[skyguy79]

pomerol, have you actually read my posts ?

If you have, you will clearly see that whilst I have provided links to sites that berate QR in every way possible and also copied and pasted a message off a website where someone very deeply hates QR then you will soon realise that these are not MY words ! I sai=id what I had to say about QR much earlier in this thread.

Please read things carefully instead of being offended ,insulted etc.

Have a nice and stress free day 🙂

[skyguy79]

Looking at the following video it doesn’t seem that the crew are forced to smile or hate their job/employer…they are as genuine as can be and extremely professional and friendly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6qXMTRjpJQ&feature=related

[AAAli58]

Ground Service at Airports is nothing to do with Airlines and it falls down to the Local Aiport Authorities. The worse for me was at Dubai Airport travelling on BA and the BA counters were awful on that day and so were the guys (the locals) at security queue. The best I can say they were as nice as a cobra about to attack its victim. I think they became like US so if you are non-white you were a terrorist until proven otherwise.

[AAAli58]

True farhan121 – my family and I use BA and must admit during the X-Mas/New Year crisis we saw the worst come out their staff – with no one answering calls and long distance students had a hard time to get info about alternative arrangement for getting home. I have been on several Airlines and even lost a lugage with Emirates. So at end of day we can all recount a horror story with some airlines and compliment them on other times. As for attitudes I think the staff in the Gulf region have alot to learn about customer service buy saying that I use KLM during summer and all their Dutch staff were very nice accept for an Indian inflight crew ( a lady) who had a very bad attitude towards non-white customers for some reason.

[LuganoPirate]

I sometimes think that people who post here occasionally think by writing “never fly so and so again” will influence us all and the greater travelling public into never flying with so and so again. Not so at all. For every bad experience there are probably 500 good ones. An airline will not fail due to a few bad comments.

I do not fly Quatar, but that is by choice. I prefer direct flights even if they cost a bit more. Airpocket et al, if you have a problem, I sympathise, but the post could have been written far more constructively, which could have got you far more support and perhaps the airline would have done something for you.

By declaring you’ll never fly them again tells Qatar they’ve lost you as a passenger so why should they actually bother to try and make amends. Further, if I were a regular Qatar flyer, your comments would certainly not put me off.

I find, no matter how big an airline, if you fly them regularly, you will get direct numbers, names of station managers and so on who will help you if you have a problem and will endeavour to see you get an upgrade or a free visit to the First lounge etc. the next time you fly.

[skyguy79]

LuganorPirate you are absolutely correct that posting non recommendations here will have no effect on an airline and certainly not on those who always fly Qatar Airways and love the service and have had only good service. But if someone has had a bad experience then they for sure should be allowed to mention it.

Indeed if all the comments we see here were to be made direct to Qatar Airways then certainly the airline would be sure to take notice.

But from what I have experienced with Qatar is that they don’t give two hoots about complaints.as they have enough people to praise and complement them.

[Sparepocket]

That’s exactly the point Skyguy…even a coherent, articulate complaint is met with arrogance and a reluctance to accept responsibility.I suppose we should be thankful that the aircrew aren’t Qataris…I can’t even begin to imagine the haughtyness and aorrogance that would emanate from them!

[IRMOSHAH]

Hi, I have read most of the comments by most the people here.

Firstly yes Customer Service or Service is provided by humans, I agree however this fact does not absolve the companies claiming to provide excellent service from ensuring standardization of service. Hassle factor is one of the new KPIs of Customer Service world. If a product or service fails to control extra hassle then it cannot be rated as high. It is the job of the leadership within an organization to create Processes, Enable People and Provide technology which helps them deliver better service.

I fly frequently by Qatar Airways with in Asia, and always in business class. Following are the areas where they need to make some urgent improvements, I have tried to provide them with feedback however they did not respond nor thought it to be important to take any actions, being a global Customer Care expert I was providing them free advice without being over critical.

