-
I appreciate this may (/will) be classed as the wrong sub forum, but I plea for forgiveness (and I’m crediting the flights to BAEC… so..!!).
I’ve got a QR J booking end-Nov.. FCO > HKT out, and HKT > LHR back, obviously via Doha.
The return flight had a 3 hour layover, with the final leg back on BA. That has now been cancelled and I’ve been put on a QR flight which involves a 6 hour layover in Doha. Whilst that’s now on an A350-1000 with Q-Suite (win), I just want to get home.
What’s my rights to ask for an earlier flight? Because there are earlier flights available for sale… there’s an A380 QR flight back to LHR which only involves a 3.5 hour layover. Which would have been the obvious replacement.
Thanks in advance!
You have everyright to ask.
Whether they are required to change your flight , need someone better qualified to answer
Did you book with BA or QR?
Unfortunately I booked with Lastminute.com, as they offered £200pp off the QR direct price.
Potentially a lesson learnt, given LM and QR’s customer service agents are each advising me to contact the other. Shock horror.
QR’s site states a 2 hour period after which they’d allow a change. LM says it’s 3 and is refusing.
QR is right. This is for Last Minute to sort out as your agent as this appeares to be an advanced notice change.
As you have discovered the problem with many OTAs is having to deal with them when there is a schedule change or cancellation and their lack of customer service.
It’s circumstances like yours which is ahy many of os won’t use an OTA for booking flights. If nothing changes then it’s all OK but the monent there is a flight change …
Try HUACA with LM.
By the standards of QR schedule changes enforced on passengers who may even have paid extra for the better flight timings they originally chose, you’ve got off lightly.
Though there are many reports of not just schedule changes with Qatar that can change good connections into much longer waits than yours, but also frequent equipment changes with Qatar that can make a flight worse than what was showing when you booked.
Add to that, that in DOH your connection short or long, will almost certainly be in the worst part of the night when your spirits are lowest… means I will never again pay more for a better connection with Qatar in Doha because Qatar is so likely to change the schedule in a negative way in the time between me booking my too-expensive-to-change ticket and the flight date and timing I booked.
We’ve even had more than one report of people being moved to connecting flights leaving Doha many hours later, or the same flight number being moved many hours later, and yet there’s a QR flight with a different flight number on their route still being sold within 5 or 10 minutes of the departure time of the flight they booked snd Qatar refuses to put them on it.
If having chosen Qatar you’ve also booked via an OTA then you are highly likely to be SOL. LastMinute did not distinguish thenselves by prompt refunds durimg Covid, for example, and has gone bust once ISTR, but there are worse around. So good luck but be aware QR does this after people book and you will be thrown on the mercy of an OTA which generally speaking means you’re stuck and according to many reports highly unlikely to be able to sort out problems that could occur many of which could be worse with some other airlines.
All great insight thanks everyone. I imagine I’m stuck especially since they’ve clearly agreed the change direct with QR already, but will call LM tomorrow.
Exactly the same situation for me Lady London – there is a QR flight 10 mins later than the one I was originally scheduled to fly on. Loads of seats still available. But I’ve been put on a later flight.
Two questions – HUACA means..? And SOL…?
Edit: and yes, I paid more for a shorter connection.
I thought SOL was spanish for sun, but apparently not.
HUACA is hang up and call again.
SOL is totally out of luck.Ah yes. With you now. Well I’ve since spoken to LM and to confirm, I appear to be SOL.
Qatar so good in the air. Yet so bad on ground when things go wrong.
Perhaps need a HFP ranking of airlines willingness to help when problems occur.
Also of OLTA’s but from what people have said is it worth it, when I’m spending thousands on a longhaul business ticket the piece of Mind dealing directly with airline is worth quite a lot
Update – I finally got LM to offer an alternative after having to lodge a complaint and direct them to QRs rebooking policy (LM were insisting the threshold for rebooking was 3hrs+). Layover time halved and generally slightly better flight times too. Hurrah!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
