Qatar Airways Privilege Club - Crazy QR Pax

Hello,

I would like to share a recent experience and would appreciate any feedback on how you would have dealt with the situation. I was flying DXB-DOH in economy and sat in 9C (second row of economy, left-hand aisle seat). Two middle-aged Arab men in smart local dress sat in 8D and 8F (first row of economy, right-hand aisle and window seats respectively). Just before pushback (with the usual safety video in Arabic and English along with a welcome announcement by the Captain reminding everyone to switch off their mobile phones), a female member of cabin crew sat in 8B. There were delays at DXB and we were in a long(ish) queue for departure from runway 30R. What happened next was shocking and infuriating in equal measure.

With no attempt to disguise his actions, the man in 8D proceeded to make a call from his mobile. This carried on for over a minute as we were crawling towards the holding point ready for take off. I felt the female member of cabin crew was doing her best to studiously ignore the man on his mobile despite our imminent departure. I then leant forward and asked her if she was “going to ask that man to switch off his mobile”. Then it got really interesting!

The man in 8D proceeded to rant and rave. Here’s a bullet-point summary of his remarks:

- How dare I, a European/white man, tell him what to do
- How dare I refer to him as “that man” (he later said he was a “gentleman but I beg to differ)
- All Europeans/white people are ignorant and don’t understand the Arabic culture
- All Europeans/white people are stupid and don’t understand technology
- The problem with Europeans is that they “just go around killing Muslims”! (I mean, seriously?)
- I can do what I like – we are not going to crash and die!

The female cabin crew attempted to intervene and asked the man in 8D to switch off his mobile as were about to take off. He didn’t take well to this and encouraged his friend in 8F to make a call on his mobile. They both ignored her desperate pleas to switch their phones while they made increasingly loud calls dropping in comments like “look, we are on our mobiles and haven’t crashed/stupid European/stupid woman” (by now we were at the holding point ready for departure). The man in 8D then lectured the female cabin crew member that she “must never interrupt two Arab men talking”, that she should know her place and “remember where you are”. Just as we lined up for departure, they ended their phone calls. I said nothing more during this entire episode and didn’t rise to their ignorant comments (but I was seething with rage on the inside).

It all settled down after departure and the member of cabin crew in 8B apologised to me for not seeing the man on his mobile (nice touch). On an unrelated matter, the senior cabin crew member confirmed that I would be personally met and transferred upon landing in Doha (a welcome attempt at service recovery prompted by the QR office in Dubai following an appalling transfer experience at DOH last month – a long (and still unresolved) story).

Just before disembarkation, the men in 8D and 8F couldn’t resist a final act of juvenile ignorance. After the curtain between business and economy was pulled back, the senior cabin crew member asked me to come forward as my personal transfer was ready. The men in 8D and 8F were having none of this and pushed their way through the business class section and galley saying “we must not let the stupid man get off first/we are important”! While they raced down the steps to the absence of the usual transfer bus, they looked reassuringly astonished as I was whisked off in my own transfer car with a lovely assistant to help with my hand luggage. I resisted the urge to smile or wave and was just glad to get away from the situation.

How would you have reacted in such circumstances? Can anyone justify the actions/comments of the man in 8D?

I have worked in the UAE for over 18 months and have never encountered such open hostility, ignorance and racism. I can also reassure you that I DO understand the Arabic culture and work closely everyday with Emirati nationals (all of whom are charming and friendly). I know QR cannot be responsible for the stupidity of its passengers but this encounter has certainly soured my QR experience and prompted me to question my loyalty. Does anyone else perceive that certain Arab nationals feel they can behave as they like on their national carrier safe in the knowledge they are (relatively) untouchable? I really don’t want to spark a racism debate but would appreciate your comments and feedback.

Regards,

Work-Shy

If this was on another no-middle eastern carrier, they'd been carted off in handcuffs already. Am surprised that the plane even took off at that point. The cabin crew (could have been a training crew if she was seated on a normal seat unless its the A321 you're referring to) should have alerted the Captain at this stage in time that passengers were non-compliant.

Does anyone else perceive that certain Arab nationals feel they can behave as they like on their national carrier safe in the knowledge they are (relatively) untouchable? I really don’t want to spark a racism debate but would appreciate your comments and feedback.

Regards,

Work-ShyLiving in Kuwait 2 years now I tend to agree with your entire post and local behavior.

Not saying all in the region are like that but it appears to be more the norm around here.

My last DOH-KWI trip another man in first was constantly using his CrackBerry and complaining about losing the signal over and over.

Another flight, DXB-KWI on FlyDubai, after a considerable wait on queue for takeoff, the Captain announced we were now number two for the runway. At that time, a man about 60 years old wearing a disdasha made it a point to go forward to the galley area and after the attendants all told him to sit down even though he was insisting on using the toilet. At that point it seemed as we were just about to turn right onto the runway, but then the plane made a sudden left to another taxi way out of the queue. If it were a flight elsewhere other than the GCC region, I would suspect that he would have been removed from the aircraft. The only thing that happened, was we got a complete tour of the airport via all the taxiways. it took about 25 minutes of taxiing around before we got to takeoff.

