In late 2023, Badr Mohammed Al Meer became CEO of Qatar Airways, replacing longtime CEO Akbar Al Baker. If you ask me, Al Meer has done an exceptional job so far in the short time he has been at the airline, and he’s one of the airline CEOs I respect most.
In particular, his focus has been on people, including staff and customers. Employees at the airline love him, as one of his first orders of business at the airline was eliminating restrictions on staff, including lifting curfews in Doha and ending the social media ban while in uniform.
We’re now learning that Al Meer is pretty amazing at taking care of customers as well, thanks to a remarkable anecdote that was shared online.
In this post:
Al Meer personally helps passengers at Doha Airport
Twitter/X user @pbjcaviar shares an awesome story regarding what happened to his sister at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH). Here’s the series of posts that were shared online:
Crazy story my sister had traveling today. My little sister flys standby around the world for dirt cheap cause our father worked at Eva Air Cargo for 20+ years.
Today she was in Doha, Qatar stuck at the airport. There were seats open on the flight from Doha to Chicago, but due to weight management, they weren’t taking any additional passengers. When you fly standby you get a seat only once the plane begins to board and there are seats open. So she decides to try to get on the flight to DC at the gate for the flight to DC, the Qatar Airways employees tell her the same thing. They aren’t bringing on any more passengers due to weight management.
At this point she’s getting really anxious, nervous, and worried. She hadn’t slept all night b/c she was flying from Bangkok to Doha. She had no idea what to do and so she stood sad under the departure screens wondering what flight she might be able to get on.
At this point a man walked up to her and asked her why she is so sad. My sister told him everything about the situation and he told her “go to the business lounge and everything will be okay.” Turns out he was the CEO of Qatar Airways Badr Mohammed Al Meer and he hooked her up with a business class seat to JFK.
An employee at Qatar gave my sister her ticket and told her she is very lucky b/c he rarely walks around the airport like that. So just like that my little sister is about to board the 14 hour flight to JFK in business class. Incredible the power some people hold in this world. With a snap of a finger everything went from sour to super sweet.
This story sounded so over-the-top that I wondered if it was true. So I reached out to a contact, and have confirmed this is true, with the exception of one detail. The person on Twitter/X claims that an employee said his sister was lucky because Al Meer rarely walks around the airport like that. I’m told that this is actually how Al Meer spends much of his weekends.
Talk about hands-on leadership & humanity!
Let’s be honest, there are plenty of CEOs who will go into public and do good when there’s a camera around or in high profile situations, in order to seem more likable. But that’s not what happened here. This story is literally being shared by the sibling of a standby passenger, and he doesn’t even have a particularly large following on social media.
I also think it’s important to emphasize that this passenger wasn’t actually owed anything, and the airline didn’t do anything wrong in the first place. She was traveling on standby, which comes with risks, and unfortunately it didn’t work out in her favor (well, until she met Al Meer).
This story is more about humanity than it is directly about good business, and frankly that’s something that’s really refreshing to see from an airline CEO. Arguably showing humanity can be good for business in the long run.
When Al Meer first took over in his role, I was cautiously optimistic that he’d lead the carrier in a positive direction, based on what he was saying. But actions speak louder than words, so I reserved judgment.
Now we’ve seen his actions over and over, and I’m a fan of Al Meer, plain and simple. An airline CEO who roams his hub airports on weekends has my respect.
Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate how incredibly lucky this guy’s sister was? Goodness, imagine you’re at the airport and on the verge of tears, and suddenly the carrier’s CEO shows up and makes your day.
Bottom line
Qatar Airways has a new CEO as of late 2023. I’ve been impressed by what he has been doing on a high level, from managing staff, to his vision for the airline. But as it turns out, he’s pretty hands on as well, and apparently spends much of his weekends roaming the airport. We’re only learning about this thanks to a user who shared an anecdote on social media. Simply incredible!
Anyone love this story as much as I do?
All service industry CEO's need to get out of their ivory towers and be "in the field" more often.
I would love if Air Canada CEO. did the same. Most CEO's sit on their pedestals and do not have the slightest inkling of what is going on in their companies. True they have risen to that level, hopefully through the ranks. But they have forgotten what it used to be like when they were climbing the ladder.
He has to see all the crappy things passengers have to face all along their journeys.
But then why has he to care he gets VIP treatment when he travels.
So she flies for "dirt cheap" (probably just the taxes), and she is sad because she cannot get a seat as a standby passenger? Isn't it the idea of being standby when you are non-rev, that you're betting on having a seat and if you don't have one, then tough?
Indeed:
“ At this point she’s getting really anxious, nervous, and worried. She hadn’t slept all night b/c she was flying from Bangkok to Doha. She had no idea what to do and so she stood sad under the departure screens wondering what flight she might be able to get on.”
Maybe that girl isn’t up to travelling around the world alone on standby?
Air Canada's CEO could learn a thing or two from this story!
Remember that is one of the perks of the job. So do not be jealous.
Join the airline then. And undergo all the other hardships and abuses the staff have to face through no fault of theirs.
