Within the past several hours, seven Gulf countries have cut ties with Qatar, which has huge implications for travel. Airlines from these countries are largely canceling flights to Doha, Qatar Airways is no longer to fly to many of these countries, and perhaps most significantly, Qatar Airways is blocked from using the airspace of several countries.
Given the politics of stuff like this, one also has to wonder whether other countries will take sides here. Could the US back Saudi Arabia and also block air rights with Qatar? Crazier things have happened with the US this year, that’s for sure…
Furthermore, as the always knowledgable Sean pointed out in the comments section of the last post, you can’t fly to or from Doha without entering the Bahrain or Jeddah FIRs, so it’s almost conceivable that Qatar could be cut off entirely from an aviation perspective.
With that in mind, I received several comments and emails from readers who are potentially impacted by this situation, asking what they should do. It’s way too early and things are changing too quickly to give any concrete advice, but here’s what I’d suggest as of now:
Understand that things are changing rapidly and be patient
This is a new development, and is likely to escalate even further. So if you’re not traveling in the next week, I’d recommend letting this play out for at least a couple of days. It’s conceivable that more countries will shortly add restrictions, and it’s also possible that Qatar quickly complies with Saudi Arabia’s requests, given that this has the potential to destroy Qatar’s economy and standard of living.
This goes way beyond aviation. With Saudi Arabia closing off their borders, this impacts food and other supplies coming to Qatar. The pictures I’ve seen from Qatar look as if they’re preparing for a natural disaster. So this isn’t like some electronics ban, or something, that could last forever.
I suspect things will be changing rapidly here, because I can’t imagine this lasting… either for better or worse.
Airline waivers in effect as of now
Qatar Airways has been fairly quiet about this situation so far, though other airlines have issued travel waivers for travel to/from Qatar. In all cases these waivers allow you to refund tickets for free, or let you reroute to the nearest alternative airport served by the airline.
Airlines were probably almost caught as off guard by this as we were, and I suspect they’re still trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
What should you do if you have an AAdvantage award ticket booked?
Given our miles & points world, I’m guessing most people potentially impacted by this are in one of two situations. They either:
- Booked a discounted business class ticket on Qatar Airways, given their consistently great fares
- Redeemed American AAdvantage miles for travel on Etihad or Qatar Airways
If that describes your situation, the first thing I’d recommend doing is waiting a bit. Give this a few days to play out. I can’t emphasize that enough.
As of now American hasn’t issued a travel waiver, and unless you’re flying very shortly, you’re not doing yourself any favors by rushing things.
But assuming this new restriction sticks around and you booked an award ticket, what should you expect from American AAdvantage (or whatever airline you issued your ticket with) if your flight is impacted by this?
- You should expect that they’ll refund your ticket if you no longer wish to take the trip
- If you still want to take the trip, they should work with you to find alternative options
Do note that American doesn’t have the ability to open up award space on other airlines, so you’ll have to get creative:
- Typically the airline with which you issued your ticket can open up space on their own flights, but not on partner airlines; that’s only so useful when we’re talking about flights to/from the Middle East
- Expect them to waive any change fees and work with you to find alternatives, but if there’s no availability on partners, there’s only so much they can do
Bottom line
This situation with Qatar caught a lot of us off guard. This was just announced, and I doubt it will stick around in its current form for very long — expect things to either get significantly worse (more countries joining against Qatar, further restrictions, etc.) or better (Qatar complying with Saudi Arabia’s requests and trying to minimize the impact of this) very quickly.
We’ll have to wait a few days to see the full impact this has on flights, so unless you’re scheduled to fly in the next few days, be patient. We’re still waiting to learn the full effects this has on flights. Keep in mind that this could go way beyond flights to/from the impacted countries, since there are huge implications of Qatar Airways not being able to use the airspace of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, etc.
If you’re booked on Qatar Airways in the future, don’t worry too much just yet. Hopefully this resolves itself soon, and if not, we should see formalized processes in place for how the airlines will handle this. It will no doubt be tricky if you’re on a partner award ticket, given that Qatar Airways serves many destinations that other airlines don’t.
Are you scheduled to fly Qatar Airways soon? How are you approaching this?
Have booked on Sep 2 from Mumbai to DFW through Qatar. The unseasonal rains at Mumbai is resulting in delays in all the departures and arrivals. If my flight from Mumbai is delayed and happen to miss my connecting flight, what would happen. (have a layover time of 3 plus hours at Doha). Bought a single ticket from Mumbai to DFW.
BTW just traveled yesterday to Jakarta via Doha. New programme if you're a Qatar Airways passenger, free tour through town and day visa if you have 5+ hour layover. We are going to try to change our layover on the way back to take advantage!
Flying form Philadelphia to Bangkok in October with a two hour lay over at DOHA.
Should I expect any problems?
No.
No. Enjoy. It's not America, nothing too over complicated.
Update on this? looking at booking a trip via Doha (usual flight, have points) and wondering if I should reconsider. What has happened in the past 2 months?
It's all settled down. Qatar are all over it, flights come in over Iran and over the top of Bahrain, adds 20 minutes to flights going east and for flights going west it adds 30 minutes. Chicago and LAX is no difference because they go over the Pole.
So jump on-board, enjoy the amazing service of the World's No 1 Airline, I have 8 or 9 times since the recalcitrants from Saudia et al...
It's all settled down. Qatar are all over it, flights come in over Iran and over the top of Bahrain, adds 20 minutes to flights going east and for flights going west it adds 30 minutes. Chicago and LAX is no difference because they go over the Pole.
So jump on-board, enjoy the amazing service of the World's No 1 Airline, I have 8 or 9 times since the recalcitrants from Saudia et al imposed this blockade. If anything, it's much easier because you don't have millions of Arabs running around at Doha Airport. And you have really fast, smooth transfers and amazing lounges that aren't crowded most of the time.
Does anyone have a phone contact no for Qatar in Sydney
@DOT It's 1300 340 600, if you're inside Australia, otherwise, call the USA number 1800 on skype, it's free from anywhere in the world when on skype.
I saw you're earlier post about cancelling, don't worry about it, enjoy the flight. QR are magnificent on-board. Qatar has everything under control. I have taken 4 flights already since the ban and if anything, it went smoother than normal. Especially at DOH where you don't have...
@DOT It's 1300 340 600, if you're inside Australia, otherwise, call the USA number 1800 on skype, it's free from anywhere in the world when on skype.
I saw you're earlier post about cancelling, don't worry about it, enjoy the flight. QR are magnificent on-board. Qatar has everything under control. I have taken 4 flights already since the ban and if anything, it went smoother than normal. Especially at DOH where you don't have a million Arabs clogging up the airport security going to Saudia or Bahrain or UAE.
You will have all sorts of protection if you'e in Nanny State Australia anyway if the flight happens to cancel, QR will look after you.
The only issue I can see is if all-out war happens in the Middle East but it's too soon for that. Take the flight, enjoy the Worlds Number 1 airline, I have already this year to the tune of 180,000 miles.
Who is Qatar in alliance with and could I transfer to them
I have a flight booked from Sydney to London July 18 th business class returning late August on Qatar
Am I able to get a full refund as I concerned catcall the news and how do I go about retrieving that?
