If my inbox is any indication, morale among Qatar Airways employees isn’t very high right now…
In this post:
Qatar Airways won’t offer staff bonuses due to instability
A few days ago, Qatar Airways released its results for the past financial year, which ran from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026. During this financial year, Qatar Airways achieved excellent results, with a profit of nearly $2 billion. The airline nearly achieved a record profit, though of course the last several weeks of the financial year threw things off, given the conflict with Iran.
In the past three years, Qatar Airways has offered its roughly 60,000 staff pretty decent bonuses. However, this year the airline has informed employees in a memo that there won’t be any bonuses. This is because the geopolitical situation in the region is continuing to “significantly affect” the airline, so the lack of bonuses is a decision that “prioritises long-term stability.”
As you’d expect, staff aren’t too happy about this:
- The airline achieved very strong results the past financial year, so employees should be rewarded for their efforts contributing to that
- The airline basically wants it both ways — it thinks it shouldn’t pay bonuses both when the financial results aren’t good, and also when the results are good but the forecast doesn’t look good
- Keep in mind a lot of Qatar Airways staff have also been earning less money in recent times, given that they’re all flying less (pay is a combination of base pay plus hours flown), so I imagine this also puts many employees in a tough financial spot
- In the US we often talk about how airline losses are socialized, and airline gains are privatized (given how airlines inevitably get government aid for a variety of reasons); this is sort of the opposite, where they’re “socializing” the gains and “privatizing” the losses (except those “parties” are a little different than in the US)
It’s worth noting that Emirates recently released its financial results, which resulted in the airline paying staff a bonus worth 20 weeks of their basic pay. Emirates has quickly become one of the most generous airlines in the industry when it comes to profit sharing.
I understand the frustration of Qatar Airways staff
In fairness to Qatar Airways, it’s not like the airline has a profit sharing formula, but instead, the airline can do whatever it wants (it’s not like there are unions at Gulf airlines). Historically, the airline hasn’t really offered staff bonuses.
However, Emirates has in recent years been offering staff absolutely massive bonuses, often approaching half of their annual base pay. So it seems that competitively, Qatar Airways felt it had to do something as well, even if the bonuses were only a fraction as big as we saw at Emirates.
I have to say, with Qatar Airways having recently appointed a new CEO, I imagine this also doesn’t create a very favorable impression of him (unlike the previous CEO, who was very popular with employees).
Not surprisingly, there’s also an order in which prospective employees typically apply at Gulf carriers — Emirates is almost always the first choice, then Etihad, then Qatar Airways, then Gulf Air and Oman Air, then Saudia, then a lot of the limited service carriers, etc.
While a tangent, we’re also now seeing the launch of Riyadh Air, and it seems they’ve managed to get many people to leave other Gulf carriers, including Emirates and Etihad, to work there. I think that’s due to how well the airline is marketing itself, and also because people are excited at the prospect of being at the top of the seniority system.
Bottom line
Qatar Airways has reported strong financial results for the past year, but unlike previous years, the airline has told employees that there will be no profit sharing for the year. Admittedly Gulf carriers are in a very tough spot at the moment, but I also think the frustration among employees is understandable, given that they worked for the company’s strong financial results.
Qatar Airways is essentially arguing it can’t pay bonuses due to its negative outlook, rather than due to performance not having been good. With Gulf rivals like Emirates paying bonuses worth months of pay, that can’t feel great for Qatar Airways employees.
What do you make of Qatar Airways’ lack of bonuses? Is it fair in light of the negative outlook, or no?
Time will tell if this inaction will comeback to bite QR in the current financial years figures. Either way, they will without doubt, still be a World Class Airline at the top of its game!
I suspect this would go over a bit better if there were a commitment to pay once the crisis passed, but this isn't "just" a random economic slowdown.
Basically, 2025 was a record year but Qatar (the country) is probably facing a serious financial crisis in a way that the UAE has diversified away from (they're far more dependent on oil vs tourism and so on).
Qatar: a nation known for putting its labor force and their working conditions first
Particularly those assigned herding the camels .
Of course it’s always going to be a popular narrative to side with the front-line staff over the airline management when it comes to pay and bonuses… and doubly so when it’s this kind of headline number..
that said, to me, I can see a point of QR in that RIGHT NOW, the picture is less than clear and outlook cloudy - therefore a motivation to hold onto cash going forward… I can see that.....
Of course it’s always going to be a popular narrative to side with the front-line staff over the airline management when it comes to pay and bonuses… and doubly so when it’s this kind of headline number..
that said, to me, I can see a point of QR in that RIGHT NOW, the picture is less than clear and outlook cloudy - therefore a motivation to hold onto cash going forward… I can see that..
The other thing that crosses my mind is that there’s little NEED for QR to pay out bonuses. Sure, EK tends to get the first nod when it comes to potential crew and their applications.. but in the end, there seems to be a decent supply of applicants that show up at each crew recruitment event .. and that to me kind of means QR doesn’t NEED to pay out bonuses - they’ll still get enough applicants coming in to keep themselves fully staffed.
Would paying bonuses help getting higher or better applicants? sure. I don’t think it would hurt.. but again, I think QR has made that calculation about the benefits of holding the cash versus any possible upside through paying bonuses.
if EK tends to get the first nod when it comes to potential crew and their applications, why do they pay massive bonuses?
You might be putting the cart before the horse.
The high bonuses currently offered will be one of the reasons why they're everyone's first choice. If you want to continue this, and have a motivated staff, you'll want to continue to pay high bonuses.
rain ... definitely motivates the executives .
Airline executives are known for hauling in money from fares and fees , especially from twisted , back-breaking , congested business class fares , serving girl food .