rankourabu

were you flying the plane too? Do you ever read more than the last post in a thread, or does that get in the way of post padding?


He said, "The captain had left his post and was flirting with the stewardess, with a beer in his hand, in the galley."

HKG_Flyer1

I can't imagine a scenario in which an on-duty pilot would openly drink a beer in full view of business class passengers while simultaneously flirting with FAs.

I simply don't believe this story.

Omar84

In my experiences on Qatar Airways when the pilot comes out of the cabin, for whatever reason, the FA's ask the galley to be clear of all passengers and close the curtain. Some rule to do with not allowing any kind of view of the cockpit during flight.

So the flirting with beer in hand during the flight sounds rather questionable. Definately sensationalised for the French readers.

The way Qatar treats its immigrant workforce from Asia is another story, but not one for discussion on these forums.

Guy Betsy

Maybe its a non-alcoholic beer? But still, the Captain would be out and about if he was maybe a relief pilot and drinking a pop that may have looked like beer!

G_G

you don't trust the journalist for the story and you trust him for the itinerary

G_G

it doesn't seem that we read the same article : I didn't see any racist crap

lunk144

also waiting on other side, anyone?

mecabq

His stated facts about the airline "cancelling" the ticket do not jibe with his stated facts about the itinerary. @:-)

The point is, much of the "reporting" appears to be sloppy, imprecise, and irrelevant, apparently with an axe to grind with Qatar and/or some other agenda; or, at a minimum, taking the aggrieved passenger at his word and not approaching his claims skeptically, the way a journalist should.

G_G

He stated that the airline has cancelled the tickets to DXB and CDG, that is perfectly possible but I agree that he had to contact the airline to know their version.
I'm eager to read the official answer of the airline.
BTW this kind of incident could happen in a lot of countries.

AshleyB

Le Monde is a highly respected daily newspaper in Paris (on a par with the NY Times) and is scrupulous in its avoidance of sensationalism. In the original French text the passenger states that he asked the crew to be quieter and when they failed to do so he threatened to complain upon arrival in Doha. At no time, according to the story in Le Monde, did the passenger M. Thevenin issue any threat to the security of the aircraft or the crew. There may well be another side to this story but Qatar Airways declined Le Monde's offer to tell theirs, as is mentioned at the end of the original article.

The article's mention of the carceral conditions in Doha is entirely relevant to the story (he was after all in jail) - and the ongoing abuse of immigrant minorities by the UAE/Qatar/KSA and others is of concern to every decent person of conscience in the Gulf and elsewhere.

I would add that the passenger in question was only released so expeditiously by the intervention of the French embassy. Qatar has excellent relations with France and does not want them affected by something so minor as this incident. Indeed many members of the Qatari ruling family are eager to live part of the year in France.

mecabq

You have basically made QatarA340 's point with this passage. I share your opinion about the treatment of immigrants by Gulf states, but this type of editorializing has no place in a putative news story in the paper. It seems apparent that the "journalist" who wrote the Le Monde article shares our opinion about the abuse of immigrants in the Gulf, and could not help but plant his viewpoint in the article.

AshleyB

There was no 'editorializing' in the story as it appeared in Le Monde. There was a direct quotation from the passenger arrested as to the conditions in jail, which included mention of his cellmates and the reasons for their incarceration. This is in turn was meant to illustrate the occasionally arbitrary nature of the criminal justice system in Qatar, of which much has been written by local and international Human Rights groups including Amnesty International.

It should be noted that this article appeared in Le Monde as part of a special supplement section covering the extraordinary campaign of high profile acquisitions here in France by Qatar's Sovereign Investment Fund and the Emirate's ruling family. The supplement was entitled 'Le Qatar rachète le monde'. In addition to Paris St Germain and numerous commercial properties in central Paris the Emir has bought the Hotel Lambert, generally considered to be the most beautiful 18th century house in Paris.

InternationalLiving

Well argued, Ashley.


With any luck regarding this particular instance, if the allegations of the pilot drinking are true, Qatar Airways will have quietly kicked him out the back door...

mecabq

I am sorry to come across as continually argumentative, but this is another angle that bothers me about the article. I know that there has been a lot of socialist, nationalist, protectionist backlash in France lately about the Qataris' acquisitions.

So it seems clear that the ancillary inclusions in this article, juxtaposed with stories about Qatar's investments in French assets, reflect an agenda by the author or the paper as a whole to discredit Qatar. This is why the author seemed to gleefully attack Qatar Airways and the Qatar criminal justice system without attempting proper journalistic fact-checking.

AshleyB

There has been no 'socialist, nationalist, protectionist backlash' in France against Qatar. Qatar is a very good client for a number of French products. Nor was there any attack on Qatar or Qatar Airways. The article simply raised the possibility that the Qatari authorities had over-reacted at the behest of QR. It should be noted that similar articles have appeared concerning over-reactions by US authorities in similar situations.

Le Monde is one of Europe's leading newspapers. Even if one does not agree with its centre-left orientation editorially (this orientation is not reflected in news reporting, see similarly the Wall Street Journal for an example in the opposite sense) the newspaper's integrity is almost never questioned. As far as Qatar is concerned, there is an extraordinary thin skinned reaction on the part of Qataris to criticism. As the Emirate expands its presence in the region, and in the wider world (whether by acquisitions or by the expansion of its airline), Qataris will have to become accustomed to criticism, whether justified or not. It is all a part of being on the radar. Learning to live with it, and occasionally heed it, is part of being a mature, constructive member of the international community.