i flew with QR for the first time this past week in economy class going from IAD-DOH-DEL and back.
had a very pleasant flying experience both ways. only the leg from DEL-DOH was full. the seat next to me was empty in the other three legs.
all flights departed on time and landed early.
i requested VGML. breakfast before landing on the IAD-DOH leg didn't look very good, but the food was fine otherwise. ice cream on the leg from DOH-IAD was a nice surprise. they may have had it on the leg from IAD-DOH - i was asleep. i was pleasantly surprised that they served a full meal between DOH and DEL both ways - it's only a 3-4 hour flight.
transit through DOH was fine going from IAD-DOH-DEL. the shuttle took us from the airplane to the terminal - there are no jetways at DOH. proceeded through security like all others transiting through DOH without issue. went to oryx lounge and paid QR 140. lounge was nice and quiet, not busy. though, the airport wasn't that loud either. used the internet, had some hummus, tabouli, dates and tea. bathrooms were clean.
it was all good until i got to the security checkpoint before boarding the DOH-IAD leg.
many airports have a second security screening for flights coming to the u.s., so i expected this. what i didn't expect was how i was treated.
let me say up front that i could have handled myself differently to avoid what happened.
i had a waist pack and a tom bihn aeronaut (a duffle i wear as a backpack).
my waist pack went through first, followed by my shoes, then someone else's bag, then my duffle. the waist pack was in a small bin, along with my passport, boarding pass, and a book i picked up to read onboard.
i walked through the security checkpoint without beeping and waited. i was told to step back and wait while my hand bags came through - just like everyone else. and i did.
after the waist pack came through, a security officer opened it, examined the contents, and then sent it through. the bin was placed on the floor along with bags belonging to others that had cleared security.
while i waited for my shoes and duffle to come through, i picked up the bin and placed it on the counter to repack the contents of my waist pack.
another security officer did not like that i did this, and pointed back at the floor. i asked if i could pack my bag. he said to do it on the floor. i responded by saying that my back was hurting and asked if i could pack it on the counter.
he pushed me back, took the bin, handed it back to the security screener who had checked the contents and said something to him (i presume telling him to check it again). that security officer then took the contents of the waist pack and threw them out into the bin. i am not exaggerating when i use the word threw. i was being treated differently at this point than i had been up until i made the mistake of trying to repack my waist pack on the counter.
he threw out my iphone, my blackberry, and everything else. he emptied the slips of paper i had in a notepad. he threw out into the bin the travel cards i had in a little pouch pouch. he took pens apart. all of this was clearly to show me that i should do as i am told, not because he suspected any security concerns.
i watched while he did all of this.
after my shoes, someone else's backpack came out. the security officer asked if it was mine. i said no. he moved that bag onto the floor.
then came my duffle. the security officer checked it and found that everything was okay, and placed it on the floor with other bags that had been checked.
when i went to reach for the duffle, he saw that it was mine. at that point, he picked it up and said that it needed to be checked. i asked why and he wouldn't answer me. i am sure there was nothing in it that was remotely a security concern. i am sure it was not the size because there were many roll aboard suitcases that were bigger. i am quite certain it was because it was mine.
i explained that i had some items in there that i did not want checked and asked if i could get them out. he ignored me and handed the bag to a qatar airways gate agent.
i explained this again to the agent. i said i have my camera and other things.
the security officer kept saying to check the bag.
i asked the agent why. she said it must be because you have something, some liquid or something. i said, yes, i do have liquids, but they are all less than 100ml, pointing to the sign they had.
i again said to the agent that i have my camera in the bag, because that was the first thing that came to mind. actually, there were many other things that i had in my duffle that i would never check in, including my journal, some gifts i was bringing back, and the medicines i was taking for this cold.
the agent said to the security officer that i had my camera in there and that i wanted to get it out. i wasn't allowed to touch the bag. it was taken back to the security screening area, and they again went through my bag. i said, and repeated, that i can tell you where the camera is packed. they were not interested. they disheveled the contents of my duffle and finally located the camera. as they were going through the duffle, i saw my medications and said i also want to get those out. the security officer said no medicines and sent the bag with the gate agent.
i repeated to the gate agent that i was sick, that i had a cold, and asked why can't i have my medicines.
she lead me over behind her desk and said to get out what i need. she said to stay down (so that the security officer didn't see this). as i took out my medications, she said that they are doha police, there is nothing we can do.
so while qatar airways took care of me throughout the trip, there is no way i'm going to fly with them again because it involves going through doha.
i thought at first that i should try to seek some recourse. i'm sure all of this was recorded on a security camera. i don't know the laws of qatar, or what rights i have. here in the u.s., i would say that i was abused and that my property was abused. when the security officer pushed me, he physically abused me. when he threw the contents of the waist pack into the bin, when he disheveled the contents of my duffle, he abused my property. i could contact the u.s. department of state, and they could help me file a complaint. but how would this complaint be seen by doha police and the state of qatar? would it be dismissed as frivolous, or would it be taken seriously? i'm sure i'm not the first person this has happened to. if enough people complain, do you think some change might come over time? again, i'm never flying through doha again. but i'm sure many others will.
