Involuntary downgrade anyone?

[serfty]

Sounds more like xenophobic nonsense to me and belongs in the same thread as Arab airlines don't pay for fuel.

I don't believe it is:

1. Specifically xenophobic &
2. In any way compares with the stupid 'fuel' thingy.

There is an undercurrent and some reference (and I have seen it on more than the QR forum) that some middle Eastern families/patrons have a lineage/bank balance that entitles¹ them in a social sense to "more" than the average punter in the region.

These families/patrons are very much not short of a quid and think nothing of travelling in paid full fare first class at short notice.

The inference is that should customers with such entitlement decide a few hours, a day, or whatever to travel somewhere on a certain flight in First class they will, and that the airline will accommodate them (even if there are not enough unbooked seats in the First cabin available), bumping as many PAX as necessary. The fare the bumped PAX have paid and any compensation is likely to be much less than the revenue generated by carrying the entitled family members.

This is not xenophobic as similar happens worldwide to many and varied peoples, both bumped and bumpers, to some extents and degrees more than to others.

e.g. http://www.australianfrequentflyer....at-best-seat-s-choose-32287-9.html#post935657

The reference to families is a local phenomena ...

¹ It's not a 'belief' - it just is ...

 

[MrJetset]

There is no reference to any Qatari sheikh in any of the FT posts. The only facts are the some pax got downgraded when families were in the J or F cabin.

The facts are:

QR overbooks cabins
Airlines will generally downgrade single pax and not individual members within a single party, especially a family.

these are the circumstances being described.

The assertion that rich 'Qatari sheikhs' will cause the OP to be downgraded is nonsense and an overreaction to a few cases on FT unrelated reports.

The above are blatant generalisations and have nothing to do with wasta, or influence. In fact in the cases of UA redemptions on QR where pax got downgraded they were non status pax on awards. We all know status and booking class are the determining factors with downgrades.

Hard to believe, but not all Emiratis are connected to the ruling families.

 

[Dalescott]

Back in the early 2000's, was flying BA out of Heathrow. Was bumped off the flight, and was not happy. They offered me next day flight + hotel + lounge access. My counter offer was F class + Hotel + lounge acces for one year, and in writing or no deal.
BA Manager was called and his reply was OK. My reply was really, OK then. Not bad coonsidering the MOD were paying for the trip in CATTLE CLASS.

 

[gypsyinabigtown]

There is no reference to any Qatari sheikh in any of the FT posts. The only facts are the some pax got downgraded when families were in the J or F cabin.

The facts are:

QR overbooks cabins
Airlines will generally downgrade single pax and not individual members within a single party, especially a family.

these are the circumstances being described.

The assertion that rich 'Qatari sheikhs' will cause the OP to be downgraded is nonsense and an overreaction to a few cases on FT unrelated reports.

The above are blatant generalisations and have nothing to do with wasta, or influence. In fact in the cases of UA redemptions on QR where pax got downgraded they were non status pax on awards. We all know status and booking class are the determining factors with downgrades.

Hard to believe, but not all Emiratis are connected to the ruling families.

The referenced reports on FT are very specifically about multiple cases of J passengers being involuntarily downgraded on QR while travelling on a confirmed ticket. It is a stretch by any means to call them 'unrelated'.

I understand you may think the 'Qatari sheikh' theory is not plausible. Fair enough. You offer another suggestion that QR simply overbooks J class way more often than other airlines, and thus has to bump more people off, and they try to keep families together. That is also possible, though I'd wonder why they'd do overbook J so much.
It may also well be that we're both partially right: that QR overbooks J more often, and also 'accommodates' local VIPs more often, than other airlines; leading to more involuntary downgrades.

I am not particularly bothered about the explanation of the issue as much as how to handle it and hear people's experiences. If I should ever be so unfortunate to be bumped off my coveted J seat to a measly Y, I will not care much if it is due to a Qatari sheikh or Dutch Queen.

 

[medhead]

The referenced reports on FT are very specifically about multiple cases of J passengers being involuntarily downgraded on QR while travelling on a confirmed ticket. It is a stretch by any means to call them 'unrelated'.
.

Sorry but if they are not on the same flight/booking or a group traveling together, they are unrelated.

 

[gypsyinabigtown]

Sorry but if they are not on the same flight/booking or a group traveling together, they are unrelated.

Okay let me clarify, they are in my opinion very much 'related' (or germane) to the topic at hand, but yes the multiple events are not related with one another - which in my view made the issue worst, than being a one-off incident of having to downgrade multiple passengers on a single flight.