Qatar business flight on Avios ticket changed from Qsuite – can I change flight?

[Will787]

Hi all,

I’m in Bali travelling solo at the moment and flying back next week. My flight back to Manchester (DPS – DOH – MAN) is in business and DPS-DOH was meant to be Qsuite, DOH-MAN a non-qsuite (but still a new business class on the 787-9 which I’m fine with). Received an email from Qatar saying there is an aircraft change on the DPS-DOH leg and the new aircraft will not be Qsuite. I checked the new seating plan and it’s an old 2-2-2 layout on a 777 which I’m not keen on. Travelling solo and would rather have my own space – don’t mind qsuite or not but would rather be in a 1-2-1 layout with a lie-flat seat for a long flight.

Qatar have offered a free flight change but I would need to contact them. However my ticket is an avios redemption/class U – and looking online, there is no reward availability anymore on any dates near to my original return flight. Do you think Qatar would let me change to a flight with any business class availability? Or would there have to be reward availability?

Thanks in advance!

[executiveclubber]

Sorry to be curt but why don’t you just ask them?

[phantomchickenz]

I think there would have to be Reward availability.

[newel]

It dont think there has to be a flight with reward availability for you to switch to it.

Exact same thing happened to me for a flight from Paris to Doha a year or so ago and I was able to change to a different flight time where there would be QSuites. Not 100% sure but when I booked originally I’d wanted to book the flight I changed to and there wasn’t availability.

The QSuite commitment is independent of whether you pay cash for your seat or not so I think it should be fine. I messaged through the chat function on the website to get it changed

[NorthernLass]

Equipment changes don’t give you any rights re changes so you’re reliant on QR’s goodwill but the method of payment doesn’t necessarily rule anything out.

[Will787]

newel wrote:

It dont think there has to be a flight with reward availability for you to switch to it.

Exact same thing happened to me for a flight from Paris to Doha a year or so ago and I was able to change to a different flight time where there would be QSuites. Not 100% sure but when I booked originally I’d wanted to book the flight I changed to and there wasn’t availability.

The QSuite commitment is independent of whether you pay cash for your seat or not so I think it should be fine. I messaged through the chat function on the website to get it changed

Thanks all for the comments. I followed what you did Newel and you were right – I was able to change to any available flight within 21 days (despite no reward availability) and did it over the online chat. The new ticket showed Class I instead of the usual Class U.

[shanghaiguizi]

NorthernLass wrote:

Equipment changes don’t give you any rights re changes so you’re reliant on QR’s goodwill but the method of payment doesn’t necessarily rule anything out.

This is false as every time Qatar change equipment to non-suite every passenger booked in J gets an email offering a one time change as a gesture of goodwill.

[LittleNick]

shanghaiguizi wrote:

NorthernLass wrote:

Equipment changes don’t give you any rights re changes so you’re reliant on QR’s goodwill but the method of payment doesn’t necessarily rule anything out.

This is false as every time Qatar change equipment to non-suite every passenger booked in J gets an email offering a one time change as a gesture of goodwill.

What NL is referring too, is an equipment change doesn’t give you any legal rights to change flight. If QR stopped sending emails offering the option, there would be nothing you could do about it but cancel. They are well within rights to withdraw at any time. They seem to offer this due to many complaints people book Q-suite and don’t get it.

[CJD]

shanghaiguizi wrote:

NorthernLass wrote:

Equipment changes don’t give you any rights re changes so you’re reliant on QR’s goodwill but the method of payment doesn’t necessarily rule anything out.

This is false as every time Qatar change equipment to non-suite every passenger booked in J gets an email offering a one time change as a gesture of goodwill.

That’s a marketing gesture by Qatar though, they have no obligation to do that.

[SteveCroydon]

@Will787 As the re-book was into I class, not U class, did you get tier points and Avios for the flight??