I hv my return tickets to Hyderabad booked from Atlanta for august 26th vi Doha since flight time from Atlanta to Doha is getting incradedcan we able to catch Doha to Hyd flight
Anne why are you worried? All comments here tell you not to worry! Qatar is a great airline and it makes a point to operate better than ever. I have a flight ATH to BKK via DOH and return in August/September and I see no reason to worry whatsoever.
Hi,i have a flight coming up with Qatar airways in september 2017 from Nigeria via Doha to Atlanta (USA) Is there a problem with this? Kind of worried reading the comments. Anyone please! Do i cancel flight?
Question: would I be a fool to book a round trip ticket on QR for August? If it goes south, chances of refund if I purchased after the announcement are slim, no? Trying to get from Kigali/Nairobi (whichever is cheaper, which is def. Nairobi) to NYC round trip.
@JP: Go for it, Qatar named Airline of the Year today. And for a very good reason. I'm Q Platinum and a huge fan so am biased. Unless you have travel in the recalcitrant countries of Saudia Arabia ( fuck them ), Bahrain, Egypt or Yemen you have nothing to worry about. Qatar on my 2 experiences since the blockade started by those bastards from Saudia, Yemen, Egypt and stinking Bahrain, are working better than...
@JP: Go for it, Qatar named Airline of the Year today. And for a very good reason. I'm Q Platinum and a huge fan so am biased. Unless you have travel in the recalcitrant countries of Saudia Arabia ( fuck them ), Bahrain, Egypt or Yemen you have nothing to worry about. Qatar on my 2 experiences since the blockade started by those bastards from Saudia, Yemen, Egypt and stinking Bahrain, are working better than ever if that was possible.
Whats your alternative? Emirates ( why support them when they are one of the recalcitrants blockading Qatar ), Etihad ( why support them when they are another of the recalcitrants blockading Qatar ), Saudia Arabian LOL ( why support them when they are one of the recalcitrants blockading Qatar and the ringleaders, don't give those shitheads a cent of your money ), Gulf Air ( you have more risk with them than anyone.) Egypt Air ( mmmm, now there's a nice airline LOL, they are a joke and you have to risk going through CAI ).
Stick with QR mate, enjoy. Check out Skytrax Awards today and you will see why.
I also agree with JP, like I said earlier I will always support QR even if they didn't win Worlds best airline, in all the times I've flown with them and better yet the experience I endure at Hamad international airport on my stop overs is awesome! Stick to QR, don't even think twice about it
I want to vent here. Hubby has a return ticket from Manila to Cairo and was scheduled to fly yesterday. After the incident in the middle east happened, we asked QR to rebook him in another airline, instead of refunding. They booked him on Thai Airways, from Manila to Bangkok then from Bangkok to Cairo on a TG flight (but operated by EGYPTAIR).
So here we thought everything would be fine by then. Unfortunately...
I want to vent here. Hubby has a return ticket from Manila to Cairo and was scheduled to fly yesterday. After the incident in the middle east happened, we asked QR to rebook him in another airline, instead of refunding. They booked him on Thai Airways, from Manila to Bangkok then from Bangkok to Cairo on a TG flight (but operated by EGYPTAIR).
So here we thought everything would be fine by then. Unfortunately when he reached Bangkok yesterday, Egyptair refused to let him fly, saying that they do not recognize his ticket/booking from QR! And QR did not anticipate that Egyptair would refuse their passengers.
I cannot believe these people! The difficulty and trouble they are causing travellers!
Anyways to make a long story short, QR flew him from Bangkok to Doha, QR from Doha to Amman (he is en-route now), then Royal Jordanian from Amman to Sharm. So check! check! check! rebookings done by QR
@Smarie: Thanks for the heads-up. It's a good tip. When I arrived at BKK a few weeks ago to had to Cairo ( I think it was the first or second day of the ban ) QR scheduled me on Saudia Airlines SV. But I point blank refused that option simply because it was Saudia Arabian. Why would I support them in any way after what they are doing to Qatar I thought to myself....
@Smarie: Thanks for the heads-up. It's a good tip. When I arrived at BKK a few weeks ago to had to Cairo ( I think it was the first or second day of the ban ) QR scheduled me on Saudia Airlines SV. But I point blank refused that option simply because it was Saudia Arabian. Why would I support them in any way after what they are doing to Qatar I thought to myself.
So QR, on top of things as usual, routed me BKK-MCT-CAI on Oman Air. It was a 10 hour layover in MCT but no way was I going to let Saudia take my money from Qatar. Screw Saudia.
I've got a stack of flights coming in Aug-Sept-Oct all in and out of Cairo with QR, Haven't contemplated them as yet but your tip about Egypt Air is helpful, thank you.
We are booked MEL-LHR in August with QR and are really looking forward to it. Having flown with all the major ME Airlines, as with several previous commentators, we consider QR the best ME airline and are concerned at the toadying of the US towards SA which has created this situation. Hopefully the overflight and land access issues will be resolved by the time we fly.
Me and my family fly with Qatar Airways from Melbourne every year and despite the accusations against Qatar ( FAKE NEWS ) we will continue to fly and support Qatar airways, no doubt the best airline in the Middle East! Flown with Etihad and Emirates prior and it was the worse experience ever! # Abu Dhabi international airport is a joke!
@alan, good to hear mate, I too , like you will keep supporting this great airline, and I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments on EK and EY. I sat this airline because I write this from 35000 feet above Turkey on QR39 in Seat 1A enjoying the amazing service and comfort on my way to Paris. Really, there are no issues into and out of DOH unless you are going to one of the 7...
@alan, good to hear mate, I too , like you will keep supporting this great airline, and I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments on EK and EY. I sat this airline because I write this from 35000 feet above Turkey on QR39 in Seat 1A enjoying the amazing service and comfort on my way to Paris. Really, there are no issues into and out of DOH unless you are going to one of the 7 recalcitrant countries that are inflicting damage. In the past week I was scheduled BKK - CAI and they happlily rerouted me on Oman Air BKK-MCT-CAI, some inconvenience, but I got there. This flight was supposed to be CAI-DOH-CDG but instead I cancelled that ticket and flew RJ CAI-AMM then QR AMM-DOH and now on-board DOH-CDG. again, minor inconvenience but I still arrive at the same time as my original plans. There is definitely a lot of hysteria going on in this forum, but take it from me, as someone who has copped the brunt of it in the past week, QR is as good as ever and there are no issues.
GRU-EZE 1 way hop next Thursday June 15th. Any concern?
@Aeron @carlee: You need to understand where justfly's funds come from..... that's why thy are recommending it..... just Chill man, you're all good, no ban from/to India, enjoy the flight, enjoy the world's best.
@Vikrant. No, Chill man, you're all good, no ban from/to India, enjoy the flight, enjoy the world's best.
@June Sharp: Advice @RAO: Chill man, you're all good, no ban from/to In Zid or Scotland, enjoy the flight, enjoy the world's best.
I have ticket to Dallas via doha starting from hyderabad on 11/6/2017. Please advise me.
Advice @RAO: Chill man, you're all good, no ban from/to India, enjoy the flight, enjoy the world's best.
I have ticket to Dallas via doha starting from hyderabad on 11/5/17. Please advise me.
