Update: Qatar Airways has modified their rebooking policy. See here for everything you need to know.
I’ll keep this short. I’ve written about Qatar Airways’ insanely generous rebooking policy, allowing you to change your destination by up to 5,000 miles. The terms absolutely supported that this would work, the question was whether it would work in practice.
Well, I’ve now received the first verified report from a reader regarding this. Reader Ryan booked a roundtrip ticket from Philadelphia to Kiev via Doha for around $1,600 in business class (similar fares are available from New York). This is the sweet spot when originating in the US, given the amazing fares that Qatar Airways has to Kiev.
As Ryan explained to me, he called Qatar Airways customer support in the US (at 877-777-2827) just five minutes after the ticket was issued. He told the representative he wanted to change his flight based on the new policy, and said he wanted to go to Hong Kong instead.
The representative confirmed that Hong Kong was within 5,000 miles of Kiev, and without asking any other questions rebooked him. Not only that, but they allowed him to rebook out of Chicago rather than Philadelphia. The entire call took just 10 minutes.
I knew these were the rules, but frankly I’m shocked that the rebooking process was this easy.
Kudos to Ryan, and for anyone else looking to travel on Qatar Airways later this year, this opens up some incredible opportunities to score a deal.
If folks have questions about Ryan’s experience, maybe he’ll be kind enough to answer some of them below, as he has been doing so in the comments section of the other post.
They don’t even answer any calls. This is a complete load of crap mate.
@Kevin or any other expert - I know this deal is long dead now, but I was trying to book another ticket, which seemed more reasonable than usual; the only issue is that with the current deal I'm having to fly back 3 weeks days earlier than what I'd like. So I'll as a total newbie question here - When Qatar says same RBD, are they referring to only same class (e.g. say Business Flexi...
@Kevin or any other expert - I know this deal is long dead now, but I was trying to book another ticket, which seemed more reasonable than usual; the only issue is that with the current deal I'm having to fly back 3 weeks days earlier than what I'd like. So I'll as a total newbie question here - When Qatar says same RBD, are they referring to only same class (e.g. say Business Flexi to another Business Flexi), or do I need to worry about the actual codes (so J vs. C) as well. Cause these codes are not visible when booking, so if it is the latter, how do I know that I could change my destination/ date in 14 days and be safeguarded from the fare difference?
Thanks
Yeah, where do you find those distances??? Don’t Qatar offer their mystery tool for the mystery distances??? Where do we check before calling them with 16 distance checks???? Grrrrrrr, that is BOGUS!!
How can you see those IATA distances??
@abe ... This is Fraud to me... writing something and not honoring while collecting my $6000!!! Buy in confidence they say!!!!
QR is picking and choosing the destinations at this point. They refuse to change me to PNH or REP despite them being 4,917 miles and 4,775 miles respectfully.
They won’t budge claiming IATA is showing it more than 5000 miles. So they are sort of making up their own rules.
Thanks Ricardo, I will do that... I’m hoping I can change unlimited number of times? I’m not sure now?? Thanks
@Alan surely that must have been a mistake of that agent. Try again after the 14 days and maybe you'll have a better agent. Or try a call centre in another country?
Can you change unlimited times? Or only once?
@ ricardo @kevin, i said useless for me because now departure from CDG to SIN is 650 euros on higher booking class "S" this is a little expensive to get it to Sydney sometimes we can find CDG-SYD on CA at 570 euros.
i agree with you guys that you can at least save some money if you still compare the same far destination on Qatar airways fare.
What I’m really TICKED off about is the 5000 miles radius mileage scam that they pull... I took flight from Montreal to BOM - Mumbai because it was only 4514 miles from Perth Australia but when I called now I cant make ANY changes for 14 days AND they say Perh is 5700 miles away... WTH is this? Deceptive no? I want to be able to change to Perth or Tokyo and South Africa. I...
What I’m really TICKED off about is the 5000 miles radius mileage scam that they pull... I took flight from Montreal to BOM - Mumbai because it was only 4514 miles from Perth Australia but when I called now I cant make ANY changes for 14 days AND they say Perh is 5700 miles away... WTH is this? Deceptive no? I want to be able to change to Perth or Tokyo and South Africa. I was shooting for those destinations!!! Grrr, $6000 in this and not the “Book with Confidence” I had in mind!! Thanks for your help guys! Guys on This platform has been great so far!
I agree @Ricardo. The extreme deals (that let's face it, we all knew had a short shelf life) are dead and nobody else is flying to the Maldives at Christmas for $1600. But there still may be some savings to be had using the voluntary changes which even Qatar now has said are legitimate and expected. And as a travel disruption policy which is its main intent after all, it is still extremely good and I would say better than all the others.
@Karim, why is it useless? You still can extend to 5000 miles and cancel to get a voucher +10% value...
hey,
for your information, they removed all W promo class on their inventory before 15 Jan 21.
i can say that the QR deal is use less now.
only S class is cheap now.
@Alan, Similar ITA Matrix search as before, but this one will only return dates with Promo fare classes available.
Origin: YUL
Destination: PER
Advanced Controls (outbound and inbound):
Left Box: QR+
Right Box: -codeshare;f bc=R
Dates: A month at a time
Length of Stay: Range of days you want to be there (e.g., 10-12)
Adults: 2
Cabin: Business class or higher
Stops: No limit
@Kevin , PROMO class... How do I find one on the site? How do I do the search for Perth in from May 30th on??
Sorry, just notice in your post that you have a Promo class. Harder to find but not impossible.
You should have an eMail from "QR ebooking" that has your eTicket attached. In there it will show the booking class, something like "BUSINESS (I)" which indicates that the booking class is I which is BUSINESS SAVER. When you check flights you want to change to, you will see 1-4 options (by name, not code) for business from cheapest to most expensive:
R: Promo
I: Saver
D: Value
J: Flexi
...
You should have an eMail from "QR ebooking" that has your eTicket attached. In there it will show the booking class, something like "BUSINESS (I)" which indicates that the booking class is I which is BUSINESS SAVER. When you check flights you want to change to, you will see 1-4 options (by name, not code) for business from cheapest to most expensive:
R: Promo
I: Saver
D: Value
J: Flexi
Again, you should be subject to the policies that were in place when you bought your ticket but of course it will be less of a hassle if you wait 14 days and the matching booking class is available for the flight you want to change to.
@Kevin , COOL, you the man... Yeah, voluntary is why I paid that kind of cash AND selected a country I really didn't want to go again... I picked that place because it was 4514 miles from Perth and also within 5000 miles from other VERY INTERESTING DESTINATIONS... I didn't book the cheaper Kiev like everyone else... Not sure what code you need but it says PNR, BUSINESS (R), RJCAPSZE, PAX /C1-4 NON END/CHNG PENALTIES...
@Kevin , COOL, you the man... Yeah, voluntary is why I paid that kind of cash AND selected a country I really didn't want to go again... I picked that place because it was 4514 miles from Perth and also within 5000 miles from other VERY INTERESTING DESTINATIONS... I didn't book the cheaper Kiev like everyone else... Not sure what code you need but it says PNR, BUSINESS (R), RJCAPSZE, PAX /C1-4 NON END/CHNG PENALTIES AS PER RULE -BG:QR ... I wish I could email YOU the whole thing or details over the phone to be DONE with this... Thanks man!!!
I meant Value. Flexi can be a lot more.
Alan, what booking class is your current ticket in? If it was Saver then it is not that hard to find business saver fares unless you are going to the Maldives at Christmas and even Flexi fares are not THAT much more than Saver. Also, I just picked random dates in October for Montreal to Perth and there were Promo fares as well. So I would certainly not give up hope despite QR making things...
Alan, what booking class is your current ticket in? If it was Saver then it is not that hard to find business saver fares unless you are going to the Maldives at Christmas and even Flexi fares are not THAT much more than Saver. Also, I just picked random dates in October for Montreal to Perth and there were Promo fares as well. So I would certainly not give up hope despite QR making things more difficult. It is still interesting that they are explicitly calling out that voluntary changes are fine.
WHOLLY SHOOT... Not as good as I thought THANKS ESKIMO and KEVIN, JOSH and KARIM... I let you know... THANKS!
Yes per @Karim
DEAL IS A ZOMBIE, DEAD BUT UNDEAD.
Basically, it's still doable but much harder.
Highlights are:
Rerouting is possible 14 (fourteen) days after making the booking.
New flights must be booked in the same booking class (RBD). If the same booking class is not available, a fare and taxes difference may apply.
Rerouting is not possible on a fifth freedom route not touching Doha.
@Alan Bachand
Montreal-Mumbai isn't under the US DOT 24 hour rule to begin with.
CANADA CTA is the governing regulator.
I don't think you can use the residual value for anyone else including your kids.
Per terms on their website (SERIOUSLY??? I have to say this for the 2nd time in this post, not that anyone here seems care to check)
"The voucher is non–refundable and non-transferable"
(P.S. terms did change...
