[GKemish]

The case reported by Nomad 7-Jun-15 is very similar to mine and happened earlier this month. Online payment was made by me successfully and ticket confirmation was issued. This confirmation was for a friend of mine and contained no mention of credit card verification. I also failed to receive an email directly warning me of the potential need for credit card verification i.e. in advance of the first leg of my friends PNH-SGN return.

With or without credit card verification I am left wondering how Qatar Airways can believe it is reasonable to doubt every passengers' honesty and to punish them so severely. We are equally keen that fraudsters do not get away with illegal activities but Qatar Airways, in association with the credit card companies, have a duty of care to ensure their policies and procedures do not risk honest fare-paying passengers having to suffer.

We are already made to feel like potential terrorists by airport security. We should not have to suffer the extra indignity of being treated as if we are all potential criminals by airline check-in staff.

On May 12th my friend was refused travel by the Qatar Airways check-in staff at PNH airport and, as I was in the air at the time on a flight from HKG, I was unavailable to help resolve the issue. Consequently, my friend was forced to pay another US$226 for a 45 minute one-way flight with another airline that took off 3.5 hours later to our mutual destination, SGN airport. Not a massive cost in money, compared to Nomad, but a huge amount of anxiety caused nevertheless.

On May 17th, the night before my friend was due to take the return leg of the same return flight, I called the Doha office to make sure my friend would be allowed to travel. After a couple of calls I was eventually told that my friends flight on May 18th had been approved. This approval by the Doha office was not passed on to the SGN airport check-in staff and we were both consequently kept waiting for over an hour until being issued boarding passes. Yet further anxiety that would easily have been avoided if the Doha staff had taken steps to ensure that the SGN airport staff were notified of the approval.

I am still at the early stages of seeking a satisfactory response from the Airline, but I was not impressed with the first response I received today. The email was from a Customer Care Officer, received 2 weeks after my first email on May 13th. Now, after reading the many complaints on this website, I fear that my friend and I may have further anxiety to suffer.

I have flown several times with Qatar Airways between HKG & LHR via DOH and have been very happy with the service I received from the flight attendants. I remain hopeful that my case will be escalated within the Qatar Airways management and that my valid concerns will soon result in a more conciliatory response.

I will post further updates if my valid concerns are not treated with the respect and understanding that it is reasonable to expect from a major airline.