Last week, I wrote about a lawsuit filed in the United States against Qatar Airways, where a passenger accused a flight attendant of stealing cash from her while inflight. I was skeptical of some aspects of the claims. However, here’s another story of a similar situation, as reported by PYOK, where the airline reportedly confirmed that the inflight theft happened.
In this post:
Passenger has phone stolen on Qatar Airways flight
A Reddit user shares a recent incident that happened on March 28, 2025, on a Qatar Airways business class flight from Doha to Singapore. Just before landing, the passenger reportedly went to the lavatory, and accidentally left his phone behind. He realized it almost immediately, and upon returning to his seat, he went back to retrieve it, but the lavatory was occupied.
A male crew member exited the lavatory a moment later, and the phone was gone. The passenger reported this immediately upon landing, and the airline said it would investigate. According to the passenger, he was soon contacted by a security investigations manager, who confirmed the incident, and identified the crew member as responsible, stating that the crew member was dismissed from his role.
The passenger was able to track his phone to a location in Singapore (which matched the crew’s hotel), and later, to the Philippines. The passenger was eventually offered 949 SGD, the cost of a replacement phone, and was asked to sign a release and discharge form.
The passenger is still frustrated with Qatar Airways
Despite Qatar Airways seemingly investigating the incident and terminating the employee for the theft, as well as reimbursing the passenger for the cost of the phone, he’s still frustrated. He’s angry that he was ignored for weeks by customer care, despite being told he’d be contacted imminently. He’s also not happy that one of the responses mischaracterized the incident as “unattended personal belongings,” even though it was acknowledged as theft.
Lastly, he’s not happy that he was offered no compensation for the disruption to his work, as he had meetings canceled, had to go to the police, had to lock accounts, etc. The passenger concludes:
I had switched to Qatar after years of loyalty to Singapore Airlines. The theft was bad enough, but the way they’ve responded, and how long it’s dragged on, has been exhausting. I’ve done everything I can internally, and I’m still willing to resolve this directly. But at this point, I’m wondering if I need to go public in a bigger way (media, legal, etc.).
My take on this Qatar Airways theft incident
First of all, I’m shocked that some Qatar Airways flight attendants would engage in such stupid theft. I mean, a phone is easy enough to track to a certain location, and you know that in a country like Qatar, you’re going to be immediately fired and deported if this is discovered. I imagine the flight attendant must have been ready to leave anyway, or else he wouldn’t have put his job on the line in such a risky way.
Now, I think Qatar Airways deserves some credit for properly investigating the incident, dismissing the employee, and reimbursing the guy for the phone. I just have to imagine that many other airlines would’ve never properly investigated this, and nothing would’ve come of this.
Now, do I get his frustration that this was drawn out, and that he hasn’t been offered extra compensation? Sure. But I’m also not sure there’s more to this story that warrants going “public in a bigger way,” when he has been reimbursed for his loss, at least directly. He’s considering legal action? I suppose in the United States that would seem totally normal, but in other countries, I’m more skeptical…
Bottom line
A Qatar Airways flight attendant has reportedly been fired after an investigating revealed that he stole a passenger’s phone. If a flight attendant is going to steal something from a passenger, a phone seems like one of the riskier things to take, given how it can be tracked.
I think the airline deserves credit for properly investigating this and taking action. And the airline did reimburse the passenger for the cost of the phone. He’s still really angry about the lack of compensation beyond that. Look, I get it, I think some sort of gesture of goodwill would be appropriate. But I also think the airline has done a lot more than other carriers would’ve.
What do you make of this Qatar Airways theft incident?
Ultimately it was the passenger's fault for leaving his phone behind in the plane lavatory.
I commend QR for owning it. But did they only out of necessity? The fact that the phone was tracked to Singapore and Manila would right away set a trail. I am sure he shared this information and they panicked in their security department. They had to come clean or if the guy pursued it and traced an FA on his flight to those two locations, exactly on those dates, it's game over and QR...
I commend QR for owning it. But did they only out of necessity? The fact that the phone was tracked to Singapore and Manila would right away set a trail. I am sure he shared this information and they panicked in their security department. They had to come clean or if the guy pursued it and traced an FA on his flight to those two locations, exactly on those dates, it's game over and QR would have significant backlash whether legally or through public response.
The reality is that in this world no one in large corporate will own anything unless there is a specific reason to or a true liability. As far as his damages, they are minimal and QR should just pay it and make it go away.
So the OP had to "lock accounts" and was unable to access meeting schedules, documents, and other data? Well, shoot... Always have your iPhone locked &password protected, and nobody who lacks the resources of the FBI can access anything of significance. It's also good business practice to ensure schedules and important documents are backed-up to the Cloud, or on a separate device. Then it's a matter of setting-up a new iPhone from the backup. It's...
