Qatar charging seat selection fees for Business (U) award bookings

[azza007]

Looks like Qatar is now charging seat election fees for business class (U) award bookings.
Free for Oneworld Sapphire & Emerald.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qatar-airways-privilege-club/2206547-qr-charging-seat-selection-fees-j-incl-redemptions-like-ba-wef-3-nov-2025-a.html

I got caught out by this the other day.
Made a business class booking using QR Avios & had selected seats for free, received the E-ticket with the selected seats showing.
The next day logged into Qatar Privilege Club checked the booking and seat selections had disappeared and now wanting to charge a fee.
Charging about $80-$100Eur per sector Europe to Doha and Doha to Australia.
Logged into Qatar Privilege & hopped onto online chat today and the agent added my QFF number and I could then select seats for free.

 

[SCM]

That's kind of weird, so does that mean that for instance with VFF reward booking, you will be able to select for free?

 

[madrooster]

That's kind of weird, so does that mean that for instance with VFF reward booking, you will be able to select for free?

No. All QR U class booked from Nov 2025 onwards has chargeable seat selection.

 

[Mattg]

No. All QR U class booked from Nov 2025 onwards has chargeable seat selection.

Do Velocity Gold/Plat members get free seat selection on Qatar Airways?

 

[madrooster]

Do Velocity Gold/Plat members get free seat selection on Qatar Airways?

Yes. They didn't used to, but they do now.

 

[Hunter4vr]

That's rough, what's next, no lounge access with (U) award tickets?

If I'm flying with a child <5 years old and I don't pay to select seats, will they auto allocate seats at check in that are next to each other?

 

[FlyingFiona]

Do their seats become free to select at T-80 (or similar)?

 

[ols]

Glad I've recently booked my four Qatar redemptions for August/September next year.

 

[doctorstrangelove]

The enshittification of airline frequent flyer programs continues.

That's rough, what's next, no lounge access with (U) award tickets?

Don't give them ideas....

 

[kamchatsky]

QR is just following what BA has been doing on their flights. Thank goodness I already had my seats selected on my earlier redemptions. Otherwise, it becomes very expensive, based on the anecdotal evidence of 75GBP per sector in the reference thread.

 

[SYD]

Do their seats become free to select at T-80 (or similar)?

Yes, at the FT link, there's something about Free at OLCI (which is pretty normal) but you're getting the leftovers and hoping they've not overbooked the flight.

 

[jase05]

QR is just following what BA has been doing on their flights.

Our last AF J redemption they wanted $160 each for seat selection but free for SkyTeam Elites.
Looked at the same flight next year and J seats cost $266pp now

 

[kamchatsky]

That's rough, what's next, no lounge access with (U) award tickets?

I would not be surprised if that is the case in the future. P fare already has lounge access excluded.

 

[elanshin]

I would not be surprised if that is the case in the future. P fare already has lounge access excluded.

"So that we don't have to raise the prices of the awards, we're going to remove lounge access".

Few months later proceeds to increase prices anyways.

 

[SCM]

Yes. They didn't used to, but they do now.

Can you confirm where this information is? So I guess if you are at least gold with VA and use VFF to redeem, you will be able to select seats?

I guess that is another new "benefit" by way of removing a previously free feature.