My family just reached India from USA via Doha.
no issue at all. Pilot will tale care pf new route.
he will avoid going through brainless Dubai and Saudi people.
I have a QA flight booked in October from NZ to Scotland via Doha will that be affected?
@JamesP
Khartoum is not the only QR destination in Africa James, just look into other destinations in Africa. Most of it resume normally.
I have return journey flight booked for Aug 6th from Chicago to Mumbai via Doha.
Will route from Doha will impact me in emigration clearance while re-entering in US?
Any suggestions..!
@carlee
Justfly is advising to get a refund and book on some other airlines.It seems there only aim is to make more money .Now for the same flight through turkey they charge $9k .Its ridiculous.I am hoping if there is an issue then qatar airways will book through BA or AA through their codeshare.Fingers crossed though....
I am rebooked on Singapore Airlines for my flight from Bangalore to Los Angeles, in case the crisis escalates.
@Hisham
You're right, except QR1324 is cancelled tomorrow and there's no certainty about the following days.
I’m traveling to Los Angeles via stop in Doha. Will my flight be affected? It’s already a 16 hrs flight…im guessing it’ll be around 18/19 now? that is if its not cancelled?
I have a flight on 14th June from Delhi to Qatar (jet airway).
What will be effect on my flight
QR517 COK-DOH, is avoiding UAE airspace by flying above the peninsula into Iranian airspace. Effectively, they're avoiding Emirati airspace.
i'm scheduled to fly Los angeles via Dohar Bangkok on 22nd June. What should I do please suggest
i've booked the ticket with qatar and leaving 2 weeks from now what should i do please can you update me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE thank you
You are talking rubbish. You can leave Qatar without going into Bahraini airspace. Use your Geography and stop spreading false information.
@Aeron
Have you booked through justfly? I too booked from justfly. what was their reply ? I am flying on june 9 via doha to India from Boston..
Hello Aeron,
Have you booked through justfly? I too booked from justfly. what was their reply ? I am flying on june 9 via doha to India from Boston..
Hi All,
I am travelling from Boston to Trivandrm(India) transit at Doha through Qatar airways. Can anyone let me know is there is any issue on that ?
Thanks
Qatar Airways is only denied access to 5 countries. 5 countries which is Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Maldives. Unless you are flying from or into those countries then you have a problem and need to call QR to rebook. I'm right now in Egypt and I plan to fly to Malaysia soon and I still want to fly QR, so what do I do? I will fly RJ from CAI to...
Qatar Airways is only denied access to 5 countries. 5 countries which is Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Maldives. Unless you are flying from or into those countries then you have a problem and need to call QR to rebook. I'm right now in Egypt and I plan to fly to Malaysia soon and I still want to fly QR, so what do I do? I will fly RJ from CAI to AMM and take QR from AMM-DOH-KUL. Regarding the flight path, I dont care about it because if you open a map and look at where is Qatar and 5 other countries and also Iran, Turkey and Oman then you know you are going to be fine plus thats the pilot's problem and they know how to solve it. I dont understand when people say its going to be a problem to fly to Africa, QR1324 is doing fine. Usually from Khartoum QR go straight into Saudi and then Doha, but now they just fly above Ethiopia, outside of Yemen, Oman, Iran then Doha. They are still able to connect Africa into Doha. Calm down people and look at a map. Enjoy your holiday.
The last time an issue like this occurred was back in 2014, during the reign of the late King Abdullah (الله يرحم و يغفر) but that was limited to ambassador send off and recall. That diplomatic stand-off took 8 months to resolve so God knows how long this will take to resolve.
That having been said, things in Doha seem to be normal with people going about their business as usual. I have a...
The last time an issue like this occurred was back in 2014, during the reign of the late King Abdullah (الله يرحم و يغفر) but that was limited to ambassador send off and recall. That diplomatic stand-off took 8 months to resolve so God knows how long this will take to resolve.
That having been said, things in Doha seem to be normal with people going about their business as usual. I have a dear friend whom I went to school with who has been based out of Doha for some time now and I just spoke to him not 30 minutes ago.
The best approach would be to find alternative options especially if you have PAID bookings.
I have an employee flying out of Jeddah within 9 days and it's tricky because we don't know when the offices of QR in Saudi will be shut down.
I am flying from ORD to Doha to KL (Malaysia) this Friday, June 9th. I am wondering if I will still be able to go?? Thanks!
I am flying from the US to Doha then to Malaysia in a few days, June 9th. What should I do???? Can I expect to still go and be safe? Thanks!
We are flying from Zurich -Doha-Delhi on June 30 returning delhi-Doha-Boston...Not sure at this time if it will be ok to wait to rebook.Called the helpdesk of justfly (booking website) and they are recommending to cancel the flight and rebook but its going to cost $6000 more...what a mess ..i hope QTR airlines pick up the phone and advise what to do..
Arrived in DOH 3 hours ago. Qatar gave us ine of the best services we have ever received. They treated our children like royalty. We enjoyed the Al Maha lounge courtesy of CSR, and we really enjoyed the food, drinks, and the family room which we had to ourselves with couches and a TV. We even got free showers :)
About to board our flight to BKK now, no issues whatsoever so far...
@ Paola -- Thanks for keeping us updated!
@lucky, no problem, I know there is a lot of uncertainty but I am right here and it's business as usual.
By the way, the flight got to DOH ahead of schedule even though it re routed due to the new restrictions.
I am flying out of Chicago O'Hare tomorrow on Qatar, headed to Doha, with a 45 minute layover and then flying to Bangkok - doubt I'll make my connection, which is not a big deal if I take a later one...but I am hoping the flight will still operate out of Chicago? I have tried the 3 phone numbers on their website and they're disconnected or not going through... Anyone with a phone number that...
I am flying out of Chicago O'Hare tomorrow on Qatar, headed to Doha, with a 45 minute layover and then flying to Bangkok - doubt I'll make my connection, which is not a big deal if I take a later one...but I am hoping the flight will still operate out of Chicago? I have tried the 3 phone numbers on their website and they're disconnected or not going through... Anyone with a phone number that works? I don't want to trudge all the way to the airport for my 7:45PM flight and get stuck there... Thanks!
Flying ATL / DOH / DXB / MEL 9th June. Called QR via the number on their website as the DOH / DXB leg was cancelled, according to their website. After 45min on hold was disconnected so called back - 20min on hold this time before being answererd. QR were able to reroute to DXB via MCT and the call took about 15minutes to get it all sorted. Other legs were able to be changed...
Flying ATL / DOH / DXB / MEL 9th June. Called QR via the number on their website as the DOH / DXB leg was cancelled, according to their website. After 45min on hold was disconnected so called back - 20min on hold this time before being answererd. QR were able to reroute to DXB via MCT and the call took about 15minutes to get it all sorted. Other legs were able to be changed to accommodate the time changes. A little stressed but QR seem to be doing all they possibly can to accommodate passengers. Great service from them!
@Henry
The idea is from the West as much as it is from Saudi...
We are supposed to be flying on Monday the 12th. Muscat to Doha then Doha to Houston. My worry is the airspace restriction elongating the flight. Muscat to Doha would not be a big deal, we have a 3 hour cushion between flights but how long would it make the flight form Doha to Houston if we have to fly around Bahrain and Saudi Arabia? One the flight is already quite long so can the...
