Tag Archives for qatar airways.
Qatar Airways is giving more value to customers than I can recall ever seeing an airline offer without it being a mistake. It even lets you buy a ticket on one of the least expensive routes, and use the ticket on one of the most expensive. And the airline has been pretty clear that this is for real.
Here’s a dismissal notice one pilot reported receiving from their airline. Qatar Airways terminated them effective immediately, and is paying seven days of severance in lieu of notice.
If that was the end of the story it would be unfortunate, but part of the grim reality that aviation and the world are facing today. However that wasn’t the end. Qatar sent the pilot a bill for $162,000.
The lede to a piece in the New York Times on the bungled initial response to the novel coronavirus appears to suggest that the virus was first brought to New York by a Qatar Airways flight. It even further appears to suggest that if only New York had done a better job containing that first case, things would be different today. These claims make little sense.
Airlines are worried about surviving. They have your cash. It may not be legal to keep it when flights are cancelled, but most customers will take what they are offered (future travel credit) and very few will complain to authorities.
Qatar Airways though has a better approach. They, too, want your cash. They want your future travel purchases when travel is again in the cards. They are honoring refunds but if you’ll take a credit instead they’ll give you a 10% bonus for taking a voucher. That’s creative and honors the customer.
What a difference a few weeks make. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker gave an interview where he was skeptical about the seriousness of the novel coronavirus, and annoyed at the inconvenience to aviation. “You don’t block aviation just because there is something in the air but it’s really not a scientific fact” he said.
He probably now wishes there wasn’t video.
We’re well past where it makes sense to offer flexibility only to new ticket purchases. Qatar is not only extending their flexible change policy to existing, already-purchased tickets they’re providing the option to take a travel voucher good for a year from date of issue – customers aren’t limited to traveling within a year of their original ticket purchase.
In making the announcement of the renewed codeshare with Qatar Airways this past week American said that “the issues [of subsidies] had been addressed” between the two airlines. That’s bullocks, the U.S. airlines failed completely in their effort to get meaningful government action against their Gulf rivals.
On Wednesday American Airlines CEO Doug Parker spoke to employees at an internal town hall, a recording of which was shared with View From The Wing. There he explained the carrier’s change of heart.
There are two paths American could take for a new flight from the U.S. to Doha. One is replacing existing Qatar Airways service from one of their hubs. The other is flying Seattle – Doha, which makes a lot of sense once Alaska Airlines joins oneworld and potentially severs its partnership with Emirates. But American needs that to fall into place first, and get agreement over subsidies for their new flight.
Parker has the challenge of reversing course after everything he’s said about the existential threat Qatar Airways posed to his airline. So how is he explaining the flip flop? He penned a letter to employees.
American Airlines announced a new strategic partnership with Qatar Airways that involves restoration of codesharing and exploring flying to Doha. This pretty much puts to rest speculation about Qatar Airways leaving oneworld
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