@Alan Bachand
Montreal-Mumbai isn't under the US DOT 24 hour rule to begin with.
CANADA CTA is the governing regulator.
I don't think you can use the residual value for anyone else including your kids.
Per terms on their website (SERIOUSLY??? I have to say this for the 2nd time in this post, not that anyone here seems care to check)
"The voucher is non–refundable and non-transferable"
(P.S. terms did change again from my last post 12 hrs ago too)
Your best exit strategy is like what @Josh advises. But I have to clarify it too. Book to somewhere that QR will cancel. NOT that government doesn't allow you in. So if Perth is not cancelled but you cannot enter due to lack of citizenship, you will not get the refund but you can change (hence the whole reason behind this generous policy). So Perth might not be a good idea.
The bad news is, QR is gradually opening routes that means that they are already factoring in local government restrictions so it might be harder for you to find destinations. Do your own research, but don't be too optimistic.
Thanks Karim. I had the old page up on my phone and needed to refresh. Definitely new and not unexpected. The question is if you can convince them to honor the policies in place at the time you booked. Theoretically they cannot retroactively change the rules but there’s not too much you can do other than argue with them or initiate a chargeback on your CC.
Did Qatar strip the option to book PHL-KBP and JFK-KBP??? I can’t seem to find the availability to book this at all, however, when Searching them as individual segments (e.g., PHL-DOH, DOH-KBP) it is totally doable. Is the RT feature now dead due to all the blogger news it’s gotten out of the states?
@Kevin
https://www.qatarairways.com/en/travel-with-confidence.html
@Karim Can you please send a link to that updated policy documented on Qatar’s website?
seems Qatar airways starts to change the game rules :
they added more things on the policy :
Rebooking fees will be waived if reservations are amended before departure (for travel on/before 31 December 2020).
Rerouting for voluntary purposes (i.e. where there has been no flight disruption) is possible 14 (fourteen) days after making the booking. New flights must be booked in the same booking class (RBD), be operated by Qatar Airways and...
seems Qatar airways starts to change the game rules :
they added more things on the policy :
Rebooking fees will be waived if reservations are amended before departure (for travel on/before 31 December 2020).
Rerouting for voluntary purposes (i.e. where there has been no flight disruption) is possible 14 (fourteen) days after making the booking. New flights must be booked in the same booking class (RBD), be operated by Qatar Airways and can be changed within the same country of origin and/or within a 5,000 (five thousand) mile radius from the original destination booking. If the same booking class is not available, a fare and taxes difference may apply.
Rerouting following operational disruption (i.e. flight cancellation) is possible free of charge on Qatar Airways operated flights only from the same country of origin and/or within a 5,000 (five thousand) mile radius from the original destination booking.
First recommendation is to only call M-F US hours. They don’t always get it right at first but usually can sort it out. It is certainly a concern (and always has been) that they will insist on identical fare class availability. There is nothing in the original T&C’s about that so if you already have a ticket, you should be able to push them on it. QR may certainly make things difficult at times but...
First recommendation is to only call M-F US hours. They don’t always get it right at first but usually can sort it out. It is certainly a concern (and always has been) that they will insist on identical fare class availability. There is nothing in the original T&C’s about that so if you already have a ticket, you should be able to push them on it. QR may certainly make things difficult at times but it’s worth persisting to try and get what you want as long as it’s following their own published policies.
@Kevin @ Josh , I think they are trying to get out of the policies they set now!!!! Grrrr Just called to get the Business class flights changed from Mumbai to Perth but they say that the distance is over 5000 miles... They say their system says 5700 so no go??? I pointed out Google Earth says 4514 miles and that's why I chose Mumbai so I could keep Australia in reach... She said she'll...
@Kevin @ Josh , I think they are trying to get out of the policies they set now!!!! Grrrr Just called to get the Business class flights changed from Mumbai to Perth but they say that the distance is over 5000 miles... They say their system says 5700 so no go??? I pointed out Google Earth says 4514 miles and that's why I chose Mumbai so I could keep Australia in reach... She said she'll pass to supervisor and I need to call back tomorrow!!! They also were reluctant to do a change claiming it has to be the EXACT same fare class??? They seemed to want like $500 PER CHANGE if not... So be careful, I keep you posted... KEVIN; you can help???
Qatar has changed the rule of the game and it makes a world of difference now...
https://www.qatarairways.com/en/travel-with-confidence.html
14 days! Same class!
I have a candid question regarding Nayak experience : don't airlines keep on file that another agent has been reached (5 in this case) and the subject of the call.... and thus know someone is calling for the same demand?
@ Josh and @ Kevin, WOW, you guys ROCK... Josh, what SMART ways you have to think those out... you give me great input, that gives me room to work with...
@Kevin, it's cool to have one Qatar Airlines employee here to put us staight.. At least your info is 100% accurate and gives us a better idea of what's possible and NOT possible... THANKS to ALL. you're making my day start MUCH BETTER THANKS!
@Alan, if you never had any desire to travel this year, I'd work like this. Look for what 5000 mile destination are still in play now from current destination, BOM. Do a back-of-the-envelop calculation (maybe a bit of web research) to try and get a feel as to when those cities are going to be open. Change your travel to a destination within the 5000 miles radius but one which Qatar is unlikely to get...
@Alan, if you never had any desire to travel this year, I'd work like this. Look for what 5000 mile destination are still in play now from current destination, BOM. Do a back-of-the-envelop calculation (maybe a bit of web research) to try and get a feel as to when those cities are going to be open. Change your travel to a destination within the 5000 miles radius but one which Qatar is unlikely to get you to. For example, Perth. The feeling is that borders there won't be open for some time (unless you're an Australian or NZ passport holder). Change the date of travel to the earliest possible opportunity at which the flight won't operate or your destination country won't accept tickets. A good place to start would be Qatar's recent newsletters and Airlineroute.net to give you a feel as to best bets. Basically, you've gone from booking exactly what you wanted to something you very much don't want, in hope that the writing on the wall and the collective advice is. Then it shouldn't be long before either QR scales back that airport (assuming you've done your research correctly) or your destination's borders close. That should get your 100% refund.
@Alan You do have unlimited changes but need to fly by the end of the year. From their website.
“ Unlimited changes
You can change your travel date or destination free of charge, as often as you need, for travel until 31 December 2020. You can change your origin to another city within the same country or any other destination we fly to within a 5,000 mile radius of your original destination.
Call...
@Alan You do have unlimited changes but need to fly by the end of the year. From their website.
“ Unlimited changes
You can change your travel date or destination free of charge, as often as you need, for travel until 31 December 2020. You can change your origin to another city within the same country or any other destination we fly to within a 5,000 mile radius of your original destination.
Call any of our offices or contact centres to rebook.”
Worst case is having the +10% to use within 2 years.
@ Josh, thanks for the heads UP.... OH BOY... Maybe this now looks like a $6000 mistake! I've been to India and I am NOT interested in going back! What's the best to do to make the most out of this mistake? Looks like the CASH is gone now from the replies above??? The option which is less painful??? Do I have the choice to cancel and get a $6000 credit plus 10% and fly...
@ Josh, thanks for the heads UP.... OH BOY... Maybe this now looks like a $6000 mistake! I've been to India and I am NOT interested in going back! What's the best to do to make the most out of this mistake? Looks like the CASH is gone now from the replies above??? The option which is less painful??? Do I have the choice to cancel and get a $6000 credit plus 10% and fly my kids and family in chunks of $1000 or less in coach seats or is it $6600 one shot deal?? Thanks everyone... Seem like I'm too new and looks like I will have to learn FAST!!! lol
@TM, the US DOT does NOT require airlines to provide free cancellation within 24 hours. What it does require is EITHER the 24 hour free cancellation OR a 24 hour hold. Qatar offers the latter. The second you book on Qatar's website, you're subject to the fare rules, including cancellation policy.
@Alan, Qatar does not offer free cancellation within 24 hours, it only offers a free 24 hour hold.
@ Michael... Yeah, I think you are RIGHT, I did get excited too fast and 2020 travel is not THAT convenient for me... Now you think I can cancel now within 24 hours with no hassle and 100% refund on my C.C. and rethink this deal?? I call NYC office or Doha to cancel or you think we can do online... I certainly don't want a PENALTY for cancelling!!! Thanks for your input!!!
@Alan cancel and start from scratch. Also read through the entire t&c again, because travel for 2021 is NOT covered under free changes! You need to travel by 31DEC20!
I totally thought this was unlimited changes... So I booked for next November, Montreal to Mumbai which is Definitely NOT where I want to go... I want to rebook to a destination within 5000 miles of Mumbai for 2021, will this be possible? I booked at 2pm yesterday, can I simply get a full refund since we’re still within 24 hours of booking this? I would start from scratch and be more careful IF it’s...