We are supposed to be flying on Monday the 12th. Muscat to Doha then Doha to Houston. My worry is the airspace restriction elongating the flight. Muscat to Doha would not be a big deal, we have a 3 hour cushion between flights but how long would it make the flight form Doha to Houston if we have to fly around Bahrain and Saudi Arabia? One the flight is already quite long so can the assigned plane type make that long of flight? Two, we are flying with a 14 month old, and every hour counts!
The third issue is what happens if we make this leg of the flight no problem but if conditions worsen and Qatar is unable to make the return flight? How are refunds or rebookings handled in a case like this?
I'm flying Dubai-Doha-Singapore on June 21, and Kuala Lumpur-Doha-Dubai on June 28. Qatar Airways is offering me to re-book: Dubai-Muscat-Doha-Singapore outbound, Kuala Lumpur-Doha-Muscat/Kuwait-Dubai for inbound. Should I take the offer or wait for this issue to resolve? This is my first time flying with them and I'm nervous with this situation!
I have a confirmed flight from USA to Saudi through Doha in 5 days from now, I am not interested in having refund, since the price of any alternative flight at the moment for the same period is way much that what I have paid few months ago when I made my reservation. Is it my right to ask Qatar airway to book my reservation on alternative partner airline such as British airline or Jordanian without additional fees?
I am due to travel on Qatar Aorways to New York on 14June. Hope in the next few days the Gulf row will be resolved soon . Qatar Airways is quiet at this moment because they are busy sorting out this problem We have to be patient to allow the top management to meet together and work it out and I think for this reason the CEO of Qatar Airways Mr Akbar al Baker canceeled...
I am due to travel on Qatar Aorways to New York on 14June. Hope in the next few days the Gulf row will be resolved soon . Qatar Airways is quiet at this moment because they are busy sorting out this problem We have to be patient to allow the top management to meet together and work it out and I think for this reason the CEO of Qatar Airways Mr Akbar al Baker canceeled his Iata AGM neeting in Cancum and returned back onboard a private jet immediately to DOHA to take charge of the volatile situation and we should have some clear instruction from him for Qatar Airways passengers. So just stay calm and be patient and some clear infornation will be released by the CEO. Hopefully my NY trip will not be affected and in the worse case I hope Qatar wilk reroute my flight with your One World partner airline.
My advice to passengers on Qatar Airways ... Give them tine to work things out.
Oops!
I correct myself, I should have said QR 773!! (DOH >> GRU/EZE via ATH)
@Carlos, agree with you on the re-routings they are doing.
I am flying QR from Jakarta to Paris (Biz Class) in 5 days and to be honest, I am confident that all will go good; of course flight times will be longer, but not that much.
Anyway I was much more intrigued for my next flight in a few months to South America, considering that flight definitely will not (at least by now) overfly SA...
@Carlos, agree with you on the re-routings they are doing.
I am flying QR from Jakarta to Paris (Biz Class) in 5 days and to be honest, I am confident that all will go good; of course flight times will be longer, but not that much.
Anyway I was much more intrigued for my next flight in a few months to South America, considering that flight definitely will not (at least by now) overfly SA and Egypt.
And per flightradar24, the flight today QR 774, instead of being DOH-GRU-EZE, is DOH-ATH-GRU-EZE, arriving in EZE more than 4 hours later than original STA.
So they re-routed it via Athens!
The flight left DOH delayed but is now flying over Turkey after it flew over Iran. It will fly over whole length of Turkey in order to reach Athens, with a short stop there I guess only for re-fueling.
So, in general, I guess the most compromised routes are the ones to Africa and this to South America.
For all the people who are in panic having flights like me in a couple of days (Southeast Asia to Europe via DOH), should relax and be positive. I am in that way and sure that everything will be fine.
Of course, understand all the people worried because had trips/flights into those countries. That will be much more complicated, for sure.
Hope everything comes back as close to normal as possible soon.
This is obviously a Saudi led action to divert attention away from the fact the Saudi Petrodollars are well known to fund terrorism. But given the fact they are one of the USA's larges buyers of arms, they are unlikely to be sanctioned.
Also the other Gulf Carriers will be pushing this to help close down a competitor with lower prices and similar or better service.
The west wont stand up to Saudi or...
This is obviously a Saudi led action to divert attention away from the fact the Saudi Petrodollars are well known to fund terrorism. But given the fact they are one of the USA's larges buyers of arms, they are unlikely to be sanctioned.
Also the other Gulf Carriers will be pushing this to help close down a competitor with lower prices and similar or better service.
The west wont stand up to Saudi or the UAE, so Qatar will be at peril from a coup or a military uprising.
If you check flightradar24, you can see that all flights have been re-routed over southern Europe, ie instead of over SA and Egypt to Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Morocco, etc, now flying over Iran anda Turkey.
I have a Qatar Airways miles which are due to expire on 30th of June, and given this travel ban, I am unable to use these points since im living in Bahrain, and we don't have flights to Qatar anymore, and are banned from travelling there even via a different route. Do I have the right to claim an extension for these miles?
I'm a big fan of your blog and this is fist time to write a comment.
I'm living in Qatar and going to leave here for good in this weekend. Thank God, my flight is not affected as it's direct flight to Tokyo.
Qatar airways issued an official letter which says all passengers who are due to travel on Qatar Airways flight from/ to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain between 5th June...
I'm a big fan of your blog and this is fist time to write a comment.
I'm living in Qatar and going to leave here for good in this weekend. Thank God, my flight is not affected as it's direct flight to Tokyo.
Qatar airways issued an official letter which says all passengers who are due to travel on Qatar Airways flight from/ to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain between 5th June – 6th July will be provided with alternative options, including the option of full refund on any unused tickets and free rebooking to the nearest Qatar airways network destinations.
I hope they will solve this issue soon.
I'm scheduled to fly JNB-DOH-DFW on AA miles, June 10-11. I don't know there's anything to do at the moment but await developments. It should be clear soon whether or which African routes are affected. Hoping something gets worked out, either diplomatically or in terms of altered flight paths.
"And, by the way, I took a lot of heat in the comments for even suggesting such a thing"
Stop over-inflating your sense of ego, you only had 1 or 2 people comment about it.
At this point nothing less than Qatar taking a stronger stance against Iran and possibly shutting down Al-Jazeera as well will appease the other countries.
[email protected]
I'm scheduled to fly from Phuket-Doha-DWC on June 12. I've sent several emails to Qatar Airways. I guess being stuck in Thailand isn't a bad thing. Any suggestions other than wait?
Hi Guys, thanks for such a long but valuable discussion. I am booked to return from Kathmandu to London from my trekking break via Doha on June 11th. Should I be concerned or not? I have left a message on qatar airways uk twitter handle and haven't received any response back from them and it had been more than 24 hrs. They are super fast normally. Please help
AB potentially being bought by Lufthansa, CX and competition, IB and the Air Europa-Ryanair codeshare, and now this.
Am I the only one who feels bad for Oneworld and find it incredible that they are still intact as an alliance?
@Robyn, you are fine!
