ThWilmesi

We just had all a very spirituous discussion in the thread upgrade redemptions about various issues which drive us frequent flyer nuts. So why not start a thread where we collect our ideas ( pls realistic) and complaints. Maybe somebody can sticky it..... so we can always ad. If a mod has a better title pls just change. I will start now based on my experience with QR this year . I will actually divide this in 3 parts:

Ground service

• 24/7 inquiry line for every country with decent waiting times
• better opening hours for airline offices
• ticketing facilities at most of the important airports at least during times when the airplanes are scheduled
• If everything needs to be routed by DOHA toll-free number or at least reduced telephone fee number

[SIZE="3"]Privilege Club FFP[/SIZE]

• true online booking feature for upgrade redemptions as well as award redemptions with instant confirmation. If price for taxes as well as surcharges changes process should be handled online with online payment facility. Re-printing of changed ticket should be handled online.
• Relook at redemption rates, which personally i find quite high, but ok.
• A better and most of all earlier access to upgrade and award redemption for e.g. Gold and Silver Customers through an improved yield management system which apparently until now is non existing.
• Improve the meaningfulness of your highest Status Gold first by eliminating e.g. the burgundy status which is personally find utterly useless, increasing administration etc. Currently if you fly long haul flights it is in my opinion not too difficult to reach Gold Status, but the benefits are in my opinion very limited. Either make it a touch harder, or creat something like HON (as with LH) or Solitaire PPS (SQ) or Global Service (UA) which give you real and tangible benefits
• Nevertheless for a Gold Status I would like to see an improved upgrade and award redemption possibility ( see. e.g. Senator waiting list on LH which can only be used if asked through Senator line, just experienced that my business class award ticket cleared within 2 minutes.., a dedicated phone line which gives you access fast ans exlusiv to competent customer service, reservation etc.

In flight product

Inflight - I am very happy with the product the only thing i would like to wish maybe a consistent business class seat on all long haul flights - meaning the seats of the B777 on all all longhaul planes also the Airbuses or at least fully flat seats... this would be my wishlist


I am sure that other people have more ideas !!!!!!!

tomnativenewyorker

In Kuwait, they need to have boarding for first/business ahead of time and seriously take control of the boarding process.

For whatever reasons, TCN's seem to think that the more times they push me from behind will miraculously get them to their final destination that much quicker.

lightyear40

I think tomnativenewyorker has hit the nail on the head in relation to areas of improvement.

I agree that the Burgundy membership card should be scrapped, because the cost of just producing those cards alone must be astronomical. If they are desperate to keep the Burgundy card why don't they just make it available in paper form. Just imagine how many cards they send out to people each year who then simply throw them into their rubbish bin.

There should be a three tier membership system consisting of Silver 150 points, Gold 300 points and a new tier called Premium gold that is available to the business class passenger who accumulate 400 points per year. Due to the limit places currently under their upgrade awards scheme these should be automatically allocated, on request, to Premium card holders at least one/two seats per aircraft. Gold holders should also be able to request an upgrade and allocated that seat 72 hours before their flight departs, if the seat is not taken up by a Premium Gold holder. The website also should be able to incorporate a program that lets tier holders know what redemption seats are still available on that aircraft.

Silver members should also be able to take at least one family member into the lounge which is a bit of a bug bearer of mine. I understand ground staff do give out a lounge pass to gold holders if they are travelling with their spouse, but this seems to be an unspoken rule rather than anything being placed on the Qatar’s website.

In relation to Qatar Airways Ground Services it needs to seriously address a number of inconsistencies right across the globe. Just like the flyertalk members experience in Kuwait the same needs to be addressed in Bangkok. Can never understand why business class passengers are always told to wait until last before boarding. Gold and Silver holders do not even get a mention. Other destinations however make sure their business class and gold and silver board first, so this needs to be addressed at each individual destination. Hence every destination needs to make sure they look after business and FFPM rather than adopt the good old scrum approach that is often caused by incompetent ground staff.

Doha on departure is also a disorganized zone in relation to boarding. Once again their FFFPM are not asked to board first and this also needs to be addressed. However this may change once the new airport opens in Jan 2013.

In the air AVOD systems are struggling to cope on their 340,330 aircraft and therefore need a total overall. They also need to change their record collection after four years of listening to the same records it long due a change.

Finally can someone burn those sandwiches they offer in economy they are the worst ever.

On a positive note Qatar do get it right, but like everybody on this site it seems the same niggling issue keep raising their ugly head.

lsed

Was just thinking about creating a list like this this morning.

To add previous suggestions:

Ground:
Not just 24/7 operating phone lines, but with phone payment facilities too
And please no longer than 2 mins of waiting on the line.

Faster updating of status changes in the system (DOH gets updated almost instantly but outstations take about a month!)

Baggage tags that work at all destinations not just DOH. My Biz class bag came out one of the last in SIN

Ability for Lounge staff in DOH to make changes to ticket rather than going to transfer desk.
(not sure if this will work now that it's oryx lounge for golds)



FFP:
Much higher transparency in terms of award availability. And wait list for Golds


In Flight:
Better Selection of alcohol in the air - specifically Whiskies and Cognac



Just the ones at the top of my mind

tomnativenewyorker

Another thing that comes to mind.