I totally thought this was unlimited changes... So I booked for next November, Montreal to Mumbai which is Definitely NOT where I want to go... I want to rebook to a destination within 5000 miles of Mumbai for 2021, will this be possible? I booked at 2pm yesterday, can I simply get a full refund since we’re still within 24 hours of booking this? I would start from scratch and be more careful IF it’s still worth it.. What do you think? I paid $5800 for 2 Business Class tickets!
I know there has been some talk about cancellation with the full amount plus 10% bonus voucher. Is the vocher issued immediately or does it take time? Can be used by anyone even if they're not the original ticket holder? Has anyone done this yet?
Let me share my experience. Everything from initial online ticket booking to final rebooking took place over the past 24 hours. I booked JFK-KBP, wanted BOS-HKG and finally settled for BOS-BKK, after making a total of 6 phone calls to Qatar Airways. All travel is in November-December. Here are the responses I got from the agents at QR.
Agent 1 (Qatar Phone Number): He said outright that there can be no change to the region....
Let me share my experience. Everything from initial online ticket booking to final rebooking took place over the past 24 hours. I booked JFK-KBP, wanted BOS-HKG and finally settled for BOS-BKK, after making a total of 6 phone calls to Qatar Airways. All travel is in November-December. Here are the responses I got from the agents at QR.
Agent 1 (Qatar Phone Number): He said outright that there can be no change to the region. Refused to connect me to a supervisor.
Agent 2 (Qatar Phone Number): Wouldn't change from KBP to anywhere in Asia. Refused to connect me to a supervisor. Even called me out saying I am "abusing" the policy.
Agent 3 (UK Phone Number): After a lot of discussion and confusion, the agent talked to his supervisor. He was finally able to change JFK-KBP to JFK-BKK. HKG, MLE or anywhere in India was not allowed but BKK was allowed (very surprising).
Agent 4 (Qatar Phone Number): Wouldn't/Couldn't make any further change.
Agent 5 (Qatar Phone Number): Again no luck.
Agent 6 (UK Phone Number): Managed to change JFK-BKK to BOS-BKK without much trouble.
I finally settled with BOS-BKK. It was a painful experience dealing with QR's customer service. Many of them acted more like security officers than customer service executives. I think individual call centers are using their own discretion when rebooking.
Good Luck!
I called Qatar and was told it was only one time change. Once changed, one can change to a different destination within the given country (within Thailand in this case), but not to other country. Basically, only ONE time change. Is this correct?
@Eskimo Totally agree. Schemes like this are definitely not without risk and anyone utilizing it should accept that risk.
@Kevin
I'm sure QR was fully aware of what they were doing.
My bigger concern is are we aware of what we are doing?
QR doesn't come out to me as customer friendly, this could be a get money quick and screw them later scheme. Good news is QR did honor their mistake fare last time so this non-mistake should be honored too.
@Wondering
Few have confirmed MLE success. They probably just blocked it due to abuse.
They even updated some terms on their own site (not that anyone here seems care to check) but KBP to MLE should still be valid.
"Rerouting is possible free of charge on Qatar Airways operated flights only from the same country of origin and/or within a 5,000 (five thousand) mile radius from the original destination booked."
"Rerouting is...
@Wondering
Few have confirmed MLE success. They probably just blocked it due to abuse.
They even updated some terms on their own site (not that anyone here seems care to check) but KBP to MLE should still be valid.
"Rerouting is possible free of charge on Qatar Airways operated flights only from the same country of origin and/or within a 5,000 (five thousand) mile radius from the original destination booked."
"Rerouting is not possible free of charge if the original booking was on a fifth freedom route not touching Doha (such as PNH-SGN and vice versa; GRU-EZE and vice versa)."
@Elijah
FWIW, Ruining it for legitimate travelers to Kiev or Bangkok.
Which brings me to the question, why BKK?
Qatar was fully aware of what they were doing. Their only mistake was leaving a bunch of low/promotional business class fares out there which people legitimately took advantage of. Not so many that it will be their downfall. I believe they started wondering why all of a sudden thousands of people wanted to fly from Philadelphia to Kiev and it looks like they have done a full review and update of the published business class...
Qatar was fully aware of what they were doing. Their only mistake was leaving a bunch of low/promotional business class fares out there which people legitimately took advantage of. Not so many that it will be their downfall. I believe they started wondering why all of a sudden thousands of people wanted to fly from Philadelphia to Kiev and it looks like they have done a full review and update of the published business class fares as I don't see any of the deals out there anymore.
Even Yahoo news mention it now, officially over lol
https://www.yahoo.com/news/qatar-airways-policy-letting-customers-184645037.html
Just changed destination from Paris to Chicago via Qatar call centre. Agent said destination could only be changed once, but dates can be changed as many times as needed. Earlier call to the UK call centre said that fare difference would be applied to the change, even though he said all of the other flexible fare rules were valid. So main call centre in Qatar seems like the best bet
@Moe, https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qatar-airways-privilege-club/2011690-covid-19-free-change-cancel-flights-before-june-30th.html.
Greedy and selfish. Ruining it for legitimate travellers.
I had a bit of an adventure with this but got what I wanted. Context (im based in the US)
1) I booked the PHL to Kiev for Oct 2020. I booked it online after the QR US office had closed, so I had to call Doha to make this work. 3 QR agents i spoke with all said if i wanted to change the destination or origin i would have to pay fare differences....
I had a bit of an adventure with this but got what I wanted. Context (im based in the US)
1) I booked the PHL to Kiev for Oct 2020. I booked it online after the QR US office had closed, so I had to call Doha to make this work. 3 QR agents i spoke with all said if i wanted to change the destination or origin i would have to pay fare differences. It took me the 4th QR agent to change my destination to MAD. I asked if I could change my origin to ORD and he refused unless i accepted the fare difference. For now I at least had PHL to MAD.
I then made another online reservation of PHL to Kiev in winter 2020 and placed it on hold
2) I called the next day and after going through 2 QR agents I found a guy who changed my original departure city to ORD. Now I am ORD to MAD (which is what i was hoping for). Because I can tell this agent was friendly and willing to change my first ticket, I had him pull up my 2nd reservation. I told him to book the PHL to Kiev, which he did. I then told him to change my origin and destination from ORD to BKK, which he did. This second ticket is for winter 2020.
Some food for thought for those in the US: I got a little nervous calling Doha QR to make the changes. I even tried to cancel the ticket within the 24 hour refund window (per DOT law) and QR agents didn't believe it was a law or policy in the US. It may be better to try this hack (if you are US based) by calling the US QR office because if you get agents that don't make the change for you, you could at least cancel the ticket within the first 24 hours and get a refund, as im sure the US QR office is familiar with that policy, the Doha QR office is very much unaware, or care, of the US DOT law. The US QR office is only open from M-F 9AM-6PM EST.
For those who do not like people doing this hack, let me share a few points of view: I cannot count how many times i have been screwed over by airlines (even QR). I've lost miles and EQD's; been bumped out of premium economy because the airline changed the plane; been stranded at airports for days; even for this hack i wanted a refund and QR refused and said i had to apply for it and it would take months; etc. Also, QR is funded by their government, which is rich in oil, therefore QR is not hurting. In addition, i saw a news clip that QR is increasing their flights despite CV19. This maybe part of what they are trying to do for their business. I can understand if those who do not want to participate based on their beliefs. My point is that there is a lot we just don't know that QR is trying to do; and many of us have been taken advantage of my airlines (as I almost was when i wanted to cancel my booking within the 24 hour window). This doesn't seem to be anything like an error fare that is gone within a few hours. It is a legitimate policy that QR is offering. So, happy travels :-)
Switched PHL-KBP to DFW-BKK in 14 minutes. Called the Australian number but my receipt says it was issued in Doha. I started out with a salutation and that I would like to switch routings, she said okay and returned after roughly 90 seconds to ask my flight preferences. Could not have been easier or the agent more cordial.
+Alan Bachand, how did you purchase tickets, aren't they blocking all tickets going to kiev, what cities/dates did you use??
I just purchased my tickets moments ago... Can I do the rebooking online OR I need to call them??
Two questions, I hope there are some Qatar airways savants can answer.
1. Is this thing dead. All flights to Kiev show on the website as errors, I don’t know whether that means dead, or software glitch from too many people searching.
2. If it is dead, are there other routes from the us that offer consistently low fares, I know Kiev is the best, but are there others that have fares in the 2000-2500 range, because if there are, this can still be a good deal.
This thing is dead, but not all hope is lost. The policy for changes of up to 5000 miles still remains. Any Qatar airways savants in the comments know some routes Qatar has that consistently go in the 2000-2500 range. This can still be a good deal
People, reservations 101... the software used by most airlines is Amadeus, all mighty Amadeus. If you want to take advantage of your "deal" just politely ask whats the mile calculation, after inputing your new destination the system comes back with up to 5K miles, you should be good to go.