I woke up to all this panic and am torn between keeping my ticket or trying to change to another airline/change route, as I know Qatar is apart of One World Alliance.
I fly to Doha tomorrow (June 7th) , have an 8hr layover and from there I have a connecting flight to Chicago(flight booked with Qatar Airways).
My departure date is the 18th of July and I fly the same route back. What should I do?
@schar what do you mean when you say media control and gulf politics? I have heard so many stories and I am not sure what is causing all this. would love to hear someone else's views on it.
@schar it has nothing to do with terrorism and much more to do with media control and Gulf politics.
my family is travelling from USA to Nagpur on 7th July. they need to board connecting flight in
doha. I don't see any announcement from QA as of now.
any idea whats going to happen.
Congrats Paola!!!
I am aboard the flight frim MIA to DOH at the present time, for an on time departure. See you on the other side of the world in 16 hours.
Look on Flightradar24 all QR planes heading over Iran
I had a friend on the Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo to Doha which left on Monday early morning (5th June) and to arrive Doha at approximately 1.30am on the 6th June. Since Saudi Arabia announced that their airspace would be closed as of 0000 hours 6th June I was wondering what kind of detour this flight would take as they fly directly over Saudi Arabia.
The flight number is QR 774 and...
I had a friend on the Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo to Doha which left on Monday early morning (5th June) and to arrive Doha at approximately 1.30am on the 6th June. Since Saudi Arabia announced that their airspace would be closed as of 0000 hours 6th June I was wondering what kind of detour this flight would take as they fly directly over Saudi Arabia.
The flight number is QR 774 and after I checked its flight path on www. flightware.com I saw that there was no change at all in its flight path. Everything was normal and it flew directly over Saudi Arabia to Doha.
This sucks, I wanted to visit Doha so bad...cant believe such a rich country would back and support terrorists. Theyre so stupid
What about EU regulations for QR flights originating in EEC countries?
Isn't QR as the operating carrier required to re-accommodate passengers on other airlines if affected? No compensation is due, however I think they are required to re-accommodate.
UPDATE:
My family were rescheduled to fly on another carrier from Doha to India. They heard that QR chartered 3 more aircrafts with 500 passengers each to the Saudi. Its challenging for the workers at the Doha airport, but they are doing the best they can to accommodate every passenger.
I FINALLY got through to Qatar Airways. Again, my flight is in about 24 hours to go to Abu Dhabi. Since I heard about the changes to Qatar (state and airline) I have been frantically calling for information on what I am to do. As another poster here stated the number is disconnected or gives a busy signal when you call. I can't remember how I got this number but I somehow ended up with...
I FINALLY got through to Qatar Airways. Again, my flight is in about 24 hours to go to Abu Dhabi. Since I heard about the changes to Qatar (state and airline) I have been frantically calling for information on what I am to do. As another poster here stated the number is disconnected or gives a busy signal when you call. I can't remember how I got this number but I somehow ended up with a number to an airport call center and it was for Qatar Airways. The rep told me that I could cancel my flight but leave it open and reschedule the flight for a later date with NO changes to the booking fee!! Also, she said that I could get a full refund if I wanted, it was up to me. I advise everyone to keep trying to get through. It took me literally from 3:00 am until 5:30 today to get some type of answer for a flight that is nearly boarding. Best luck to all of you.
I am scheduled to fly to NBO through DOH in a week. With a return. This is a business trip. I booked my ticket directly through QA. I am wondering if that was a mistake because there appears to be no other carrier with a fare close to mine or who may fly me except at a last minute much higher price.. I attempted to call the US telephone number for QA but it has...
I am scheduled to fly to NBO through DOH in a week. With a return. This is a business trip. I booked my ticket directly through QA. I am wondering if that was a mistake because there appears to be no other carrier with a fare close to mine or who may fly me except at a last minute much higher price.. I attempted to call the US telephone number for QA but it has been disconnected. Seriously, tried it 4 times. Finally went to the airport but the counter was closed,. I will be going back tonight before the flight leaves for DOH to try to get some information. This is deeply troubling because it could not have happened at a worse time. I do not think this is by accident. I will keep you advised. If anyone has any suggestion, please advise me.
I am "scheduled" to fly Qatar Air in a matter of hours and I can't check in on line(just thought I would try it just to see if it would tell me something) and of course I can't get them on the phone. I know that Qatar has a lot to deal with given their recent problems with GCC and all of that but I need to know if I can still take my flight,...
I am "scheduled" to fly Qatar Air in a matter of hours and I can't check in on line(just thought I would try it just to see if it would tell me something) and of course I can't get them on the phone. I know that Qatar has a lot to deal with given their recent problems with GCC and all of that but I need to know if I can still take my flight, will I be charged for missing the flight or cancelling it or what the hell!!! They should at the very least post something on their site to explain what people scheduled to fly soon should do. At the very least, a phone call or email. I can't believe I gave Qatar so many years of support and I brought them people and business and all to be treated like this.
Flying Miami/DOH/HKT July 9th with family. I would hope cooler heads prevail and situation gets settled prior. International air travel is important to all of us and I'm sure countries recognize the importance to their own economies. It's in everyone's best interest to work this out.
Optimistic.
@Rob...Credit to you for your previous hypothesis regarding this situation. You kind of called it.
In my opinion the issue will either be resolved in a week or a doomsday scenario for Qatar. As a GCC national I hope it gets resolved for the sake of our people. Bahrain UAE and KSA have asked their nationals to vacat Qatar within 14 days. Plus myself and other GCC citizens are not allowed to enter Qatar effective immediately. The biggest issue will be for the pilots and other people working from the...
In my opinion the issue will either be resolved in a week or a doomsday scenario for Qatar. As a GCC national I hope it gets resolved for the sake of our people. Bahrain UAE and KSA have asked their nationals to vacat Qatar within 14 days. Plus myself and other GCC citizens are not allowed to enter Qatar effective immediately. The biggest issue will be for the pilots and other people working from the GCC nation in Qatar who if they have to leave will be a loss for the country who would need to replace their talents. Wishing the process a speedy recovery.
"'The ransom payments are the straw that broke the camel’s back,' said one Gulf observer."
It looks like Qatar's decision to pay ransom to Iran and al-Qaeda is a major factor in this kerfuffle. A well reported article from the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/dd033082-49e9-11e7-a3f4-c742b9791d43
"Jose Mourinho's Ego" --- uneducated comment, but the best screenname ever.
hi
im a early but worried bird. flying from amsterdam to dubai through doha and on the way back a two day stopover in doha in october. know this is not very soon but what shall we do? sit and wait or cancel and rebook another airline..please someone give me some advice.
More concerning than airlines is the very real possibility this leads to a regime change in Qatar. There has been rumours of a coup and this could be the GCCs way of initiating it.
If that happens I expect this to continue into the summer before getting better.
@mark all of my trips originate in HBE. so I'm kinda screwed.
Hi,
Living in Bahrain, and booked on BAH - DOH -LHR on Sunday 11th with Qatar for the first time as I usually use etihad, to be home for the birth of my child ......... heard the news of the breaking of diplomatic ties and immediately took the low risk option and rebooked with etihad via Abu Dhabi . I can't see this getting better anytime soon and heard nothing at all from Qatar airways !!