“Hardship and abuse”? Well, unfortunately that is what happens with client-facing positions. What about the perks for staff at the 24-hour Walgreens around the corner?
In general, airline staff can be happy to work in such an industry and if they can’t cope with tired and unfriendly passengers (some of which have a reason…) they should look for another job.
Helps passengers? I don't think so. Qatar Airways has many issues they need to address. There are several unresolved lawsuits against them. My complaint to Qatar Airways (CAS-2923457-W2L7J8) has been pending for almost a month with no response. Must I be American to have my complaints taken seriously? Is the CEO unaware of the nightmares passengers have faced in recent months?
On our round trip via Doha, 3 out of 4 flights were grounded due...
Helps passengers? I don't think so. Qatar Airways has many issues they need to address. There are several unresolved lawsuits against them. My complaint to Qatar Airways (CAS-2923457-W2L7J8) has been pending for almost a month with no response. Must I be American to have my complaints taken seriously? Is the CEO unaware of the nightmares passengers have faced in recent months?
On our round trip via Doha, 3 out of 4 flights were grounded due to technical issues, stranding us at airports for over 35 hours and resulting in my wife suffering a miscarriage. They informed us they no longer offer compensation. The mismanagement and ruthless handling of our situation when we were most vulnerable, along with staff mocking us, were unacceptable.
Qatar Airways often uses old, unreliable aircraft from partner airlines, leading to frequent technical issues and grounded flights. This experience has left us with a lasting nightmare.
Does he hate his family or does he just have no life?
Good Luck to him
He needs it if he is to change Qatar to a better airline for on ground handling
While Qatar had the best ever reputation for inflight service they are THE WORST EVER FOR PASSENGER CARE outside the plane.
While I have heard terrible stories from friends, In my family itself where we flew Qatar business class loyally for a number of years there have been a number of...
Good Luck to him
He needs it if he is to change Qatar to a better airline for on ground handling
While Qatar had the best ever reputation for inflight service they are THE WORST EVER FOR PASSENGER CARE outside the plane.
While I have heard terrible stories from friends, In my family itself where we flew Qatar business class loyally for a number of years there have been a number of incidents where their rudeness and “no care attitude” to passengers on the ground was just unacceptable.
What was our favorite Airline to fly business class soon became the airline of last choice
If this story is genuine then good luck to the new CEO in changing the attitude of the staff (EXCEPTING THEIR INFLIGHT STAFF WHO ARE FABULOUS )
It's customer service delivery at the highest level.
Rarely does a CEO of any airline do these random checks when the flight is on ground !
It's all the more heartening to learn the customer was not a revenue passenger but the CEO had the heart to help the distressed staff.
Goodwill and reputation works better in airline business by these acts of kindness and generosity
While I love this story and got so emotional knowing that there are still good people out there, I do have one question. Where in the world was this person’s sister going. She seemed not to mind where she was rerouted to and that makes me extremely curious. However, I’m quite grate to the CEO and hope that his employees and people all over the world learn about a simple act of kindness and how it can make a difference in someone’s life!!!
She was obviously going to the USA, likely to a smaller destination with few/no international flights but frequent service to US hubs, which she can use on a standby basis.
Reminds me of Gordon Bethune
It's good to hear from the other people and help if you can. Giving a helping hand ✋ when in need.
I am a QR crew and I can confirm that our new CEO has made a big different in our life! He was loved by the employees! Unlike the old evil one that we all were cursing at home every single day
Meanwhile in Australia, the Qantas CEO will laugh in your face and say “that flight we sold you a ticket on never existed”
QR always gave me the best service.
I believe that Herb Kelleher (Southwest) was the poster child for such activity. It was not unusual for him to show up at a ticket counter, or in baggage service, on a holiday and help with the duties. Employees and Customers alike always had a good opinion (along with a good story) of Herb. He really helped put the legs under Southwest. Luckily he doesn't have to put up with all of the chaos of the world nowadays - RIP Herb :-)
This is some really good marketing and PR.
What I’m confused about is - the father worked for EVA for 20+ years, and I’m understanding that he no longer does.
I could see the daughter getting free standby space on a EVA flight given she was never employed by BR, but yet she was given free standby on QR even though she never worked for an airline but her dad did in the past? This isn’t how extended-family non rev travel works.
Unless her dad was still employed @ EVA this is a fake story.
@Jake212
Wrong...also retired airline staff and some of their relatives are allowed to fly on standby Tickets..
AT THE AIRLINE THEY RETIRED FROM *maybe.* Not from any airline they want!
It's called Zed fare
At a vast majority of airlines. Retirees and their spouses, parents and children up till 24 years old are covered.
I’m not sure the ticket was free because the article didn’t say. Unless I’m wrong on that.
Currently over 170 airlines take part in the Zed Fare programme. So yea, the father might have worked for BR but the daughter can fly Kenya Airways JFK-NBO-JNB and back with Lufthansa via FRA.
The tickets are not free but you pay a very small amount. In the article the brother says 'dirt cheap' and not for free.