No matter what google says, if you measured with satellite picture, or a fairy did the measurement for you, it's all about Amadeus. Happy deal hunting.
@ Austin
So if they are blocking a change Tiblisi to Kathmandu but allowing a change Tiblisi to Delhi, I’d get right back on the phone to them and change it to Delhi and then see where you can go from Delhi.
I think eventually you will get to where you want to go, and definitely don’t leave it till tomorrow - they are obviously putting more and more restrictions as this loophole changes from an endemic to a pandemic!
Hate to say this for anyone who got here late, but the deal appears to be dead. If you look up qatar airways flights from Phl to KBP, which if I'm correct is the only deal good enough to make this worthwhile, Qatar literally has stopped selling flights. RIP Incredible deal, May 14-16
@Austin
That corroborates with my conversation with the call center. looks like they are blocking some routes even though they are within the 5000 mile radius policy. Glad i didn't book my on hold ticket yet.
called qatar call center again to ask if i can change the destination on my on hold ticket from KBP to MLE and the answer was no, it is beyond the 5000 mile limit. Seychelles was also a no. but when i asked if i could change it to Colombo they said it was possible. Maldives is closer to Kyiv than Colombo so i don't understand the logic.
@Keith
I just got off the phone with Qatar for the fourth time today regarding my JFK-TBS booking, but finally got someone who was really willing to take some time to work with me. He explained that they have a system where they input the city pairs and get back a result as to whether or not they can make the change. He tried changing TBS to almost every airport in east Asia that...
@Keith
I just got off the phone with Qatar for the fourth time today regarding my JFK-TBS booking, but finally got someone who was really willing to take some time to work with me. He explained that they have a system where they input the city pairs and get back a result as to whether or not they can make the change. He tried changing TBS to almost every airport in east Asia that they fly to, and kept getting back a message that these were over 5000 miles. Finally he went on Google and noticed that the distances in question were in fact less than 5000 miles (as I had been saying all along), and said he was willing to contact support about the issue. After being on hold for a bit, he said that they told him they may have blocked certain reroutings, but did not give a reason why. The system clearly has issues though. For example he was able to reroute me to Dehli (his system said that was around 2000 miles from TBS which checks out as correct on Google), but when he tried Katmandu it just came back as over 5000 miles. We agreed that if Dehli is 2000 miles there is no way Katmandu is over 5000. It is not a great outcome as they still aren't honouring their policy, but at least I got an admission that their system doesn't make sense. This guy seemed really honest and straightforward, so I trust he was telling the truth. I'll hope they'll be in contact with me soon, if not I'll call back tomorrow.
I actually think this is a great move for airline and nobody is taking advantage from this except qatar airway. Tbh I don't feel the demand for international long-haul travel will be recovering any time this year and airlines will have to get used to selling tickets for cheap(a penny is still better than an empty seat). The policy is only valid till 31st of december so Qatar airline has all the right to refuse...
I actually think this is a great move for airline and nobody is taking advantage from this except qatar airway. Tbh I don't feel the demand for international long-haul travel will be recovering any time this year and airlines will have to get used to selling tickets for cheap(a penny is still better than an empty seat). The policy is only valid till 31st of december so Qatar airline has all the right to refuse any additional changes by then. Having said many airlines already are taking actions to raise money, it is actually a great way of collecting money from travellers, think of it as a interest free loan. It will only damage its long-term profitability if airline industry rebounds back this year which I don't think will be happening. GL to everyone who's secured a ticket but personally I will leave it for now.
Anyone have the link to the FlyerTalk thread?
Anyone have luck getting HKT? Seems like BKK works for most, but had not seen any success with HKT
@Moe @Austin
Successfully changed to ORD-BKK. Second agent didn't seem to have an issue with my request. Good luck!
Great deal, I also booked JFK-KBP , but can to LAX - DAD this morning, originally i want LAX-SGN but it is 5200 miles from KBP, DAD is right at 4800 miles LOL
Problem now is that there are no deals below EUR 1500 from Europe to Asia like we used to have. I’m seeing prices of about EUR 3000 now.
Planning on booking a flight to Jakarta or Bali and change it to Auckland, which is below 5000 miles. Anyone knows any deal from Europe??
Anyone have a link to the FlyerTalk thread?
@Austin
@Keith
Please keep us updated. I have one on hold was planning on ticketing but maybe not if they're playing hardball.
I just booked a ticket from JFK-TBS this morning with hopes to change to ORD-HKG and have basically been told they are not honouring the 5000 mile rule unless they feel your destination is in a similar region. They agreed they could change JFK to ORD no problem but would not change my destination. I called both the US contact center and Qatar several times and they refuse to change my ticket. The first call...
I just booked a ticket from JFK-TBS this morning with hopes to change to ORD-HKG and have basically been told they are not honouring the 5000 mile rule unless they feel your destination is in a similar region. They agreed they could change JFK to ORD no problem but would not change my destination. I called both the US contact center and Qatar several times and they refuse to change my ticket. The first call even ended with the agent saying "we cannot determine the distance from Tbilisi to Hong Kong at this time, so we cannot change your ticket. Just beware. This is turning into a real customer service nightmare for now. Think twice before booking. I am not giving up...but it is definitely not going to be easy anymore.
@Keith, Hmmm. Maybe Qatar has changed that too. Check the FlyerTalk thread for the PDF doc that has all the details. Refer the agent to that. It has a specific reference number (13 something).
@Josh
Thanks. I'll try calling back and see if another agent would budge. Website does say destination only.
@Keith, no that's not correct.
Was able to change the destination but unfortunately not the origin. I booked JFK-KBP and now changed to JFK-BKK. Will try my luck again on the next round to see if I can change it to ORD-BKK. According to customer service, the terms only specify free changes on the destination not origin. Is this right?
Has anybody been able to change it while ticket on hold/before ticketing?
so i just off the phone with an agent in qatar and according to him, if i change my destination based on the new policy, i CANNOT ask for a travel voucher if i end up not going to that new destination for whatever reason. i have unlimited opportunity to change destination (within 5K miles) for travel before dec 31, 2020, but if i'm not able to travel for any reason, my options are very limited.
Ex DOH, what a pathetic deflection bud! Clearly I hit a nerve putting the spot light on your insecurities. Maybe next time keep your insults, smug comments and your CV to yourself and you won’t have to worry about the flame thrower getting turned back on you.
Do you guys know if the promotion only applies to direct booking on QR website/call center? Was thinking of booking a flight using a third party site given the much lower fare.
Looks like all the deals are gone thru Kiev. Anyone having any luck with cheaper fares from US origins?
LOL @ Brian & Luis your comments just prove my assumption correct grasping bottom feeders the both of you.
@MJM~ Given your assumed invincibility generally, and hopeful unlikeliness to contract Covid-19, I guess you travel o/s without Travel Insurance other than from Dumfuck Bank credit card, for which you haven't bothered to read the T&C's. Right?
I’m hoping to change JFK-KBP to JFK-MLE but I was wondering if I’ll be able to request a travel voucher if for some reason I cannot make the trip the Maldives (closed to US tourists/other reasons). Is that option available after an initial destination change?
Yeah everyone get a life during COVID and while you’re stuck inside your house... geez
Disgusting immoral behaviour from everyone. Get A life
Why did Ryan get away with HKG but others are being told no to HKG, but yes to BKK?
Perhaps @Gene, but what's going on now, and the manner it's being handled, are all good indicators of what may be happening later this year. (Take the US for example~ getting worse by the day).
The other factor being totally overlooked is the possibility of being denied entry to your chosen destination. Even now you would not be permitted to enter Australia under ANY circumstances; similar for New Zealand, since both countries are on...
Perhaps @Gene, but what's going on now, and the manner it's being handled, are all good indicators of what may be happening later this year. (Take the US for example~ getting worse by the day).
The other factor being totally overlooked is the possibility of being denied entry to your chosen destination. Even now you would not be permitted to enter Australia under ANY circumstances; similar for New Zealand, since both countries are on the cusp of being Covid-free. I expect other Asian countries to follow.
I'd be making sure there was provision for a fare refund before pressing ENTER.
KBP is still there. Late November and December.
Finally. Got it to work! First call to CGK CTO (City I'm in), agent spent one hour trying to "figure it out." Second call to Doha, had to hold 20 minutes (well worth the .26 cents per minute), but once I got an agent she rebooked me in 5 minutes.
Expat living in CGK, trying to get home. Not trying to game rules. Had a simple CGK-DOH-BOS rt booked six months ago. Become complicated...
Finally. Got it to work! First call to CGK CTO (City I'm in), agent spent one hour trying to "figure it out." Second call to Doha, had to hold 20 minutes (well worth the .26 cents per minute), but once I got an agent she rebooked me in 5 minutes.
Expat living in CGK, trying to get home. Not trying to game rules. Had a simple CGK-DOH-BOS rt booked six months ago. Become complicated as time went on with many cancellations and reroutes. Agent let me change dates and US city from BOS to DFW (trying to get to MCI).