QR will suspends flight from Egypt starting 6th June onwards indefinitely. Just planned to fly QR CAI-DOH-KUL on 18th June. Need to reroute with RJ via AMM and BKK.
I really appreciate this article and the comments. I am scheduled to fly in 48 hours on Qatar Air through Doha to Nairobi. I am hopeful we will just encounter potential flight delays due to rerouting, but as Lucky says, this could get a lot better or a lot worse in he next few days. What else can we do other that wait and see? We've spent upwards of $15 for flights and safari bookings....
I really appreciate this article and the comments. I am scheduled to fly in 48 hours on Qatar Air through Doha to Nairobi. I am hopeful we will just encounter potential flight delays due to rerouting, but as Lucky says, this could get a lot better or a lot worse in he next few days. What else can we do other that wait and see? We've spent upwards of $15 for flights and safari bookings.
My biggest concern is 1) the random and knee-jerk "policies" of the current administration that don't seem to take travelers into account. Who knows what they might do in 48 hours. And 2) how will Qatar react? I was mildly concerned when purchasing this ticket 6 months ago but I thought, well we're just flying through an airport....
What I really want to do is just scrap this ticket and pay $1800 on delta for a flight that doesn't go through the Mid East. Any other ideas??
I was sitting on QR1301 yesterday, Doha- Cairo, reading the Qatari press about the deteriorating relationships. By the time we landed at 1640 diplomatic ties were cut. Probably my last flight with them as I only access the cheap ex Cairo flights. No more, good while it lasted.
trex: Alexandria will not operate, unless the situation is resolved by the time you travel. For the other 3 destinations, there shouldnt be much problems. Id just monitor the situation a bit before doing anything in your case.
I have three trips this summer all round-trip out of HBE (Alexandria, Egypt) to Tokyo, Bali and Philadelphia. First trip starts June 30th...should I try to get refunds now and rebook on other airlines? Super antsy about waiting....Also, I wonder how long refunds would take to process. Anyone have experience with QR refunds? Such a mess.
My sad premonition,
if you value your safety, stay away from this airline for now.
I hope I am really wrong.
Regarding the US blocking QR from their airspace, I highly doubt this will happen, the US has a large military base in Qatar and it would not be prudent to have Qatar kick us out of the country.... That being said with the current administration, who knows
@jose - I think the ignorant one is you who have no clue on what airspace is meant.
Qatar basically is an isolated country surrounding by hostile airspace almost all around in the current situation. When you are not allowed to fly over neighboring countries airspace, just HOW you can get from one place to another even you are NOT going to the Gulf region as your destination but you TRANSIT over their airspace.
Flying...
@jose - I think the ignorant one is you who have no clue on what airspace is meant.
Qatar basically is an isolated country surrounding by hostile airspace almost all around in the current situation. When you are not allowed to fly over neighboring countries airspace, just HOW you can get from one place to another even you are NOT going to the Gulf region as your destination but you TRANSIT over their airspace.
Flying to / from US, EU and Asia should be just a little extra flight time by using Iranian and Turkish airspace.
Now flying to / from Africa and South America could be a huge problem.
You can get some self-education by looking at the flight paths on various QR long haul flights that do NOT go to any of the gulf countries found on this site
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qatar-airways-qtr/
So you would be less critical on others who have far more knowledge and understand the severity of the current situation than you.
@Jose - Yup, just you. Sorry pal
Whether the crisis lingers on or subsides quickly, QR may have to deal with a serious image problem: If six arab countries including most neighbors accuse the State of Qatar of sympathies towards IS and Al Quaeda, will the European and American passengers who take advantage of cheap Business Class fares and quicker qualification to the elite tiers of Oneworld airlines still be willing to use Qatar's national airline ? This may be a situation...
Whether the crisis lingers on or subsides quickly, QR may have to deal with a serious image problem: If six arab countries including most neighbors accuse the State of Qatar of sympathies towards IS and Al Quaeda, will the European and American passengers who take advantage of cheap Business Class fares and quicker qualification to the elite tiers of Oneworld airlines still be willing to use Qatar's national airline ? This may be a situation where it will take more than promotions and incentives to bring those passengers back.
@Jose - It is just you...the comments are not ignorant. You seem to not understand that this affects the airspace these flights can use, which might lead to cancellations. With Saudi Arabia restricting their airspace, and warzones in Syria and Iraq, flight pathing west gets tricky.
Now Libya and the Maldives are cutting off Qatar! So much for those cheap flights to Male.
Is it just me or are there a LOT of ignorant American comments in the post asking what will happen to their flight if they are flying example USA-Qatar-Europe or USA-Qatar-Asia. How in the hell is this even affected? This is between the gulf states. if you're not transiting from one gulf state to another, wtf do you care? this doesn't affect you one bit YET.
Bunch of selfish people on here who are wondering...
Is it just me or are there a LOT of ignorant American comments in the post asking what will happen to their flight if they are flying example USA-Qatar-Europe or USA-Qatar-Asia. How in the hell is this even affected? This is between the gulf states. if you're not transiting from one gulf state to another, wtf do you care? this doesn't affect you one bit YET.
Bunch of selfish people on here who are wondering what'll happen to their crappy travel plans. get a grip and understand the situation before posting!
Well there has certainly been a lot to talk about here in Doha today! Although there isn't any mass panic or huge queues at the shops. The line about Qatar looks like it's preparing for a natiral disaster is a little wide of the mark. Whilst the shops here have been busier than normal I did notice that it's mainly expats and very few locals stocking up on things, probably because they have seen this...
Well there has certainly been a lot to talk about here in Doha today! Although there isn't any mass panic or huge queues at the shops. The line about Qatar looks like it's preparing for a natiral disaster is a little wide of the mark. Whilst the shops here have been busier than normal I did notice that it's mainly expats and very few locals stocking up on things, probably because they have seen this many times before.
The biggest concern I have is if QA is completely cut off and not aloud through any surrounding airspace.
Follow up: just got QR CS on the phone waited only 15mn (I m PC Plat), they changed my routing from DPS-DOH-CAI to DPS-DOH-CDG in 3mn, and confirmed the new routing should fly on 10th June.
What a great service from Qatar Airways in a crisis situation like that one !
Now lets see what'll happen on Saturday ;-)
Is there really no way to get around the situation on the flights to Africa?
Have a MIA=DOH-CPT early August. Hope this spat do not last as long as the one in 2014. Qatar could not afford so this go round.
Scheduled to fly CPT- DOH-YUL in less than 24 hours. I made a multi-city booking made through a third party (FlyFar.com), Ive already flown my first leg (OSL-DOH-CPT) just wondering what my options are for the way back?
I am flying tomorrow 6th june ams>muc>cai (LH) and 7th june cai>doh>bkk (QR) vv. Heard nothing from QR yet. Will try to contact them tomorrow. I think I can wave my trip to Siem Reap goodbye....Will try to reroute or refund all QR tickets. But in the end it will cost a lot of time and money. Was looking forward to this trip for a long time. Not happy.
Due to fly DPS-DOH-CAI on Saturday, ticket still showing ok on QR website, i ll try to get them to reroute me DPS-DOH-CDG, will post any development..