So the OP had to "lock accounts" and was unable to access meeting schedules, documents, and other data? Well, shoot... Always have your iPhone locked &password protected, and nobody who lacks the resources of the FBI can access anything of significance. It's also good business practice to ensure schedules and important documents are backed-up to the Cloud, or on a separate device. Then it's a matter of setting-up a new iPhone from the backup. It's annoying to have a different telephone number for a while, but that can be fixed when you get home. Qatar Airways is not responsible for the OP's inability to manage his digital security like a responsible grown adult. He has been adequately compensated, and should sit down & shut up.
Some people have 'phones other than iPhones !
Ben, last year when I went to the bathroom at Qantas F lounge at LAX my AirPods were stolen. I didn’t realized until I boarded the flight. I saw the AirPods go back and forth between LAX and nearby Santa Monica for over a month when they eventually went off. When I went to the lounge and told them about it. And I said it is an employee with the following address. They looked their...
Ben, last year when I went to the bathroom at Qantas F lounge at LAX my AirPods were stolen. I didn’t realized until I boarded the flight. I saw the AirPods go back and forth between LAX and nearby Santa Monica for over a month when they eventually went off. When I went to the lounge and told them about it. And I said it is an employee with the following address. They looked their records and matched an employee that lived at that location. She came out and returned them and said she had “forgotten” to turn them in. Even though they clearly were being used. What was more shocking was that one of the attendants said we we welcome you to the lounge now for the inconvenience. Then the manager came out and proceeded to scold me for going in. And threaten me for wanting to call the police earlier due to the situation. She defended the employee knowingly she was wrong. I was shocked.
Qatar has been exemplary in compensating the OP.
My AirPod Pro2 were stolen from a LUFTHANSA aircraft.
Lufthansa response? Oh dear, what a pity, never mind! (And I’m a HC member)
Turned out it was the cleaning staff LH use.
I tracked the device to the employee’s house near the airport, then to the school. I figured they pay cleaning staff terribly, probably a mother gave it to her child…
Qatar does not pay it's staff enough period! They are exploiters!
Qatar hires staff from countries like the Philippines where there is a huge amount of poverty. People are desperate to get away from.
Since people in the Philippines speak English they are perfect for customer service jobs.
The big middle east airlines exploit this situation. They are all just lipstick on a pig.
Theft is theft. Why so feeble-minded?
Low pay is no excuse for stealing. Many, many low-income people live honest, honorable, productive lives and would never dream of taking something that wasn't theirs. The FA is a dishonest person, and therefore untrustworthy. They're lucky they only got fired and deported, rather than being prosecuted under Qatari law.
While I agree that US airlines probably would not have investigated at all, if the theft is somehow proven, I am sure he'd be offered 4000 miles (enough for a sandwich or drink on many of our redeye flights!) on top of phone cost reimbursement.
Now, the guy aslo realizes there is not much more to the story to take any real action - so he is frustrated and trying to extract whatever he can...
While I agree that US airlines probably would not have investigated at all, if the theft is somehow proven, I am sure he'd be offered 4000 miles (enough for a sandwich or drink on many of our redeye flights!) on top of phone cost reimbursement.
Now, the guy aslo realizes there is not much more to the story to take any real action - so he is frustrated and trying to extract whatever he can by dragging airline through the mud - and he may be successful. Posting in this blog is a good example of "taking it to social media in a big way"
Didn't they chop off the hands for stealing.
Ben, Americans are not the most litigious. Brazil accounts for about 85% of all litigation within the airline industry worldwide according to iata. Germans are also extremely litigious. Qatar has responded and offered to refund the cost of a new phone and dismissed the staff member concerned. There’s nothing more he can have, and apparently he signed a release form therefore the case is closed.
Totally agree, and at least from a US perspective, an employer is generally not liable for the crimes of an employee.
You post this every time there is anything about "injury" lawsuits involving airlines. But you hide the fact that your statistics are specifically towards the airline industry. Not the general tort world. America is a cesspool. But it has nothing to do with this post. Clearly you are "one of them" and very defensive.
Qatar Airways is awesome (when everything goes to plan). Otherwise if there is even the slightest issue, their customer service is non existent and a total nightmare.
@ Rene -- True, though in all honesty, which airline does that *not* describe?
Q: „ which airline does that *not* describe?“
A: Lufthansa! They’re bad when everything goes according to plan and they’re bad in case of irregularities…
@Ben, 1965 version of Pan Am? But yes- same can be applied across the industry.
What aircraft did the accident happen on the Doha to Singapore flight when the phone was stolen?.
I am guessing an Airbus A350-900