Kudos to QR. Absolutely the best airline I've dealt with doing COVID.
Fare to Kyiv is dead. Check TBS now. I have a $1600 KBP fare on hold expiring at 1am but I’m not sure I want to throw more money at QR especially now that they seem to be changing and cracking down and “it’s not what the rule is meant for.”
@ glenn t -- It is relatively pointless to research "what is going on in the destination" for travel 5-6 months from now.
It’s weird they are shuttling everyone to BKK. I wanted to go to PNH and they said it was more than 5000 miles and reading others comments they’re telling a lot of people it’s more than 5000 miles, when it’s not. A lot of people have gotten BKK and it’s making me wonder why. I too rebooked LAX-BKK and I won’t be booking another.
If I was faster I could’ve gotten my SGN-PNH changed...
It’s weird they are shuttling everyone to BKK. I wanted to go to PNH and they said it was more than 5000 miles and reading others comments they’re telling a lot of people it’s more than 5000 miles, when it’s not. A lot of people have gotten BKK and it’s making me wonder why. I too rebooked LAX-BKK and I won’t be booking another.
If I was faster I could’ve gotten my SGN-PNH changed to Auckland like that blogger had done but something tells me QR will have an Ace up their sleeve on this. What if travel spills into 2021? Me thinks they will make you pay the fare difference and by then it’ll be too late to contest with your credit card company.
@glenn Given my age, my odds of dying or being hospitalized from coronavirus are so low that I'm in more danger of a food-borne illness when overseas. If you're scared you should stay home.
LOL why are people complaining? This is no different than buying stuff that has price mistake, you snooze you loose. Airlines have been ripping everyone off for a long time... time for a small payback... too bad i cant travel at this time, or else i would jump on it too before they change the rules.
@james i fidn't pay any difference, either in cash or in extra qmiles
@james it works with award tickets as well. I rebooked initially CGK-ATH (award ticket-O class) to DPS-ATH. Since there weren't any award seats available for my new flight, they rebooked me in B class (revenue ticket)
With all the excitement in gaming the QR booking system to get outsized value for the dollar, there is one sticky point that many are choosing to overlook. And that is the Big 'C' ; Covid-19.
Seems that everyone is planning on a re-route to practically anywhere that will provide a value proposition with no regard to the Covid status of the destination! Oops!
I guess most Americans now realise that practically anywhere...
With all the excitement in gaming the QR booking system to get outsized value for the dollar, there is one sticky point that many are choosing to overlook. And that is the Big 'C' ; Covid-19.
Seems that everyone is planning on a re-route to practically anywhere that will provide a value proposition with no regard to the Covid status of the destination! Oops!
I guess most Americans now realise that practically anywhere in the world is safer than the US and they can pretty much roll the dice without much thought.
Nonetheless, I would be researching what is going on in the destination I will spend time in before booking. These flights must be completed before year's end, and it's certain this virus will still be with us then, and for a long time after.
@ Ben -- Wow, it worked! Zero flak from the agent. Called New Zealand call center today at about 6:15 PM ET, waited 20 minutes, agent sounded Qatari, called completed by 7:10 PM ET. Two itineraries changed from PHL-KBP to LAX-BKK!
Does this work with reward flights booked using QMiles ??
This would be amazing, especially if one can book an Easy Deal offer requiring 50% fewer points aaa-DOH-bbb / aaa-doh to aaa-doh-ccc
Anyone know ,???
Was told HAN and DAD would not work. Changed to LAX-BKK success at 1:30 PDT
I love the people on here trying to justify to themselves what they're doing is fine, will help the airline with cash, etc..
Truly bottom-feeders all of you. Pathetic. Don't fly business class if you cannot afford it.
@Scott
It all depends on how you look at it. By allowing this flexible deal, those of us that are booking travel are also helping the economies of the countries we're traveling too. Hotels, car rentals, restaurants, the whole service industry. It's actually a good things we're all booking this.
To everyone saying that QR is smart for doing this because they're raking in the cash right now, so we shouldn't feel guilty taking advantage of this...
WRONG. If Qatar wants lots of cash right now, all they have to do is drop all their fares. Just charge $2,000 r/t for business class and the tickets will fly on the shelf, in much larger numbers than this current "promotion."
I agree with everyone who says...
To everyone saying that QR is smart for doing this because they're raking in the cash right now, so we shouldn't feel guilty taking advantage of this...
WRONG. If Qatar wants lots of cash right now, all they have to do is drop all their fares. Just charge $2,000 r/t for business class and the tickets will fly on the shelf, in much larger numbers than this current "promotion."
I agree with everyone who says it's wrong to take advantage of this. Imagine you're in a position where you honestly need to change a ticket but there are now no more seats left because greedy people booked everything up. Or Qatar has to greatly scale back their flexibility program so that legitimate uses are not even allowed anymore. Just not worth it to me to take advantage of this situation.
Has anybody tried changing after booking with Chase within 24 hours? First rep, after 20 mins on hold, said I couldn't do it until it is ticketed, which it looks to be. I know there are reports of people being able to change it, but not sure if they did it within the first 24 hours.
Been on hold with US call center now for 21 mins...
DP: HKG, PEK, CTU, CAN, all not allowed in their system, but BKK works. Just change my JFK-KBP to LAX-BKK for Nov
Heads up to anyone asking about travel in 2021... the agent I just spoke with said you can voluntarily change your ticket from 2020 to 2021 but you will have to pay a change fee and the fare difference. Your ticket will still be good for 2 years from the date of purchase.
Seems like it really depends on the agent. Successful on the 3rd try changing JFK-KBP to JFK-MLE around 2:30pm ET. Their definition of 5,000 miles is funky though so beware (wouldn't allow HKT).
Easy change completed just now from PHL-KBP to BOS-BKK. The agent had just completed a request from a previous caller so went right into the rebooking process. Spent about 5 minutes on hold waiting for the agent to start the call and another 5 minutes making the change.
Data Point here. I booked my flight ORD-KWI yesterday and called in to change it to ORD-PVG today. Two different customer associates told me they weren't able to do that because the system didn't allow. I later learned from the supervisor that there has been a technical difficulty with the TPM ticketed mileage system that QR used to calculate the distance between two cities and was recommended to call back later once the problem is...
Data Point here. I booked my flight ORD-KWI yesterday and called in to change it to ORD-PVG today. Two different customer associates told me they weren't able to do that because the system didn't allow. I later learned from the supervisor that there has been a technical difficulty with the TPM ticketed mileage system that QR used to calculate the distance between two cities and was recommended to call back later once the problem is fixed. Be advised that you cannot change the ticket to an airport where it is not served by QR itself, so your origin has to be one of the cities in QR destinations.
Ex DOH. I didn’t ask nor do I care what you do or how much you travel. You have proven in both of your postings that you are an incredibly sanctimonious and judgement individual. Stay in your lane isn’t a comment regarding how important, morally superior or well travelled you think you are. Rather it’s telling you that nobody cares how you view individuals conducting their business under the written policy that Qatar has published...
Ex DOH. I didn’t ask nor do I care what you do or how much you travel. You have proven in both of your postings that you are an incredibly sanctimonious and judgement individual. Stay in your lane isn’t a comment regarding how important, morally superior or well travelled you think you are. Rather it’s telling you that nobody cares how you view individuals conducting their business under the written policy that Qatar has published on their website.
Do us a favor though, get over yourself.
@Ex DOH - even though I'm not taking advantage of this deal, and will have major FOMO as a result, take your fake virtue signaling elsewhere. If you think the upper management at Qatar didn't know what they were doing by making these change policies, you may not be the brightest cookie around. Airlines don't put out policies like this without calculating all their risks and rewards.
Abe:
Either SGN/HAN-AKL is over 5,000mi according to gcmap.com, what's your source they're under 5,000mi?
Either way, like someone upthread said, 5th freedom routes not originally touching DOH are now excluded from the rerouting provision.
'Rerouting is not possible free of charge if the original booking was on a fifth freedom route not touching Doha (such as PNH-SGN and vice versa; GRU-EZE and vice versa).'
@Brian iv clearly touched a nerve, im all for mile and point maximisation and you miss the point im in no way naive re the nature of QR or any other airline, I was based in DOH for 2 years when my company had a contract with the government there and had a fair amount of contact with the highest level execs at QR.
as for staying in my lane im pretty confident i...
@Brian iv clearly touched a nerve, im all for mile and point maximisation and you miss the point im in no way naive re the nature of QR or any other airline, I was based in DOH for 2 years when my company had a contract with the government there and had a fair amount of contact with the highest level execs at QR.
as for staying in my lane im pretty confident i travel more widely and frequently than you do as i run my own firm with 1500+ employees across 18 global offices. so perhaps you might like to stay in your lane?