QR has a big problem with flights to and from the west and south. Ie all African destinations (and obviously Arab destinations). Europe, US and Asia isnt much affected, as Iranian and Turkish airspace is available. Although the airspace is controlled by Saudi and Bahrain flight information regions (FIR), Saudi and Bahrain dont own the airspace that doesnt belong to their territory they only administer flights on behalf of. Ie Singapore FIR extend far beyond...
QR has a big problem with flights to and from the west and south. Ie all African destinations (and obviously Arab destinations). Europe, US and Asia isnt much affected, as Iranian and Turkish airspace is available. Although the airspace is controlled by Saudi and Bahrain flight information regions (FIR), Saudi and Bahrain dont own the airspace that doesnt belong to their territory they only administer flights on behalf of. Ie Singapore FIR extend far beyond the tiny speck of land that is Singapore, but Singapore can only deny flights over their tiny speck of land, not flights in their huge FIR.
But if the situation continue over time, QR might be in trouble. Their routes are dependent on transit passengers and if Arab countries and entire Africa falls out of the network, all other routes gets less traffic as well, affecting the profit margin big time.
I think the situation will be resolved diplomatically fairly soon, so an upcoming trip in a month or two, Id just follow the development for a bit.
@Peter - both EY and RJ fly to Hong Kong, which is just a (relatively) short train or car ride away from Guangzhou. EY also flies to Chengdu (CTU), a 2 hour flight away from Guangzhou, and if you can find cheap flights from CAN to CTU, routing through CTU can also make sense. Hope that helps!
My family is on their way to India from US via Doha on Qatar Airways. They havent landed in Doha yet. I wonder how they would handle this situation. I hope they are not stranded at the Doha airport.
I just hope AA is flexible. CPT trip next month is seriously in jeopardy now (via DOH). CX space open, but that would depend on AA waiving their routing rules for USA --> S. Africa.
Patiently awaiting a travel waiver from AA.
Omani air space? I didn't see anything about them closing ties yet. If you have an intragulf flight with an AA award. I would just fly QR to MCT and then EY MCT to DXB/AUH. That would be the most logical thing to do given the current circumstances. @Lucky Wouldn't this scenario make the most sense?
Are tonights Qatar airways flights still flying. Son missed connection and there are about 100 in front of him at doha desk
I'm flying QR on Jul 26 on CAN-DOH-CAI on AA stock and I'm absolutely concerned. There are not a lot of airline partners with AA that connects the Far East and the Middle East, and the choice left to me will only be EY and RJ, and none of them flies to CAN...guess I'm gonna need to book a backup flight with MileagePlus and too see if the QR one could work out by the end...
Thanks for the good article Lucky. Honeymoon flights are in January/February US - DOH - SGN/HKT
We'll certainly wait and see as we have plenty of time, and with Iran's airspace almost definitely available going forward the flights seem fine. But, smart posters above have mentioned operations being a major issue. Luckily we have > 8hr layovers.
I'm more fearful that the US or other western nations will get sucked into the fray and take...
Thanks for the good article Lucky. Honeymoon flights are in January/February US - DOH - SGN/HKT
We'll certainly wait and see as we have plenty of time, and with Iran's airspace almost definitely available going forward the flights seem fine. But, smart posters above have mentioned operations being a major issue. Luckily we have > 8hr layovers.
I'm more fearful that the US or other western nations will get sucked into the fray and take a side. Right now BA has said they plan to operate a full schedule to DOH. But, I can see Trump taking the Saudi side and hindering QR in some way. Wouldn't the US carriers love one of the big 3 M/E state airlines getting knocked around? Maybe the giant US airbase will limit that possibility. Fingers crossed.
Have a DOH-->US award booked via AA in October. Have wanted to add a connecting segment before hand (from Africa, not the middle east) that recently opened up which I know would trigger a change fee for origination (+ small difference in miles for new region).
Trying to decide if there is a way to spin this weekend's ban so AA doesn't charge me a change fee (even though my flights haven't been effected)....
Have a DOH-->US award booked via AA in October. Have wanted to add a connecting segment before hand (from Africa, not the middle east) that recently opened up which I know would trigger a change fee for origination (+ small difference in miles for new region).
Trying to decide if there is a way to spin this weekend's ban so AA doesn't charge me a change fee (even though my flights haven't been effected). Maybe ask for cancellation of the award (without charge) and then quickly re-book what I want? Or is there a risk of them catching on?
@Felipe: Thanks for the compliment! I think you will probably be fine on MCT DOH CDG, the flight path doesn't seem to be too hard to adjust to avoid the restricted airspace. I would hold on to those tickets and hope for the best...good luck!
@Rob,
Thanks for the link to the Forbes article. I missed it the first time. It's what we should be talking about instead of being so focused on Akbar al Baker
I booked a flight on 8th of June KSA - Dubai via Qatar Airways. Until now theyre not updating us what would be their plan for their passengers. Please update us the soonest.
@Robbo I'm sure they're overwhelmed. You may try calling in (but I bet they are backed up too) or go to their local ticketing office (at the airport?) and try to resolve it that way. I'm guessing they'll reroute you on another carrier?
@Jim, that sounds like a good plan, appreciate your advice.
@JamesP. It appears that most are saying that flights to non-ban destinations are fine and routings would be minimal in impact, so yeah, you are right....Iran opens a lot of airspace and routings for them, As well from the articles I have seen no other Nation has joined at this time, including India (the market that is perhaps the most critical to The M/E Three and who issued a statement that the sanctions and rift...
@JamesP. It appears that most are saying that flights to non-ban destinations are fine and routings would be minimal in impact, so yeah, you are right....Iran opens a lot of airspace and routings for them, As well from the articles I have seen no other Nation has joined at this time, including India (the market that is perhaps the most critical to The M/E Three and who issued a statement that the sanctions and rift does not concern India in any way other than the safety of foreign nationals in Qatar. However, in regards to your question, one possible difficulty for an operation as fluid and massive as Qatar Airways is its ability to be properly supplied given the shutting down of borders and sanctions with neighbors. The fact that its citizens are lining up in stores to stock up on food and supplies does not bode well in a functioning operation down the road for Qatar Airways. Parts and maintenance being the biggest concern. Sure, they can be picked up by aircraft at varying locations - but the flow of these necessities will be greatly hindered and have an impact on safety and the ability to fly a full schedule without numerous delays and hiccups.
What would you all do? All contributions most welcome. Here is an email i just snt to Qatar. Sent to Privilege Club platinum email address:
I just sent an email to QR, I am Privilege Club Platinum, god knows what happens next, I will keep everyone in the loop. I have deleted PNR and ticket numbers for privacy reasons Here it is:
START:
Hi there, I cannot even imagine how busy you must...
What would you all do? All contributions most welcome. Here is an email i just snt to Qatar. Sent to Privilege Club platinum email address:
I just sent an email to QR, I am Privilege Club Platinum, god knows what happens next, I will keep everyone in the loop. I have deleted PNR and ticket numbers for privacy reasons Here it is:
START:
Hi there, I cannot even imagine how busy you must be right now, but hopefully this gets through to you. Following on from the diplomatic row going on with Qatar, I am flying tomorrow to CAI. I checked the flight status and was advisd the second leg of my flight ( DOH-CAI ) has been cancelled. I have no idea what I need to do now. I also have a number of flights coming up in the next week that are affected by the current diplomatic row. Could you kindly advise what I should do? I have other flights and many hotels booked around my flights.