1. Ground staff in developing countries is ill trained in customer interaction and they do what they wish like doing rather than following international travelling protocols. For example the supervisor of Qatar Airways was checking in all economy passengers via Business Class counter. Obviously which created long queues for Business Class customers who pay double the amount. He was totally un moved by my protest and said that’s our operational requirement. They keep on doing it every time. Same was the case in Lahore Airport Pakistan. They check in everyone and anyone via Business Class counters and I saw and aged lady standing there for more than 50 mins with a Business Class ticket while the staff kept checking in Economy passenger’s. So it shows lack of implementation of processes or any method to gather customer feedback to improve.

2. Same is the issue with the queues made for Business Class at smaller airports they don’t follow any priority for the same.

3. The Tehran staff asked me to get my stroller packed in plastic wrapping while when you have children with you its airlines job to allow strollers to go up to air craft and if not so simply folding it and putting in through luggage should be enough. While the supervisor argued with me and after a lot of protest he accepted the stroller. Shows no respect for people travelling with children and old people. I am sure they do the same with wheel chair passengers.

4. In the business class lounge they did not have any comfortable chairs for people with long transit. However recently they have added a few beach kind of chairs. So good that they at least thought that humans need some place to straighten their backs.

5. Staff at Business Class premium terminal discriminates on basis of color and creed, I being an Asian was made to stand in queue for boarding the Tehran bound flight for more than an hour despite they had asked us to queue up for boarding the bus which takes us to the air craft. No one had any information.

6. Even staff in air sometimes does what it pleases and his discriminatory attitude towards Asian flyers, specially towards people from Pakistan and Iran. I had asked the flight attendant to change my seat once the doors are closed as I liked Aisle seats better. Same request was made by a white guy and after me however my request was quickly forgotten while the white guys were given the seats of their choice. After protest she apologized and gave me a seat of my choice.

Each travel with them has resulted in some kind of disturbing incident. However I would still fly with them because that is most convenient for me. And it is the job of the top executives of the company to realize their vision if they truly believe it’s a 5 star airline then they should make efforts to change the Processes, People’s mind sets and Technology to enable a seamless customer experience. With out a mechanism for Customer Feedback and Customer Listening System they cannot do this. Free of cost consultancy for Qatar Airways which I usually charge for.

[alistairNicoll]

I flew business with Qatar at the end of last year. Service was outstanding the only thing that let them down was Heathrow T4.

Unfortunately most senior airline execs do not experience the same trials and tribulations as their customers and most complaints are dealt with by people whose main concern is responding to customers and not solving the underlying problem.

However Qatar are not alone in their attitude towards customer complaints, it is very rare that the MD in any company reviews all complaints and has the subject on the agenda for Exec meetings and here lies the problem. For each customer that complains there are another 20 or so who do not bother but unlike Irmoshah they will take their business elsewhere.

One thing is certain and that is that Qatar will not take up the offer of people like Irmoshah or myself with a lot of experience (in my case customer satisfaction) of free consultancy

[no7agency]

Do not expect anything special at the Doha Silver Lounge, it is filthy dirty and the shower has a mouldy shower head. Disgusting.

http://www.no7agency.com/qatar_airways_silver_lounge_doha_silver_business_lounge_access_doha_qatar.html

[KSHaggag]

Hello Irmoshah !

Thank you for sharing your detailed comments in your elaborate ,comprehensive blog !.

Well..I would also love to share my impressions and comments based on years and years of patronage ,using Qatar Airways services whenever and wherever possible .
I have for years been madly in love with Qatar Airways and the superlative service they provide ( especially on board and in their Premium Terminal lounge in Doha ) .I have always had my comments and concerns about the standards of service at the main Terminal for Y cl passengers but was always turning a blind eye as we say …better even is ” Love makes blind ” ..that was pretty true ..Now we came to a point where I just started to feel the pinch ….I started to get irritated by some features ( both hardware and software ) ,however before I go on let me iterate that I still consider their cabin crew among the best in the region and by far !…..they really are ” Head and Shoulders above the pack ” on a regional level because no one has yet managed to get close to the Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific genuine service that truly is ” Straight from the Heart ” ….
Back to QR ….let me share my comments ,as follows ….