Ex DOH, stay in your lane. QR is smarter than any of us think we are when it comes to scenarios like this. They are a cold, calculating machine that operates solely on generating revenue. They know their risks and rewards of this policy. Don’t think for a second that they don’t have the upper hand regardless of how many maximize the policy.
All of you jumping on this just come across as grasping bottom feeders, as others have noted this policy is designed for those facing disrupted travel at time of global crisis. not for a bunch of scheming yanks looking to maximise their return. I enjoy a good deal as much of the next person but this is rank opportunism.
Just tried to switch JFK-DOH-KBP to MLE and was told not allowed "different market"...though BKK is allowed
@Mark I am also looking into flying into BOM, is there a particular reason it did not work like date/seat availability, etc? I already have another issue that I'm based out of SF, and will need to potentially drive/fly to one of the airports serviced directly by Qatar.
They are relying on their reservation system to calculate mileage and I don't believe it is really setup well for this. Couldn't change to BOM because it didn't show up as having any mileage, but DEL worked just fine.
@Brian, yes. That's what I was thinking. No idea if it would work, though.
I like to report that as of 12:42pm, I was able to change my JFK-DOH-KBP into JFK-DOH-MLE. However, previous attempts to change to Zanzibar and Hongkong failed, both at agent level and supervisor level. They both claimed that the mileage went over 5000 miles. I guess now they have a new algorithm.
@Josh,
That’s a great point about doing the hold for 24 hours. Has anyone done that yet? Get the hold, call in and tell them what I want to do and if they cooperate get it ticketed is what you’re thinking right Josh?
So interestingly, when I asked about HAN they said the mileage just showed ??? and agreed that it should be under 5000 miles. The mileage amount they quoted me (5460) is actually KBP to DOH to HAN, but they asked the manager to look into and call me back
@Peter, not knowing your original destination, it's impossible to know whether or not you got bad advice.
@Abe, the SGN-PNH flights have been pulled, same for the South American 5th freedom flights. That aside, PNH-AKL is more than 5K miles so it shouldn't be possible anyway.
@Kevin, yes.
@Brian, have you tried using the 24 hour courtesy hold offered through the QR website, then calling during the hold period to outline what...
@Peter, not knowing your original destination, it's impossible to know whether or not you got bad advice.
@Abe, the SGN-PNH flights have been pulled, same for the South American 5th freedom flights. That aside, PNH-AKL is more than 5K miles so it shouldn't be possible anyway.
@Kevin, yes.
@Brian, have you tried using the 24 hour courtesy hold offered through the QR website, then calling during the hold period to outline what you want to do and find out if the agent will do it, then and there, if you pay?
Looks like QR added to the terms and conditions on the website:
"Rerouting is not possible free of charge if the original booking was on a fifth freedom route not touching Doha (such as PNH-SGN and vice versa; GRU-EZE and vice versa)."
That seems totally fair, and makes me more confident the policy will be honored if I book JFK/PHL-KBP.
Just called QR twice to change my JFK-DOH-KBP with no success.
On the first call the agent said HKG was more than 5000mi away from KBP. (What calculator are they using?
So settled on BKK instead. Then second phone call, the agent tells me that one-way tickets are not eligible? Was that in the fine print anywhere?
Just one more data point as of 10am EST this morning I was able to change JFK-KBP in November to LAX-TBS in September. I got some pushback on changing the origin but I just asked the rep to please review the terms. He conferred with a supervisor and made the change.
I keep going back and forth on pulling the trigger on the KBP trick and changing to BKK. I just do not like all the different results I’m hearing between here and FlyerTalk. Now people are saying numerous calls are yielding ticket agents that all are refusing and being combative and placing notes on reservations so they can’t HUCA. I don’t think I want to roll the dice with this and be stuck with a...
I keep going back and forth on pulling the trigger on the KBP trick and changing to BKK. I just do not like all the different results I’m hearing between here and FlyerTalk. Now people are saying numerous calls are yielding ticket agents that all are refusing and being combative and placing notes on reservations so they can’t HUCA. I don’t think I want to roll the dice with this and be stuck with a route I have no interest in.
I will say that if any airline wants to really start filling seats with butts for end of year travel, a solid promotion would have me set. If they had LAX-BKK at $1700-1900 with a bit of flexibility and cancelation protection I’d book right now.
For now I’m not wanting to gamble with a ruthless airline like Qatar that is showing they are allowing their agents to interpret their in writing rules anyway they want.
Has anyone experienced any fare class restrictions? Looks like most of the cheap biz class fares are R class and was looking to change to a different destination which only has I class...
With all due respect to the OMAAT crew, it's not like we have some unmatched ability to suss out the ways in which this policy might be "taken advantage of." These "schemes" are not particularly complex. Qatar was certainly aware of the way in which tickets could be changed. They likely made the calculation that getting the money in now was well worth the potential for changes. In case you haven't noticed, travel businesses are...
With all due respect to the OMAAT crew, it's not like we have some unmatched ability to suss out the ways in which this policy might be "taken advantage of." These "schemes" are not particularly complex. Qatar was certainly aware of the way in which tickets could be changed. They likely made the calculation that getting the money in now was well worth the potential for changes. In case you haven't noticed, travel businesses are undergoing the most severe liquidity crunch in history. Qatar, rightfully, limited the ability to change to 12/31 so that they don't have a huge open-ended liability on their books. While it's possible that they may tweak the rules, I think that they look at all of the people on this blog contemplating big business-class purchases and travel in 2020 and are likely overjoyed. Frankly, I don't know why other airlines haven't made more of a similar effort. Even if the terms weren't quite so generous they could certainly entice a lot of people to buy. I've had a Google Flights alert for travel to Istanbul and Berlin up for a long time, and those prices haven't even budged. If there were a way to purchase those from Lufthansa or United (I don't want to connect in Doha), I might take a $10,000 chance (5 people).
@ak_nyc I am in the same boat, want to fly back in the first week of Jan. Let me know if you come up with any creative ideas, and what sticks!
So can I change the origin of a flight from anywhere in the United States to Dallas, so if I book one from Chicago/Los Angeles to Doha to Hong Kong, can i change it to DFW-DOH-HKG?
@ Teo - just was able to change a UR ticket. Had to educate the guy from UR travel on the line for about an hour until he found the policy and called QR to verify, but was able to get it done.
I find it odd that call center agents are determining what the intended purpose of a policy is or how they want to enforce it. Shouldn't they just be following the policies set by the airlines and not be making personal judgement calls?
This might quickly getting squashed... an agent in the Qatar call center was willing to do it for me yesterday. I tried US call center twice, no dice. Tried again in Qatar, first guy said that what I was trying to do (change from KBP to DEL was not the intended purpose). Second guy was willing to make the change but I was pushing it by trying to have my return for Jan 6, 2021 and he said not possible. I hung up... need to decide what to do now.
@Mihir no. What I’m curious about is their fifth freedom route of SGN-PNH and rebook SGN-DOH-AKL
Do the rebooked tickets need to be in the same fare class as the original ticket? Also, any other restrictions around fare class availability I should be aware of?
I booked 2 sets of flights. The first one was economy JFK to Tbilisi (fare class W)for $515 and the second was business class From JFK to Kiev for $1,660 (fare class R). I called and spoke to an agent. At first she want sure about the policy, put me on hold for about 3 minutes and then made the changes. I changed for them to depart from LAX. The economy one is September to...
I booked 2 sets of flights. The first one was economy JFK to Tbilisi (fare class W)for $515 and the second was business class From JFK to Kiev for $1,660 (fare class R). I called and spoke to an agent. At first she want sure about the policy, put me on hold for about 3 minutes and then made the changes. I changed for them to depart from LAX. The economy one is September to Athens and the business class to Male Maldives in November. The flights have to take place in 2020, both on the departure and return dates. They can not be on codeshare flights. I live in San Diego and often time Qatar will codeshare with Jet Blue or American but it was a no go. I’ll have to drive to LAX.
Tried to book into Hanoi, Vietnam but was told this was not within 5000 miles. Interestingly it seems to be well within that range, but Qatar says it has to be <5000 radius miles?
Booked PHL-KBP yesterday. Changed ORD-BKK. On a first call. Agent said right away that you can change it after it’s cancelled. I just said to double check. Came back and said he will work with me. Dates changed and even was able to pick specific QSuite flights.
anyone have luck with booking flights into 2021?
Just called back from UK - approved by supervisor to change destination from DOH to MLE with no fee. Score!
@Abe, The distance from PNH to AKL is more than 5000 miles anyway, it wouldn't work. However it should be possible to do Sydney.
Booked MCT-DOH and called to change the destination to anywhere else - No dice in Doha, US or UK call centres - 2 calls per centre, 6 agents total. The repeated message was that destination CAN change up to 5000 miles if the flight is cancelled due to force majeure secondary to the coronavirus, otherwise change fees and costs due to change of destination will apply.
