[Anonymous]

[Airpocket]

I am writing in reference to our first flight on Qatar Airways, the world’s 5 Star Airline. Needless to say, with such a bold statement, my aged mother, a wheelchair passenger, and I were looking forward to our flight from London to Mumbai via Doha.

Upon reaching Doha an hour late we hoped to make our connecting flight to Mumbai. A wheel chair assisted my mother to a bus that shuttled us to the Business & First Class terminal. Once there, the bus driver asked my mother to disembark the bus and make her way to the terminal by foot where she could obtain a wheel chair. Once at the terminal, there was no wheel chair. We were instructed to wait for one however no one showed up. I noticed our connecting flight to Mumbai was in the process of its ‘last call’ when I approached the same individual who asked us to wait for a wheel chair and explained to him that at the rate we were going, we were sure to miss our flight. He too insisted my aged mother walk through security and to the gate. Obviously enraged I expressed my displeasure of not having a wheel chair waiting for an aged passenger who was flying business class and that too on the world’s first 5 class airline. He had the audacity to state that we hadn’t requested a wheel chair and that was the reason there wasn’t one waiting. I insisted he check his records and he would find a wheel chair request on the booking. I also asked him if a wheel chair wasn’t requested how was it that my mother boarded and disembarked the London to Doha flight with the assistance of one. He later explained since he saw my mother disembark the bus without a wheel chair he assumed one wasn’t requested. Obviously I took this opportunity to inform him that the bus driver insisted on her walking the short distance from the bus to the terminal.
Once on board the Doha to Mumbai flight I made a special request to the flight crew to ensure my mother had a wheel chair waiting for her in Mumbai. Upon landing we were instructed to wait on board until all the passengers of the flight had disembarked at which point wheel chairs would be brought to the entrance of the plane for my mother. However, once the aircraft was empty we were instructed to walk to the end of the runway and wait further for a wheelchair since they hadn’t arrived as yet.
I’m not quite sure by what measure Qatar Airways has gauged themselves a 5 Star Airline but there definitely seems to be a flaw in that assessment. I have flown on Virgin, Kingfisher, Jet, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Thai along with numerous other airlines and have never had such terrible service or disregard for the elderly.
Unfortunately, we still have the return leg left of this journey left to endure!
Still, at least other people, by avoiding Qatar Airways, need not suffer what we have.

[Shivers]

I felt quite irritated reading Airpocket’s account of how the wheelchair request for his Mother worked in Qatar. It’s totally unreasonable for a ground operator to deem that a passenger doesn’t need a wheelchair just because she walked from a bus to the terminal. What kind of banana republic decision making is that?

As someone who has a mother who has difficulty walking, I feel very strongly that airlines should test their wheelchair processes to ensure they work from start to finish rather than assuming that just because there is a wheelchair request on a booking, that a wheelchair will magically appear from the terminal to ferry passengers to and from a plane.

In terms of wheelchair services, the best one I experienced was when a wheelchair was requested between Vancouver and Las Vegas with US Airways. For a budget carrier like US Airways to get it right was exceptional and it shows that it doesn’t take much to get this right.

[siddiqpathan]

hi im siddiq pathan i wont to jop for dirver for bus 4 yar esperyns for

qatar ok by salam my mob.no.974/6719632

[EnragedTraveller]

I need advise;
I just purchaised a QATAR A. ticket through internet for a disabled passenger (young guy in a wheelchairs who is very used to travel alone but he cannot walk so obviously he needs help to get in and out the planes). Normally the airlines have a box where you can mark that this person needs a wheelchair/ aisle chair and that’s all, but in this case I didn’t found where to mark it, so I just call QATAR Airways to tell them and make sure there will be no surprises later.

Well, they just told me that they do not accept to have this passenger on board without company and that I have to ask a refund through internet and they will probably return the fair minus 100Euro!!

How can this happen??? I made clear that the passenger is a healthy young man who is completely independent, the only problem is that he cannot walk and they refuse to have him on board, is that even legal??? What can I do??

[NTarrant]

Is it legal? That is a good point, if it was a European carrier for a Eurpoean journey then it might be under EU disability discrimination rules. Although as you say it does not seem a problem with other airlines.

Qatar being a middle eastern airline the rules we take for granted in Europe don’t apply, sadly that is why they will charge you EUR100 to cancel and give Airpockets mother a rough time.

[Shivers]

Dear ‘Enraged Traveller’: I was sorry to hear about Qatar Airways insisting that your friend is accompanied on board one of their flights. I did some research for you on the legalities of this. Whilst I am not an expert in laws on airlines, this research may help your friend to pursue his complaint with Qatar Airways.

Firstly, since you mentioned Euros, I assume your friend is departing from within the European Union. If that is the case, Qatar Airways must abide with EC Regulation No 1107/2006 (a copy is available here: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_204/l_20420060726en00010009.pdf) which deals with the rights of disabled passengers when travelling by air carrier and through airports. The Regulation only applies to air carriers that have had their license issued by a regulator within the European Union or where passenger is travelling through an airport within the European Union.

The Regulation sets out that air carriers or tour operators cannot refuse to accept a reservation of a passenger on the grounds of a disability or reduced mobility or deny a passenger the right to board a flight on the same basis (Article 3).

However, air carriers like Qatar Airways, are entitled to do this where they need to meet applicable safety requirements set out by the authority that issued their air operator certificate or where the size of the aircraft would make it impossible for a disabled passenger or passenger with reduced mobility to board the air craft (Article 4). If this is the case, then the air carrier is entitled to ask the passenger that they be accompanied by another person to provide assistance to them (Article 4(2)).

You will need to find out why Qatar Airways have asked your friend to be accompanied on his flight. I would have assumed that given the size and age of Qatar Airways’ fleet, that it would not be a problem for a disabled passenger to board one of their planes. It is puzzling why they have refused to allow your friend on board without being accompanied.

Perhaps you could talk to Qatar Airways again and remind them about the Regulation. It may be that the person he spoke to before was simply not trained on how to treat disabled passengers or they were not aware of Qatar Airways’ conditions of carriage for disabled passengers. I am sure there is a good explanation and I would hope that Qatar Airways would take a common sense approach. Keep us posted here on this discussion board about how this progresses!

[lloydah]

Hi Shivers, You’re right about the budget carriers. My only experience of this was Easyjet – Nice/Luton. My wife fell the day of travel and needed a wheelchair which we asked for at check in. It not only came quickly but allowed us through security to the gate ahead of any queue. The agent wheeled her into the plane where we were given first row seats. At Luton the rest of the pax were told to sit tight until we were off loaded into a waiting mini bus to the terminal where another wheel chair was waiting. This took us through all the formalities to the car park. All this must have been arranged by the Nice team without any request from us. Really first class service there.

[loyde2010]

I feel your sentiment for your aged mother. Indeed, it was an awful experience. Supposed to be your mother will get a good service since you were in the business class. They should have prepare facilities to all kinds of passenger. I wonder also why they are considered as a top airways.

I have found this site, it might be a great help in finding a good airways:

http://www.screwtheairlines.com/?screwair6

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