1-As a regular flyer ,I ALMOST ALWAYS never leave the aircraft without having written my comments /praise /critics to the Customer Relations Dept and always tick the box “Yes I want to receive a reply from the airline ” ..I just challenge them to show me how many times they have taken the time to write to me or even acknowledge my comments in the last 13 months at least …!!!….
2-I am a long standing Privilege Club Gold member with them and have come to realise now the futility of such level of membership ..I really wonder what the Gold membership adds to my life or brings to my travels ..I am not given the feeling that being Gold makes any difference ,WHATSOEVER ..I just collect the 50 % bonus miles on every transaction ..that s it..I would love QR Privilege Club to go and do some Market Intelligence homework and see what the likes of BA ,LX,SQ,CX or even some american carriers are doing to woo their Gold members and ensure their uncompromised loyalty all the way through !….if even my favourite seat on board I just never have access to when I choose my seat online ( as a Gold member ) ,then why always run the whole year relentlessly trying to safeguard my Gold membership ???!!!!..no business sense ..apart from the 50 % bonus miles ,there is NOTHING really substantial or tangible that you come to expect ….!
3-Try to be innovative ,QR …look after your Gold members before EY and WY woo them and win their hearts ..EY is nowadays a truly global airline with decent products and outstanding network coverage ,add to it the newly acquired Air Berlin with its truly massive network !!!…u will be spoilt for choice .
4-Something else of lower importance but worth mentioning ..the standards of F & B on board in premium cabins started to go downhill ( at least in my eyes !) ..on a recent experience on the Cairo leg in F I was horribly disappointed !…especially when I compare it to 6/7 years ago and the standards of onboard offerings even on a 3 hour stretch in F ….!!!!…
5-Let me say that the Privilege Club has seen a lot of development in the recent years but something should be done to make it innovative now ..

[LuganoPirate]

Are you saying KSH that gold card holders travelling Y do not even get use of a lounge at Doha? If that’s the case it’s incredible! What about at departure airports, is there a lounge there for gold to use?

[KSHaggag]

Thank you Lugano Pirate for your query ..Let me clarify here …Gold members have access to the Oryx lounge at Doha airport which is a renovated lounge also accessible by other airlines premium passengers ..the lounge is ok ,to be frank but almost always cramped !..Silver members have access to a dedicated lounge for Silver members still at the main terminal but this one is rather shabby ..ONLY First and Business Class passengers booked in those cabins have access to the superb Premium Terminal lounge …Gold members have also access to lounges at various airports worldwide !

[no7agency]

Only passengers that have paid for “Business” or “First” Class gain access to the Premium Terminal that is seperate from the main airport terminal. The Oryx Lounge is open to “anyone” that has €30 to spend, but also complimentary to Qatar Gold card holders.

[RBrown9]

Some interesting comments on QR. I have flown more than 20 sectors with them and have had both good and bad experiences. First concern is their inconsistent product. For example, their business class on their Airbus wide body aircraft is the “angled lie flat” variety which I found incredibly uncomfortable and certainly not “five star”. Secondly, many longish sectors (4-5 hours) are flown using narrow body aircraft with short hall business class seating which is not great. I enjoyed their First Class on several flights. Their inflight service can be good, depending on the mood of the crew. What strikes me is that they do not have anything “exceptional” to offer that justifies their “five star” Skytrax rating. Their only innovation appears to be their premium terminal in Doha – this is a nice touch but does come with some disadvantages like limited shopping opportunities and having to be bussed to the aircraft. As Middle Eastern carriers go, if QR is rated as five star, then Gulfair, Emirates, Etihad and Omanair are deserving of the same ratings. Each airline has their strengths and weaknesses but the four I have mentioned at least offer some level of innovation in their product offerings.

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