While Qatar Airways has been in the press for some negative reasons, the airline is also running a very generous promotion.
Qatar Airways will give away 100,000 tickets to healthcare workers from around the world.
There are some conditions to be aware of:
- The offer is valid from May 12 to May 18, 2020, then you need to book between May 12 and November 28, 2020, and then you need to travel between between May 26 and December 10, 2020 (based on outbound travel dates)
- Each eligible healthcare worker will receive two tickets they can use to travel anywhere that Qatar Airways flies worldwide; the healthcare worker has to be one of the travelers, and then they can bring a companion
- Tickets are limited to 100,000 and available on a first come first served basis; a daily allocation of codes will be distributed by country throughout the offer period
- Bookings have to be made at least 14 days before departure
- This is exclusively for travel in economy class
- While the fare and carrier imposed surcharges will be waived, passengers will still have to pay the taxes on the tickets
- Tickets will be fully flexible, with an unlimited number of destination or date changes allowed without any fees
- This is exclusively for medical frontline professionals, including doctors, medical practitioners, nurses, paramedics, lab technicians, clinical researchers, and pharmacists
- You must present your original medical identification at the airport check-in desk at the time of departure, and it must clearly state the occupation, as submitted on the offer registration form
The first round of tickets will be given away starting at 12:01AM Doha time on May 12, 2020 (which is 5:01PM ET, in under 30 minutes), so you’ll want to check the promotion page then to see if you can snag some eligible tickets.
Qatar Airways has continued to fly throughout the pandemic, and the airline plans to significantly ramp up operations as of next month — Qatar Airways plans to fly to 80 destinations by June 2020.
Any healthcare workers plan to take advantage of this promotion?
The promo code never worked in booking flights . Obviously a publicity stunt . I’m sad I wasted my timd planning for a trip that would never happen
Attempted to book, code in hand. No luck with a number of flights and dates on a variety of routes. Contacted support at Qatar airways who advise that it's simply trial and error to find a flight valid for the offer. They are unable to support in booking and finding a valid flight. Unfortunately can only see this as a poorly thought out PR stunt as now we now know that their T&Cs are nonsense...
Attempted to book, code in hand. No luck with a number of flights and dates on a variety of routes. Contacted support at Qatar airways who advise that it's simply trial and error to find a flight valid for the offer. They are unable to support in booking and finding a valid flight. Unfortunately can only see this as a poorly thought out PR stunt as now we now know that their T&Cs are nonsense and there is no way I will get a flight to where I wish to go. Nor do I have the time or inclination to smash out a number of options online to find a flight.
e30st, can you update us and let us know if you were successful in boarding? My boyfriend accidentally put my country of work as USA, but i only have a passport from there and don't actually work there.
I tried booking with my promo code and it’s not valid.
It does not recognize the promo code
Will try contacting customer service if they pick up.
Anyone else having issues??
Update-
I received my code and now can’t make up my mind on where to go. Any suggestions?
I feel like this might have been a publicity stunt. A number of people have been having issues with this despite numerous attempts on various devices. I am not sure I would even want to travel with an airline that doesn't have an accessible customer service department.
Update
I received my code, but once I try to make a reservation keeps sending me to make a total payment...
I called 1800 in USA, they say that can't not help with this promotion nor they can make a reservation over the phone - CSR encouraged me to contact IT support at [email protected]. Also tried to contact @qatarairways on twitter. NOTHING!!!!!!
Whats going on?? Do you think you might be able to find some answers, Ben?
I received my code, but once I try to make a reservation keeps sending me to make a total payment...
I called 1800 in USA, they say that can't not help with this promotion nor they can make a reservation over the phone - CSR encouraged me to contact IT support at [email protected]. Also tried to contact @qatarairways on twitter. NOTHING!!!!!!
Whats going on?? Do you think you might be able to find some answers, Ben?
Update -
I have not received an email, I submitted my info on sunday.
Should I just give up? Anyone help?
Dear Joseph, did u recieve the promocode even after 60 hours of form submission??
Same here , I haven't received the promocode even after 48 hours. Should I still wait? Or just lose hope?
When I submitted the form, it clearly said the form has been successfully submitted and u will get reply in 48 hours. But still waiting. Please share if u are too in the same boat.
Yes Karla, I have waited for more than 48 hours
Thank you Qatar Airways, I was able to get the promo code and reserve from Lebanon
It’s been 48h and I have not received my code. Has anyone got it past 48h?
I got the code ( you have to apply right at midnight Doha time, 5pm EST), but am having trouble getting it to work. Has anyone had any success? Trying to fly from the US.
Dear Qatar,
I get the code since wensday but each time I try to book flight it will say the offer is invalid. Please do something please.
I must say, this is a tremendous gesture. However given Australia’s strict quarantine rules, I cannot see any international flights in to Australia without risking 14 day’s quarantine until a vaccine. As this is unlikely to take place this year, I will not be wasting my time. Great gesture though. Would like to see Qantas do this...unlikely.