I think there is a lot of DYKWIA attitude here in Kuwait. You should see their driving and if you dont lock your brakes up to allow you to let them cut you off.

This is certainly an isolated incident. People here are NOT racist at all; some are certianly racist and its mainly due to their lack of education.

Personally, I would approach the guy and ask him to turn off his phone. My saftey is more imporant than going to ask a cabin crew to ask him.

Yes, people use their phones all the time during a flight and THAT IS WRONG; who was the actor who was recently held in the airport in JFK for playing a game on his iPhone?

Yes, there are tit-for-tat siuations can go on and on, but in the end the law is the law.

Qr should have alterted the captain about this man's stupid behaivior.

With regards to people "feeling safe in their national carrier;" this is utter nonsense. People fly their national carrier to travel to a destination; not to sit in a seat and watch movies.

I agree that all form of discrimination against locals/westerns is just bad practice.

In Qatar, the unwritten practiced law basically tends to favor Western expats. If a Western guy commits a serious crime, he might stay a month or two in jail before being sent to the US. I remember this American guy killed another person while being drunk and driving. He was deported to the US after serving a few weeks in Jail; and went in on CNN saying he was tortured in jail for drinking in a "MOslem" country. He just missed the part about killing the person. LOL. Isolated incidents like these of favoring Westerners contribute to the rise in racism. I am in NO WAY SUPPORTING this racism. But, Im just saying what SOME ISOLATED people believe in. The VAST majority of people love foreigners. Kuwait is not Qatar. UAE is not Qatar. Qataris are generally very kind and considerate people (and yes I am Qatari; and I might be just a tad bit biased, cause I gotta make friends in this forum :D)

As for me, I grew up around Westerners, studied with them, have many friends, so for me I really do not differentiate with people.

If I was answering off-topic; general hospitality of locals from the Middle East are:

1) Omani's - Friendliest locals
2) Emirati's - on the most part very friendly
3) Qatari's - friendly people

Been in the Mid East 15 years. That is my opinion.

Back to the topic:

For this incident the Stewardess should have notified purser, purser should have notified the captain, captain should have stopped the plane and had passengers removed. For not adhering to laws even after been given warnings, and to then verbally abuse a cabin crew member and a fellow passenger with racism. Unacceptable from any side.

I have personally been on a flight on QR in Qatar when this almost happened. The passenger causing all the issues finally decided to calm down and apologised to the onboard staff for all his issues. The incident started with him refusing to put his seat up during taking off, then ending up with him verbally abusing the cabin crew. Captain stopped the plane and turned the plane back.

The idea of national feeling safer on national carriers is pretty baseless to be honest, and there is no correlation between the two. Having said that, and I now I am counteracting what I just said, I have personally noticed that Middle East airline's cabin crew on board will have alot more patience for those travelling in national dresses then those that dont. It is subtle but it is definately there.

Qatar340, thank you very much for your response from a Qatari national viewpoint. However, I have a few questions/comments:

People here are NOT racist at all; some are certianly racist and its mainly due to their lack of education.

That is contradictary as it cannot be both. They either ARE or ARE NOT and, in my experience, this person WAS racist (as well as ignorant and stupid).

Personally, I would approach the guy and ask him to turn off his phone. My saftey is more imporant than going to ask a cabin crew to ask him.

I was sat (in 9C) just behind the female member of cabin crew (in 8B) so leant between the seats (keeping my seatbelt fastened) and just spoke to her rather than get out of my seat and/or raise my voice to speak across the aisle directly to the moron in 8D. Furthermore, the member of cabin crew has the "authority" to tell pax to comply with safety instructions.

In Qatar, the unwritten practiced law basically tends to favor Western expats. If a Western guy commits a serious crime, he might stay a month or two in jail before being sent to the US. I remember this American guy killed another person while being drunk and driving. He was deported to the US after serving a few weeks in Jail; and went in on CNN saying he was tortured in jail for drinking in a "MOslem" country.

I presume you mean "county of origin" rather than all western expats being sent to the US on release from jail. Sadly, I have absolutely no faith whatsoever in the "justice" system of any Gulf country. Brutality and toture are common and access to legal representation often ignored.

Guy Betsy, it was an A320 so she may well have been a trainee (which may explain her reluctance to cause a fuss/delay by calling the purser). However, she did very well and her apology later on was a nice touch.

For clarification, I meant "do certain Arab nationals feel they can behave as they like on their national carrier without fear of punishment/reprimand" (not safe in a "warm and fluffy/not going to crash" way)?

I am hopeful this really was an isolated incident but I am sure the probability of it (or something similar) happening again is far greater on a Gulf-based airline.

Work-Shy