Matt4

I've just got an alert thanks to MyFlights app, about my trip to TYO in June and did a little search in QR book engine to realize that they've probably changed many schedules for flights arriving to or leaving from DOH around midnight, resulting in many tights connections (less than 1 hours). That would probably solve the overcrowding problem in lounges around that time

If you don't use MyFlights app, check your booking for flights on/after 27-MAR-2016 !

These change haven't reached all booking engines yet, for instance ITA is still showing previous flights time.

N1Rotate

I was going to post about this. Basically they are re-organising their bank system and splitting the busiest banks into two tighter connection banks. To explain this in the past you had arrivals from all over land in DOH between 0400-0600, with passengers connecting onto departures from around 0700 to 0900. This was needed to maximise connections when QR was smaller but is inefficient usage of airport infrastructure.

Now they are splitting this bank into two, most Asian and Australian arrivals will be around 5am as before with the connections departing west to Europe brought back to before 0655. Then when that wave of flights depart freeing up gate space, a second wave of arrivals begins after 0700 from Europe (which used to arrive earlier) with a second wave of departures regional, African and Asian destinations departing after 0800. The effect of this will be shorter connections, less crowding at the lounge and more efficient use of gate space.

QR is also increasing a lot of frequencies and doing capacity upgrades on a lot of routes with the new schedule. For example MAN sees extra flights, CGK is becoming all 77W. I expect more changes.

remdk

Thanks Matt4 for the news and N1Rotate for an explanation.
The new times for CPH are very suspect.
Some examples:-
Dep CPH 00.10 CEST, Flight time 4.55 = arrival 06.05, QR says 07.05!
Dep CPH 10.45 CEST, Flight time 4.55 = arrival 16.50, QR says 17.50!
Dep DOH 07.00 Flight time 07.30 = arrival 13.30 CEST, QR says 12.30.

They appear to have forgotten Summer time! This gives strange flight times.
A very quick check of OSL suggests that its times are correct.

N1Rotate

remdk,

I am showing on Amadeus:

DEP CPH 0010 ARR DOH 0705
DEP CPH 1055 ARR DOH 1750
DEP CPH 1825 ARR DOH 0120

Flight time 05:55

The times above seem accurate and match the new schedules from Europe.

remdk

N1Rotate The examples are taken directly from QRs booking system.
What can be more correct than a QR webpage!???!

N1Rotate

Just checked it and you are right, on the QR website the departure and arrival timing is right but the flight time is wrong, it should be 05:55. Looks like a website glitch. If you access the QR loaded schedules through the Amadeus GDS the flight times are correct.

remdk

I have just received the following 'rather diplomatic' message from QR "Doha is working on a complete change those days and expect only to finalize beginning next week – until then – do not look at our time table"

djkjam

Thanks for the heads up. Things still seem to be in a state of flux so I guess we wait and see. As it stands now afternoon/evening flights from Europe to DOH seem to be arriving later, which for example messes up the connection with the 0140 dep to JNB (The QR site currently has me arriving from AMS at 0120 and departing for JNB at 0140...I know transfers at DOH are efficient, but this is pushing it!)

N1Rotate

As you said things are in flux. Usually QR rolls out the next season's schedule gradually over a week or two, then does minor changes after that. They are modifying the usual roughly 1am departures from DOH to Asian and African destinations to about 0200-0330 to cater to the now later arrivals from Europe, I would expect JNB will get changed over the next week or two.

One of the big changes is MEL which now has moved to a 2040 departure ex-DOH to similar timings to the new ADL/SYD flights, this will mess up some connections from Europe if people booked from places like AMS or GVA where there are no flights that arrive in DOH in the early evening like most other European destinations.

msm2000uk

Thanks for the info N1Rotate!

fbrj

My wife and I have just (18th Nov) flown our first ever QR flight, OSL- DOH (in J) as part of a trip to PNH via HKG; the other legs were on CX and KA. We thought the QR flight was everything we had been lead to believe - ie excellent!
However we have another booking next April OSL-BKK and I too was alerted on Myflights to a schedule change which would leave us with a 50 min connection in DOH owing to the OSL departure being some 2hrs later than originally scheduled. Is that connection totally unrealistic, assuming everything runs on time? Also would hold baggage make it? There is a later BKK flight but that involves 7hrs+ hanging about overnight. I could try and shift our bookings onto that flight now. There was a view upthread to wait awhile as the new schedules feed into the system and any wrinkles are ironed out - eg my BKK flight might be put back an hour. What are others doing?

Steve_ZA

If you have a flight booked on a single ticket then QR will either get you on the connection or failing that automatically move you to the later flight. For now I would just wait and see how the schedule updates. In any case 50 minutes is an acceptable connection time.

FlyingScientist

This is a shift in the wrong direction for those wanting to travel to DOH (or stay there overnight). I have come in many times from several places across Europe between 23:00 and midnight, later flights makes things tough with DOH being on GMT+3.

Incidently, EDI appears to have shifted by 6 hrs (to ~ 17:30 arrival), with DOH-EDI now taking off in the middle of the night rather than in the early morning. - I will stick to the 12:30 to LHR, and connect...

N1Rotate

Anytime ^


As Steve_ZA said 50 minutes is perfectly doable for both the pax and luggage, still hold on for a couple of weeks as the schedules get finalised to see what you itinerary looks like.

The EDI will operate on a split schedule with 4 flights departing DOH in the morning and 3 overnight to allow more two way connection options especially to India and Australia and get more traffic on the flights.

kinchai

I'm one of those mentioned above that has OSL-DOH-MEL. I just called QR and asked for options. They said they would call me back. Just so I know where I stand.

I have a question:

Would I be asking too much for QR to re-route me according to the fare rule that was valid on that booking class (I) during the time of sale?

for example OSL-DOH-HKG-MEL

Not something fancy, this gets me to my final destination 9 hours later rather than a 22 hours stopover.

Any thoughts and suggestions please.