But no promo code message appeared
I am trying since day 1 but no success. First submit button takes so much time then, it says the message your country has reached maximum limit. It's really frustrating. All of my family members keep on trying on their devices. Today it's saying you have submitted your details already
I submitted but its now 60hrs and not yet recieved any feedback
I got the code yesterday, but today when im going to use the code, it says the offer is no longer valid!!! What is it??
Update - we just got our email this afternoon. It took almost exactly 48 hrs. Sorry so many people are drinkin' Hateraide on these comments... but thanks Lucky for the tip.
I got the message saying they would send an email within 48 hrs with codes, and so far it has been 40hrs and nothing.
Does getting that message mean you are definitely in, or should i keep applying?
Success! Thank you, Ben, for this article. Filled out the form at 4:00 p.m. (Central Time) on 12 May and received an e-mail this afternoon at 4:50 p.m. today with the code. Now need to figure out where I am going? Seychelles or Maldives?
Attempted from Zanzibar, TANZANIA and was able to submit after 6 attempts and it took me around 8 minutes. Received the booking code almost 50 hours later. I am grateful and thanks to QR.
4th day trying and I’m in!!
Keep trying
tried again today . at 00.12 caps reached . usa :(
Tried today right at Doha mignight, kept getting error message until 00:12 country cap reached
Submit button didn't work for me.
It is a marketing scam by Qatar airline. There are no tickets to give away. And as the English people say "there is nothing for free"
I tried yesterday... the submit button didn't work. By 00:20 an error message showed up saying that the daily allocation for the U.S. has been already been reached.
Today, I was able to submit the form. "Thank you for submitting your details, A Limited number of promo codes will be distributed daily; we will send you an email within 48 hours once your request has been processed"
Let's see what happens in a couple of days
Sharing the same experience. initially, the submit button got jammed and then it said, country cap reached.
@e30st have you recieved your code yet? if so tell me if youre successful in boarding. I am in the same position. I accidentally chose a different country of employment.
To everyone reading this, I'm just wondering if anyone had any success submitting/recieving their application? If so, kindly comment the country you live in and the time you submitted it at.
I have tried for 2 nights and the same message “error while submitting form” keeps popping up
I don’t want to give up as an ICU nurse I am desperate for a holiday and to see my family.
I’ll just keep trying .:-)
I’ve heard Qatar is an amazing airline too
My form loaded as I clicked on it. But it would not submit. I started at exactly 12:01 Doha time. It always popped an error message and by 12:13 it said they reached the limit for the U.S.
This is my third day trying to submit my info for the so called free tickets. The first day was a bust the submit button didn’t work properly and the last two days it keeps saying an error but it never tells you what the error is and how to fix it.
Simply does not work at work. Same thing happens for me, it says error while submit and second time it says The daily promo code allocation for your country has already been reached
Tried for two days. Submit button never works.
Stupid airlines...First they will have to refund all the cancelled tickets...
It's been 2 months fighting for refund..
same thing with me , says error while submit and second time it says The daily promo code allocation for your country has already been reached
I tried multiple times submitting the form since 00:01AM and it keeps saying "Error while submitting the form" and it says "The daily promo code allocation for your country has already been reached" at 00:14AM
such a waste of time !! its a disgrace that the submit bottom don't get activate it till after at least half an hour and once get activates it says " daily promo code limit for your country has already been reached " and I tried this for two nights in a row but it looks like is a show off business and its intentional to get attention. wasted my time for nothing . shame on you Qatar airways
thats true, website got jammed in exactly 00.01 doha Qatar time , i tried to keep submitting form for 30 minutes, but no luck , then it says caps reached . they better work on there website before posting it online to signup, hopefully they might fix it for today or other days
It does sound cool and very generous.
2 problems tho
1. I tried The second it hit midnight in Doha and it just didnt work . The submit button didnt work for me for an hour or so ..on multiple devices.After that it said that the quota for my country is reached..
2. Its not clear if it works for dentists
Eh, it's a PR stunt designed to offset all the negative news stories going around now about them firing so many pilots while requiring many of those pilots to pay back any training and other costs Qatar had spent on them. Granted, while well within Qatar's right to do, it still looks really bad given what is going on right now.
Haters will hate. I think this is a great way to thank healthcare workers, I applaud QR and this makes me love them even more. Let’s see if another major airline does the same and if they do let’s see what hate and nastiness the detractors of that airline can come up with.
I see John’s English lessons are going well. Previously he could only knew 4 words and could string them together in one...
Haters will hate. I think this is a great way to thank healthcare workers, I applaud QR and this makes me love them even more. Let’s see if another major airline does the same and if they do let’s see what hate and nastiness the detractors of that airline can come up with.
I see John’s English lessons are going well. Previously he could only knew 4 words and could string them together in one sentence - “who cares about Africa?” He learned 5 new words and managed to put them together in a sentence. Well done John, keep up the good work!