QR needs to reconsider the arrangement that that have to use Thai Air lounges in Bangkok. They are horrible.

Last time I departed BKK, I went for some of the pork dim sum that was just brought out from the kitchen. They all were completely frozen in the middle. That just tops off the list of how crappy TG lounges are and QR needs to look elsewhere for QR premium customers in BKK.

Maybe EK?

InternationalLiving

It's called platinum

Why? Silver is easy to get, why would they give away lounge passes for non-silver members? This must be the most expensive benefit in their FFP... As for Golds getting them, this used to be advertised on their website, but disappeared for unknown reasons...

lightyear40

I use the word premium in the context of the business class lounge in Doha, why use platinium when every other bugger uses that name.

When two of you travel together and one person loses their membership status to allow the other person to take 75% of their miles then you would havd a bee in your bonnet has well.

InternationalLiving

Ok, how about palladium?

And I see your point in such an instance...

rhr46flyer

I was a gold member of Thai's ROP and EK's Skywards, the former gave a one time upgrade annually and occasional OU's. with EK I got regular OU's and once on a mileage upgrade from Y to J got bumped up to one of their private suite's. But EK for me lost the plot with the 777's 10 abreast seating which is cattle truck standard.

I changed to QR largely because they added my base of Phuket to their destinations, and to see what a 5* airline was like and am happy at silver level to get lounge access QR's greatest silver benefit in my book.

Thus far no OU from QR and getting an upgrade with miles was all but impossible and made the miles feel to be of little worth. I finally got one but not on the sector I would have preferred.

OK, most of us that are elite members of any program feel a tad superior and rightly so, but other than lounge access Qmiles needs to look to it's laurels?

On-board its great on the whole for comfort and service standards other than those inedible pieces of hot cardboard that we are told are hot sandwiches, followed by a ghastly chocolate cookie which is so dry its like its a year past its sell by date.

Once only was I asked before meal service for my choice which I think is policy?

QR its easier to win custom with good marketing, but the product must stand up to that marketing hype, and its cost nothing in real terms to keep the elite feel cherished. As once we swap airlines as I have done twice there is no going back?

I can forgive the shortcomings of the current airport and can see QR is trying to improve things, but please don't forget the small things in the bigger picture.

mecabq

I could think of a lot of ways to improve the service in sophisticated ways, but a few easy fixes that would add value in my opinion:

-- A separate phone reservations line for Golds

-- A higher tier, perhaps at 450 or even 600 Qpoints

-- Priority boarding for Golds (this would be difficult in DOH, and I have seen it elsewhere, though they seem to rarely enforce it)

What do you mean by this? The web site has a calendar showing every day and whether the flight is available at the normal rate, available at double rate, or not available, for every class of service.

I find much to criticize with QR, but this is one of the best features, and I can't think of any other airline that has such a simple way to check for award availability. How could it be more transparent?

meFIRST

FFP
- Greater transparency for awards
- Family accounts (actually i think QR already has this)
- Allow us to check for availability, without minimum balances (my sister has plenty of QR miles, this lets me do the leg work for her)
- Join an Alliance. Star would be my choice.

Network
- Service to the US West Coast


On the ground
- Chauffer Drive. HELLO!!!
Doha is not that big of a place, much less Qatar.
Your competition Etihad is doing this, so is EK, of course.

Omar84

I completely agree with joining an Alliance, to me thats huge. But this is something in common with all the Middle East carriers, neither EK, EY or Oman Air are in any alliance. I know their are some code sharing malarchies but I want status not just miles.

The chauffeur one is big as well, especially at least at their home base they could offer this service since their arent even that many people that actually get off in Doha, though this is changing slowly.

An online award/redemption system is the biggest change they need to implement. Having to phone the call centre or send emails is a system that is very frustrating in itself as you have to spend time on the phone talking to people trying to work different combinations when you could have done it by yourself.

I understand I am just repeating what everyone else is saying but I guess I just wanted to give my support to what alot have you mentioned already.

lsed

For award upgrades actually. Just basing on the fact that the OP tried to get an upgrade using miles for F when the cabin was totally unsold and kept rejected.

For other airlines you can use Expert Flyer. And though it's a paid subscription you can use it to alert you when award availability is up.

Also no wait list is just horrid. If say i try every 3 days and they only release availability 4 a few days before, someone may just manage to grab it before me even though I've been trying for weeks!

Stratospheric

- To make a mobile-friendly website, allowing bookings and others operations from a Smartphone

- To include taxes in the mileage award.

sturejan

How about increasing the free check in allowance in business? 30kg is 34kg less than what you get without status in my previous favourite (before fools day) carrier KLM. AF/KL lets you have 2 * 32kg in C and as a gold or platinum you are allowed 3 * 32kg. (for those that has problems multiplying that is 96kg)

My QR gold status gives me 30kg + an extra 20kg = 50kg
That is 46kg less!!!