In the next month, here are the details of my flights that are affected.
1. June 6:
QR831 BUSINESS / QATAR / JUNE 6 / BKK-DOH / DEP0920 / ARR 1210
2. June 6:
QR1301 BUSINESS / QATAR / JUNE 6 / DOH-CAI / DEP 1420 / ARR 1645
3. June 9:
QR1302 ECONOMY / QATAR / JUNE 9 / CAI-DOH / DEP 1920 / ARR 2325
4. June 10:
QR1002 ECONOMY / QATAR / JUNE 10 / DOH-DXB / DEP 0100 / ARR 0310
5. June 10:
QR1021 First / QATAR / JUNE 10 / DXB-DOH / DEP 0630 / ARR 0640
6. June 10:
QR39 First / QATAR / JUNE 10 / DOH-CDG / DEP 0730 / ARR 1335
And that’s it until August when I am in and out of CAI a few more times. I don’t know what to do? I seek your urgent assistance. Many thanks, XXXX. Please note, I have my mobile switched on which is a XXXX sim, XXXXXX, I am located in Bangkok tonight which is 3 hours ahead of Doha.
END
There's something I don't get. Even with Bahrain, Saudi Arabian, UAE and Omani air space closed to Qatari aircraft, there are still ~200 degrees that QR can fly to. It would have to be operated in Iranian, Iraqi and/or Jordanian airspace and require extra time and fuel. Of course, other restrictions like the ones that @Sean M suggested are very harsh, but it's still not a definitive cancellation for most of QR and other airlines'...
There's something I don't get. Even with Bahrain, Saudi Arabian, UAE and Omani air space closed to Qatari aircraft, there are still ~200 degrees that QR can fly to. It would have to be operated in Iranian, Iraqi and/or Jordanian airspace and require extra time and fuel. Of course, other restrictions like the ones that @Sean M suggested are very harsh, but it's still not a definitive cancellation for most of QR and other airlines' routes to/from/through DOH. Am I missing anything?
And here I was looking forward to the QSuites review that I'm sure Lucky wants to try out when the product is launched. Taking a wait and see approach with QR.
@Rob: I read your comment from the post about the flight San Francisco - Doha by Qatar Airways. And I guarantee that I was impressed as you already imagined that it would happen. I have flight schedule for early December, from Muscat (MCT) to Paris (CDG), by Qatar Airways, connecting in Doha, I wasn't a paid ticket, I used miles by a Brazilian miles system by Latam Airlines, also on One World, like QR. What could you please suggest me to do?
If I was Qatar I'd be moving my planes to Europe or elsewhere or they may find them grounded at home. That way they "might" be able to at least operate some 5th freedom type routes or charters. I feel for the employees for sure and hope this gets resolved soon.
Any thoughts...?
Am flying DOH to Auckland on 7th June. The flight flies briefly over the UAE and is lengthy already. Might the new developments disrupt the flight path making it too long by way of flying north over Iran?
Thanks very much for this exceptionally timely omaat article on Qatar air situation Ben. We fly from CPT (stopover w/Doha hotel layover) to ATL late March. We will follow your recommendation and wait as this situation develops for the better or worse. Will look at other options (Chase or US Bank portals) no award space on BA now however for this route, as well as just going the revenue tix route as worst case (but use CSR or Altitude)
Not to start a comments flame war...
but where are all the MAGA folks now?
Trump emboldened the Saudis to do this
@TheAirlineKid - the original directive is in Arabic and the translations I have received are slightly varied on that point. The more reliable one seems to say "all non-UAE registered airline companies flying to/from Qatar overflying through UAE airspace must contact xxxx on the following details prior to flight".
...And, by the way, I took a lot of heat in the comments for even suggesting such a thing...
Flying from Amsterdam to Colombo on QR soon.... damn it.
But don't most QR flights from/to Europe and Americas fly through the Iranian airspace? So there should be no problems as for now, even for flights to Asia and Australia/NZ can be re-routed just a little bit north around the UAE airspace (and into southern Iran) and they're good to go. So really, the airspace issue should only be affecting flights within the Middle East and to/from Africa.
@Sean M. is this pertaining to non-QR flights that overfly UAE on their way to Qatar OR UAE-Qatar flights by fifth freedom carriers? (as I believe such a route doesn't exist)
I'm not sure it is a good idea to expect this to resolve quickly. This multi-nation effort has been in the works for a while and there isn't much Qatar can do to appease them without admitting they are funding jihadists.
I did give a heads up to this issue in the comments a couple of months ago in this article where I linked to a Bloomberg story about it being in the works:
https://onemileatatime.com/qatar-airways-san-francisco/
I am flying tonight mia to bkk via doh with my hubby and kids (or am i?)
Qatar has not even sent an email to me yet just found out here...
What can i do please? Help!
@Tine B. - Not sure what QR are saying but UAE GCAA has issued a directive to all airports, ANS providers, ground handlers and operators in the UAE instructing that no aircraft registered in the state of Qatar should be provided any services after 0000UTC/0400LT on 06JUN17. We are a service provider to QR in the UAE and we have been unofficially advised of full flight suspension effective this timeline.
Citizens of Qatar will not...
@Tine B. - Not sure what QR are saying but UAE GCAA has issued a directive to all airports, ANS providers, ground handlers and operators in the UAE instructing that no aircraft registered in the state of Qatar should be provided any services after 0000UTC/0400LT on 06JUN17. We are a service provider to QR in the UAE and we have been unofficially advised of full flight suspension effective this timeline.
Citizens of Qatar will not be permitted entry after 0000UTC/0400LT on 06JUN17 (those already in flight may transit UAE to another airport however), and all citizens of Qatar must exit the UAE by 0000UTC/0400LT on 19JUN17.
@Lucky - I have just received a security directive from UAE GCAA advising that any foreign operator who chooses to operate to Qatar after 06JUN17 should consider their UAE landing and overflight permits revoked and will require special permission to subsequently operate in UAE airspace.
Effectively, they are also now forcing foreign airlines to choose between flying to Qatar or flying to the UAE.
Not sure what we're going to do just yet. We paid for business on Qatar LAX-DOH-DPS at the end of June. Guess we just have to see how this all plays out, but part of me just wants to take the loss and book a flight on CX or CZ as back up
My friend has a flight with Qatar Airways on friday 9th, from Dubai, over Doha to Venice. Not sure what should we do, QA are very silent about the detalis concerning UAE flights. I don't understand how can they be so silent when there are thousands of people depending being affected by it. There isn't much time to make alternative plans and leaving people in the dark is nothing good.
I'm playing the waiting game for now. I have a paid QR business ticket back to CAI in July, so I have time to see how this plays out. What this does potentially disrupt is the strategy to circumvent AAs EQDs flying QR.
US cannot cut ties with Qatar at any time soon because of the air base and the air command headquartered there. Everything else is possible, I guess, including complete air blockade. All supplies of food through the land border with SA have already been cut and Iran has already offered help delivering food by sea. Fun times.
@ VitaliU -- Whoops, thanks, you're absolutely right. Updated the post to reflect that.