@Ben- Tried to change SGN-PNH into HAN-DOH-AKL but could not. According to the agent I got, the 5000 miles applies to the FLOWN route, not to the distance between the airports (?). Is this a HUCA?
Does anyone know if the dates can be changed to flights after Dec 31?
@Andre
Hard to say.
Well my first planned trip after the virus hit was back in April (booked in March) that all moved to a later time. I have a couple of domestic trips in few weeks, which I intend to take if the non-essential travel ban is lifted. First real international trip will be mid July if I don't run into entry restriction. Doesn't make sense to add 14 days quarantine to a 5 day business trip.
@ryan is it possible to do a stopover (I'm thinking 5-7 days ) in Doha?
Hello,
does anybody knows / has experiences how QR handles award tickets if a flight was cancelled? Did anybody get its miles back? What if the miles used would have expired in the meantime?
I was not able to get any information from QR on my request for now.
Thanks,
Markus
Anyone booked using amextravel or UR portal and successfully changed? I don't see a requirement that booking has to be made directly with Qatar
Just tried this, please proceed with caution. I booked a ticket about 3 hours ago for a short international flight. I spent 2 hours in total with 2 different Qatar Agents. The first agent flat out refused to reroute my booking stating they had no idea what policy I am talking about and that the "free rebooking" wasn't applicable to my booking.
The second agent told me the "free rebooking was only applicable for...
Just tried this, please proceed with caution. I booked a ticket about 3 hours ago for a short international flight. I spent 2 hours in total with 2 different Qatar Agents. The first agent flat out refused to reroute my booking stating they had no idea what policy I am talking about and that the "free rebooking" wasn't applicable to my booking.
The second agent told me the "free rebooking was only applicable for tickets departing up til 30 September", I had get him to check Qatar's policy before he unwillingly said OK.
The second part was the worst. I chose a destination with <5,000 nautical miles, but he told me the "system said it's 8,000miles" and the "system has the data so he's going to follow it". In the end I settled for the "furthest" destination which was only 2,675 nautical miles.
I might try rebooking again at a later date but all I can say is you'll never know what you're gonna get, don't count on maximizing that 5,000 miles because the agents might come up with a bunch of crazy ways to calculate the distance.
It works with award tickets as well, even if there is no award availability in a specific route/date
Hello,
What happens if I buy a ticket operated by QA and want to change it to a flight operated by another airline, but still available on QA website?
Thank you
Has anyone had luck getting in contact with QR? been on the phone an hour plus.
@Johnny: you can not change HEL to ORD. Different countries.
Seems like the best deal to get would be HEL-DOH and then change it (in my case) to Chicago to Male, Maldives all for $1163 round trip. Seems like that's a pretty good price.
Can I book outbound from japan to Prague, if later need change I may wish to change from japan to San Francisco?
Osaka is 4993 miles from KBP and they’re supposed to be flying this new route starting in April but I guess it got cancelled I guess.
Can you change the ticket to have outbound in 2020 and inbound in 2021?
All the flight shamers changing their tunes when a good deal comes along. Maybe there’s hope for aviation after all.
I read this newsletter as I like a deal but I agree with a Roger: where will this end if you are all trying unnecessarily to get the most out of this offer?
To the Maldives now, or to Sydney?
Let ‘s aim to find a place 4999 miles away from my booked destination!!!
But while you are at it, I hope that you will WANT to become a regular “guest” on QR!
Will this policy apply to tickets bought through AMEX Travel?
People have to realize this is an investment of $1600. Sure we don’t know when we can travel again. But there could be a vaccine tomorrow and we start flying.
The point is it’s $1600 to fly whenever and wherever you want, including possibly into 2021.
@Eskimo
When's your first planned trip?
Can a ticket be changed second time to benefit from the 5000 mile rule twice? Like is it possible to change a NYC-KBP ticket to HKG and then to PER?
@ Arthur
Friends on the ground in Berlin say TXL is already closed and all traffic routes through BER/SXF (Shoenefeld). I, too, was going to TXL even in September, but not possible any longer, dammit!
Safe travels.
Some armchair travellers here seem determined to stretch the elasticity of this new deal to (and beyond) the absolute limits. That elastic will ultimately snap as Qatar call center comes under too much pressure with endless requests for changes. Will all end in tears!
You mean if I buy an eze-gru ticket I can change it to eze-doh-mia? so I can change a 2-hour flight to a 30-hour flight?
miami is less than 5000 miles from sao paulo
@Eskimo.
You're not alone. I'm a huge sucker for a good deal too. While I don't have quite as many trips booked as you do, I just booked this deal myself.
So now I have trips booked on all of the ME3 carriers, to/from N. America, before year end :)
I hope it all comes to fruition, albeit responsibly.
I called the Philippines and the agent refuses to do the changes because I booked today.
@Ryan
Qatar needs to fill their planes, and almost all travel these days are discretionary. I'm sure Qatar is happy they can get butts in seat.
I'll jump on to this as well but am I the only one really pushing 2020 flying to the limits?
I now have 8 international trip from July to December. If travel restrictions isn't lifted by then I'm going to be stuck with a lot of airline credit for on too many airlines. I have never spread my (dis)loyalty this wide before.
Worst part, I booked most of them weeks ago when prices were even...
I'll jump on to this as well but am I the only one really pushing 2020 flying to the limits?
I now have 8 international trip from July to December. If travel restrictions isn't lifted by then I'm going to be stuck with a lot of airline credit for on too many airlines. I have never spread my (dis)loyalty this wide before.
Worst part, I booked most of them weeks ago when prices were even cheaper. Now I'm going to QR and possibly more airline credit into the mix?
Am I the only sucker for good deals.
I'm tempted...I'd love to go to BKK in Nov or Dec....but will they even be allowing Americans in by then?
As it is, I think I'll give it a miss. I have half a million points in various airline programs right now, and can always book a premium ticket once it's confirmed I can actually go there.
Anyone see any issues with changing AAA-DOH return to AAA-DOH-CCC return under the change rules (i.e. any restrictions on the number of legs)?
All flights inside 2020 with CCC <5,000mi of DOH. Thanks.
@Ryan (8:08pm)
" The spirit of the policy I’m sure was not to allow you to do what you are doing."
Qatar knows what they are doing... They need cash. How to get it? Bank loan? Nope. Get people to give you $100,000s for future flights. Seats this year that would likely have stayed open. (Note travel is required to be completed by 12/31/20.)
It really was smart and a win-win. Flyers get a...
@Ryan (8:08pm)
" The spirit of the policy I’m sure was not to allow you to do what you are doing."
Qatar knows what they are doing... They need cash. How to get it? Bank loan? Nope. Get people to give you $100,000s for future flights. Seats this year that would likely have stayed open. (Note travel is required to be completed by 12/31/20.)
It really was smart and a win-win. Flyers get a great deal. Qatar gets cash from seats that would have likely gone unsold. I am sure Qatar - and every airline - would love to have a problem of sold-out flights in 2020!
Anyone see any issues with changing XXX-DOH return to XXX-DOH-ZZZ return under the change rules (i.e. any restrictions on the number of legs)?
All flights inside 2020 with ZZZ <5,000mi of DOH. Thanks.
I am tempted but giving that no one knows which countries will allow tourists in 6 months, I will pass.
does anyone know if you can do stopover on this ticket?
Anyone knows if it would be possible to book a SGN-PNH fifth freedom flight and then change the destination to somewhere within 5000 miles, effectively routing through DOH and adding an additional sector?
Thanks to bloggers like you Lucky and people taking advantage of this in Poort faith, you know it won’t lost. This is so shaming to see how people react. The spirit of the policy I’m sure was not to allow you to do what you are doing. When Qatar sees people changing tickets in 5 minutes they will change the police back. You are hurting the people who actually have a reason to use this...
Thanks to bloggers like you Lucky and people taking advantage of this in Poort faith, you know it won’t lost. This is so shaming to see how people react. The spirit of the policy I’m sure was not to allow you to do what you are doing. When Qatar sees people changing tickets in 5 minutes they will change the police back. You are hurting the people who actually have a reason to use this policy and didn’t book for the sole purpose of gaming the system. I personally like when there are great deals and promos. This was meant to help people instead it’s taken advantage of.
@Platini
Qatar does have flight in/ out US.... even in May....
Here is an example for Aug flight from ORD to DOH
https://flights.app.goo.gl/J2ESP
Yeah, I cannot find flights going and return in August. It kept on returning an error. Looks like the earliest Qatar flies out the US is Oct. 21. Oh well! Would have been nice if they fly in August.
Question - if I booked A to B then changed to C to D (all within 2020 and within 5000 mile radius), is it correct to say that if later changed to travel in 2021 and beyond but keeping keeping C to D, then there is no fare difference payable? Or will it still be subject to repricing?
It is like a short term loan to QR :)
Just booked roundtrip economy ORD-KWI. Hoping to change it to PVG.