@Turco
I’ve seen this offer on several of the travel sites I read. Are you making the same allegation that they have also been paid by QR? Why would they pay when they know that the non travel media would publicise it for free.
And so what if Ben did report something negative about QR? Was there anything untrue written by him? Throwing him a few bucks won’t change his editorial.
You’d soon complain if all he posted was puff pieces!
Funded by terrorists - stay clear!
@e30st
You are committing fraud. You are lying to Qatar Airways. But if you don't care about that, don't you care about the healthcare workers from Mexico? You are taking a spot from them, so you're stealing. Doesn't that strike you as unethical?
I would think that a healthcare worker would have better ethics than that...
It's distressing to think that someone with such poor ethics would be taking care of my grandparents...
@e30st
You are committing fraud. You are lying to Qatar Airways. But if you don't care about that, don't you care about the healthcare workers from Mexico? You are taking a spot from them, so you're stealing. Doesn't that strike you as unethical?
I would think that a healthcare worker would have better ethics than that...
It's distressing to think that someone with such poor ethics would be taking care of my grandparents if they had COVID-19.
Imagine doctors stealing, lying, etc. to patients. What's the difference between stealing from patients and stealing from other nurses and doctors? I think both are so low they are equivalent.
@e30st. Sorry the quota from your country was already full; i should not have assumed you were in the US But if you're not in mexico why would you try to take away an opportunity from a Mexican?
Tried but couldn’t click submit. Oh well. At least someone in my clinic was able to.
@Alan, its so kind of you for worrying for those poor mexican doctors and nurses. But don't dig in my pocket, neither will I. Oh and I've never said I'm working/living in the US, and I don't.
From qatar first 10 minutes maybe fill all quota because when going to fill form submit button was notable to done it is weasting of time .sorry to say it is looking fun .
I had my girlfriend who is a doctor in Mexico apply and she was able to submit the claim. Hopefully she will get some tickets.
@e30st - it really is not fair that you chose Mexico if you are not working there. Mexican doctors in the public sector like my girlfriend make substantially less money than even a nurse in the US (less than $2000 per month). This is much more valuable to them than...
I had my girlfriend who is a doctor in Mexico apply and she was able to submit the claim. Hopefully she will get some tickets.
@e30st - it really is not fair that you chose Mexico if you are not working there. Mexican doctors in the public sector like my girlfriend make substantially less money than even a nurse in the US (less than $2000 per month). This is much more valuable to them than to an American. In my opinion you should do the right thing and refuse the tickets if you do win.
While the intention was good I wish they prepared their IT well beforehand. The form didn't appear so long and then the submit button did not work for a while. Then many couldn't get the code. While the last part is understandable the first two could have been avoided. It isreally not nice to waste essential medical workers time especially when some of them are supposed to be in bed and take the rest for the next day.
For all the people complaining
A) This was the first day they did something like this so obviously there was huge interest and the site was slow. Things will likely improve tomorrow.
B) The travel period is November-December not tomorrow. So people that are hysterical about quarantine should calm down.
Lucky is probably gaining some money to post this... This morning he tried to post something negative against Qatar and they must have reached him with some money
Form didn't show up for the first 40 minutes.
Afterwards, it says "no more place for your country today".
Then I changed my working country to Mexico, and it worked. Site says, promo code will arrive within 48 hours.
I wonder if they will check at the airport if I really work in Mexico. Probably it will be easy to discuss with the ground crew. Otherwise will be a waste of approx. $100 taxes.
It worths the risk for me.
A waste of 30 minutes for me too, but any online free giveaway works like that. You can't really complain about not getting something that's free.
Easy to offer a giveaway when you know that no one can actually make use of it.
submit button not working at all
The submit button didn’t worked and when finally it did it said they reached the maximum amount of registration or whatchamacallit.:(
This is a publicity stunt.
First the form didn't even load until 10 minutes after 5.
And then after filling in the form the submit button didn't work for thousands of people.
QR If you're going to go out of ur way to offer help to first responders at least do it in good faith.
Waste of 30 minutes of my afternoon.
If only the site included a link...
My wife is a paramedic, and after canceling the family Spring Break and early summer cruise we would definitely entertain the possibility of free flights later in the year. Sadly, it looks like their website was swamped when I tried to jump on.
Well-intentioned, but this is coming a time when it's irresponsible at best and harmful at worst to travel (especially for a healthcare worker). Not to mention that these workers will most likely be asked to self-quarantine for 2 weeks upon return, which is time many of them don't have.
First they dismiss hundreds of employees..
And yet there are restrictions everywhere so where are they expected to fly? Foreigners are prohibited from entering Indonesia , Thailand , Japan , New Zealand , Hong Kong. Non Europeans cannot travel into Europe. Europeans are prohibited from entry to the US
Wow. Let's see what all the QR haters will say about that. The folks who travel united, delta and other crappy ones from the same league