Great that he’s people-centric; for both staff and customers.
Given that he came from being the CEO of the airport, perhaps he still is keen to keep an eye on the terminal operations he previously managed?
Anyways, good stuff…good on him!
PS - I’ve Googled, but don’t see any info about what happened to Al Baker???
Who cares? He was a petty tyrant who generated masses of terrible PR for both the airline and the country and appears to have unpersoned by the governing regime. It's no great loss.
I'm gonna go not too far out on a limb and assume that this was a young, attractive female. I'm fairly certain if it was a big fat bald guy looking sad he would have walked right on by.
Of course she was young and attractive. Have you ever seen a big fat bald guy looking sad and confused standing next to an airport monitor? :)
I last flew QR this past December, and I had a really good conversation with one of the desk agents at one of QR's premium lounges. I asked him what he thought about the new CEO, and he told me that Al Meer had certain things planned and the employee was quite excited and speaking positively about Al Meer. It was clear by his tone that changes were coming, and that they were hopefully good....
I last flew QR this past December, and I had a really good conversation with one of the desk agents at one of QR's premium lounges. I asked him what he thought about the new CEO, and he told me that Al Meer had certain things planned and the employee was quite excited and speaking positively about Al Meer. It was clear by his tone that changes were coming, and that they were hopefully good. He also said that he had heard good things about him.
Glad to see how amazing his leadership has been at Qatar Airways!
Ed Bastian would have personally flown her home himself, while she enjoyed the industry's most Premium product. Her loss.
Dumb reply. The Qatar CEO deserves his props, not shade from a DL fanboy. And what IS "the industry's most premium product," anyway? Not anything I'M aware of at DL.
Don’t be a small person. Be a big person.
You do realize you’re not replying to Tim Dunn, don’t you?
Um, Dim Tunn is not Tim Dunn.
Sorry for the duplicate posting.
Legend? Legendary?
Happy Pride Month.
Happy Men's Mental Health Awareness Month.
What a nice story. One of my favorite things to do when I was a train service manager at Amtrak was roam the platform while “my” train was boarding. A confused passenger with a ticket problem could be fixed in seconds by me calling the employee-only service desk. Little things can make or break a trip.
People may not remember what you said, or what you did, but they’ll always remember how you make them feel.
@ Timtamtrak -- That's awesome, kudos to you! And I especially love your last sentence there.
Yes, it's a great Maya Angelou quote.
I am aware of another couple of CEOs and in fact several of the management twan who do this. They’ve also worked incognito at check in and boarding. They also have no problem speaking to customers on flights. And no one of them is not Carsten Spohr.
Yes, I love it as much as you Ben! Thanks for sharing.
Makes me want to choose to fly with them despite meh flights with them in the past.
Am I just stupid or something, or doesn’t her dad working at Eva Cargo for years enabling her to travel on standby make sense?
@ E39 -- It's common for family members of longtime airline employees to get some basic level of space available, deeply discounted travel across a variety of airlines. Presumably she only ordinarily qualifies for economy travel on these airlines.
@Lucky -
Where are you getting your info from?! My father was in a Director in Flight Ops for DL in ATL from 1986-2010. Do you think I can just walk up the UA, AA, AS counter and get out on standby because of Delta flight benefits? Where are you getting your info from?? It’s so incorrect!
@Jake212 You can fly on other airlines. it's called Zed afe
You are wrong. Your dad didnt work at delta for long enough nor does it sound like he retired from delta. My dad worked at delta over 25 years, retired 10 years ago and i can still fly standby on his benefits.
I don't mean to be rude, but are we talking about the same Qatar that tried to bribe the YouTuber and then subsequently banned him for life? I think that guy became new CEO b4 the Josh incident and he knew what happened.
Sorry I posted it in the wrong place and I can't delete it.
It was about a month after he was named CEO, yes. It took him a while to start shaking things up so I wonder if it would be handled differently now.
@ caelus678 -- Josh published the story shortly after Al Meer became CEO, but I believe it still happened when Al Baker was CEO. Al Baker was even in the thumbnail of Josh's video.
Good for Qatar. I'm so happy that the staffs are getting better treatment. My parents flew with them once on Q-suits to shanghai, till this day they still can't stop talking about their amazing inflight experience.
Their experience with Emirates was really bad they departed from jfk- dxb- pvg on economy with checked bags and missed their connecting flight at dxb-, they made them pay $321 USD for excess weight (yes, for a bag...
Good for Qatar. I'm so happy that the staffs are getting better treatment. My parents flew with them once on Q-suits to shanghai, till this day they still can't stop talking about their amazing inflight experience.
Their experience with Emirates was really bad they departed from jfk- dxb- pvg on economy with checked bags and missed their connecting flight at dxb-, they made them pay $321 USD for excess weight (yes, for a bag that was checked in at JFK). I guess they contributed to Emirates 5 months bonus they paid out.
"in the first class" - seems like a bit of a Freudian slip there ;)
@ AG -- Hah, whoops, my mistake. Fixed.