What about fare differences?
I just did it. Not as easy as Ryan but it worked.
Changed cities in USA.
Changed destination in Asia.
Changed departure date. (Kept return because it worked.)
Does anyone have a phone number to call QR now? The US reservations are closed and calling Qatar’s office in Qatar is expensive through Skype.
Am I greedy to book another one?
@ Ben — I have a ticket previously booked for Dec 2020 LAX-DOH-BKK-DOH-LAX for about $2,500. I am right that I could cancel that and get a voucher for $2,750 good through Dec 2022, and then rebook as above for $1,600?
@Worldtraveler
In theory you should be able to book a 5th freedom flight on QR like SGN-PNH and change it to SGN-DOH-AKL....
I don’t understand. Why would you change PHL-JFK as a mileage run when the world is your oyster, and you can go literally choose any destination.
Here's an interesting question... could you do PHL to JFK R/T via Doha? JFK is within 5000 mile of KBP. Might prevent quarantine. Great EQM/EQD on AA. But, no fun destination.
I disagree with those saying this is taking advantage of the situation. I am supporting the flight crew and workers of QR with a loan of my money (during tough financial times) in the hope that I can fly and they will get some...
Here's an interesting question... could you do PHL to JFK R/T via Doha? JFK is within 5000 mile of KBP. Might prevent quarantine. Great EQM/EQD on AA. But, no fun destination.
I disagree with those saying this is taking advantage of the situation. I am supporting the flight crew and workers of QR with a loan of my money (during tough financial times) in the hope that I can fly and they will get some cash. It's win/win. Very few people are going to be putting down $5K+ for biz travel in the next few months. So $1600 is better than $0. QR knows exactly what they are doing.
QR might be smart by getting cash now, but the point still remains you’re paying $1600 for a Qsuites ticket to basically go whenever you want. There’s no way these flights actually end up operating by the fall anyway.
The rules say up until 2020 which sucks. But the truth is you never know when planes will be operating again.
Can you change flights to be flown in 2021 too?
People who are critical of those taking advantage are just sanctimonious and naive as hell! Qatar knew exactly what was going to happen when they announced this promotion. They want cash now. They will adjust fares or pull the promotion if it turns out to be more popular than they intend.
This is so blindly obvious.
It works. I just called their Qatar reservations. Changed PHL-KBP to LAX-BKK
Deal will be dead in 3, 2, 1...
Anyone who feels bad for Qatar getting taken advantage of should wake the F up! Qatar and the airline Itself are both savages to their labor force. They don’t bat an eye at doing the wrong thing when it suits them. They won’t be losing any sleep over people taking advantage over this.
How are 5000 miles counted?
E.g. AKL: with map view SIN is within 5000 miles but if I check distance gcm says 5225 miles.
Which distance will qatar count?
Guess Qatar bet on people greed to cash ib some liquidity.
They now hace a lost of the cheapos who jumped in to abuse the system.
No sense of morality.
Very North American.
Shame on those congratulating yourselves on this.
Akin how the bean counters at AA or Boeing went cheap on service.
Lucky, sorry to tell you this, but you missed a good opportunity to show yourself with a higher sense of civism.
Qatar's gaming you more than you're gaming them. They want short-term liquidity and will deal with the details later.
Nevermind, plenty of dates available in Nov
"There are currently no flight options for the itinerary or dates that you are searching for. (NSP101)"
Is this dead already?
Would you need to book with QR directly in order to get this exemption? If you buy the ticket on UR or TY portal, should this work after calling QR?
Anybody find anything within 5000 miles of Perth Australia that has good fares?
@Rob, 100% agree with this.
Normally I am all about maximizing my points and miles and traveling for good deals. But, gaming the system at times of a global pandemic seems messed up. QR gonna probably change their rules again very soon.
Question? Which program will you credit the miles to?
Feels dead? All city pairs I search return an error ("There are currently no flight options for the itinerary or dates that you are searching for. (NSP101)") despite the Qatar timetable search confirming there are schedule flights for the various city pairs and dates I'm trying.
On the surface this probably seems like a really ridiculous policy. And, yet, they're undoubtedly raking in some serious revenue in the near-term. Good for Qatar Airways! Like I said in a previous post...this is Economics 101: Supply and Demand. What an innovative way to create some demand.
Rules are rules...
Why celebrate this? It's good for Ryan, I guess, but what about future travelers with legitimate needs to change their plans and can't because of people gaming the system?
Gosh -- this all feels a little icky to me. They are trying to provide maximum flexibility to help people deal with uncertainty, and we're all immediately gaming out how to get, for example, a ticket from NYC to Bangkok in December for the price of a ticket from NYC to Kiev in September. Maybe they screwed up their rules, but it really feels taking advantage of the unprecedented public health situation to steal cheap...
Gosh -- this all feels a little icky to me. They are trying to provide maximum flexibility to help people deal with uncertainty, and we're all immediately gaming out how to get, for example, a ticket from NYC to Bangkok in December for the price of a ticket from NYC to Kiev in September. Maybe they screwed up their rules, but it really feels taking advantage of the unprecedented public health situation to steal cheap travel from the airline. I'm all for lots of types of gaming, but this feels different to me.
How fast until they shut this down?
Does anyone else feel this is a borderline move or just me? It would be a good discussion if there is any “honor among thieves” when it comes to this point/miles hustle we are all interested in
And that's why we cannot have nice things ... the company is allowing these exceptions to make our lives easier in case of disruptions/emergencies, etc, and a lot of morons will now abuse it to the extreme, effectively shutting down a gesture of goodwill the airline are offering. Congratulations, I hope you feel good.
I can’t find PHL to Kyiv now... it won’t price out.
Kudos to Qatar for offering an innovative solution to help people fly during an unsettled time for both the flying public and the airline. Gaming this generous program will bring it to a screeching halt very soon.
so can the ticket be changed once to a future date (early 2021), then again for early 2022?
I was able to change a ARN-BKK fare to ARN-SYD fare. This agent was much more knowledgeable about the issue and it all went smoothly.
Is there a list of regularly cheap Qatar destinations anywhere? I’m flying from Sydney and intrigued with this. Theoretically I could fly to Doha and change the destination to London as it’s within 5k miles!
Looks like a great way to game the system.
Any guess what happens if I can change to the new flights with the outbound in Dec 2020 but the return in Jan 2021?
This is brilliant.
I actually booked a ticket today from DOH- TXL round trip (very expensive though).
Very happy that Ryan confirmed that QA is making good on their policy!
If I need to rebook and face anything different I shall let you know
Just changed JFK/KBP to IAD/ZNZ.. was able to change the dates to shorter than 1 week (required from the original ticket). Now she did say.. for now all changes are free of charge. But in the future, fees may apply.. sounded like a script. She also confirmed, that if I change from ZNZ... the 5,000 miles goes back to the original destination (KBP)... which make sense. Very easy call. No hold time.
So if I book PHL-DOH-KBP round trip for December 1-15th, I can change it to DFW-DOH-BKK November 8th-16th, but 2 months from now say Thailand won’t let us in, but Sri Lanka will, I could change to Colombo November 15th-22nd and still have no issues right?
Soooo what can I do from DFW to make for a good deal? I know they fly direct from DFW to Qatar, but I think that's the only route they have.
@Ryan
What about the difference in fare. A round trip in October in cheaper than a round trip in December. Will I have to pay the fare difference? Or, can I possibly, book a $16XX trip from Chicago to Kyiv for October, and then change it for travel from ORD to India in December?
@Matt,
For some personal reason, I have to fly during 2020, so the new flight I am flying is sometime before Dec 31 2020.
@sam,
Both
@Mike,
The 5000 miles is for the final destination. For the airport you are flying from, as long as they are in the same country, then you will be fine
Any word on if this would still work if you had a code-share partner flight in the original or subsequent booking? For instance if Qatar doesn't fly to your US origination?
So in theory could I book Chicago to Kiev and change it to LA to Maldives? Obviously Chicago and LA are less than 5,000 miles and it shows that Kiev is 6600 km (4100 miles) from Male.
Can it be changed a second time? Could Ryan change the newly changed Hong Kong to Sydney?
@Ryan you don’t have to give your dates but would you confirm you are flying by December 31 2020?
Can you change the date as well or just the route and flight #?
@Steven,
Yes, I was able to. I was able to change both the travel date and the airport I was flying from and to.
Wow. That's an amazing deal. I wanted to visit family in Asia in November (depending on the situation there). I've been trying to snag some of the free tickets given to healthcare workers from QR but if I have no luck I might get on this opportunity instead.
@Ryan were you able to change trip dates too without issue?
@Brodie,
The PHL - KBP flight was just the ticket I was changing from, so it doesn't matter what's the date. The actual flight I am taking, I already blur it out before sending it lol
lol I was about to email you and tell you the same thing.
Kudos to Ryan!
Interesting. I would blur out the dates to help protect this reader.