not to fluff around. Tell them what you want, make decisions, and 9 times out of 10, they’ll do it. It’s called talking to each other. LOL. Or you could do what Miles from Blighty has done. Bigger LOL.
Had a Cairo/Doha/Maldives and i asked them to change into Beirut/Doha/Maldives which they did and my flight is due 30th september.
Why is the service different in person?
Because you can look them in the eye, mutual respect. It’s the art of negotiation. Alien to anyone under 25 I know
I was able to change a August 18 flight PHL-Cairo to PHL-Amman. But, for my separate one way booking from Cairo to Edinburgh I have been told on three separate occasions that I have to wait till 72 hours. My bookings are in First and Business. I attempted to make the changes face to face in Doha and on the phone. I have absolutely loved my experiences flying with Qatar but their customer service folks on the phone have not been very pleasant. I have been told changing my Cairo-Edinburgh flight at +72 hours to Amman-Cairo will be no problem but I’d be much happier if I could confirm the change before leaving home.
I am so much older than 25!