EK falling standards :(
Sep 10, 2011 | 11:50 am
#16
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: OSL
Programs: QR Plat | SK Diamond | A3 Gold
Posts: 4,612
I'm relatively new to EK and have never flown QR. Must say that I'm very dissatisfied with the hard product on EK, specifically the huge differences. My first flight was on a -300ER with the fancy business class seats, and apart from the horrible decor it is a very comfortable seat/bed. Connected directly to a -300 non-ER with the regional C-class, and what a contrast that is! Still, for a 4 hour daytime flight it's quite ok, but apart from a crappy seat you also get a crappy folding out screen instead of the 20+ inch.
Next flight was on a -300 non-ER, which seemed to have a seat closer to the new C-class on the ER, but not quite. Could be wrong though, I was tired at that point. I connected in DXB to a an A330 and boy was I in for a shock - I mean, does anybody else do 2-3-2 business class seating on an Airbus? Screen size was small, quality was crap and the seat was a joke.
Last flight was a redeye from Europe to DXB on a -300ER, but one fitted with the horrible regional C-class seats. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, and I'm glad I chose to depart a day early; the regional seat is simply impossible to catch a decent sleep in.
Haven't tried the A380 yet and, frankly, I'm unlikely to fly EK ever again unless they standardise their seats.
Next flight was on a -300 non-ER, which seemed to have a seat closer to the new C-class on the ER, but not quite. Could be wrong though, I was tired at that point. I connected in DXB to a an A330 and boy was I in for a shock - I mean, does anybody else do 2-3-2 business class seating on an Airbus? Screen size was small, quality was crap and the seat was a joke.
Last flight was a redeye from Europe to DXB on a -300ER, but one fitted with the horrible regional C-class seats. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, and I'm glad I chose to depart a day early; the regional seat is simply impossible to catch a decent sleep in.
Haven't tried the A380 yet and, frankly, I'm unlikely to fly EK ever again unless they standardise their seats.
Out of curiosity though - were these seats expected on your flights, or were they aircraft swaps? I would do anything possible to avoid the A330.
Sep 10, 2011 | 12:18 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: EK Gold, EY Gold, BA Gold OW Emerald, A3 *G, SV Skyteam Elite
Posts: 972
Next flight was on a -300 non-ER, which seemed to have a seat closer to the new C-class on the ER, but not quite. Could be wrong though, I was tired at that point. I connected in DXB to a an A330 and boy was I in for a shock - I mean, does anybody else do 2-3-2 business class seating on an Airbus? Screen size was small, quality was crap and the seat was a joke.
Sep 10, 2011 | 2:59 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Western Europe
Programs: Yeah, well, don’t really care anymore
Posts: 1,142
Out of curiosity though - were these seats expected on your flights, or were they aircraft swaps? I would do anything possible to avoid the A330.
Sep 10, 2011 | 3:34 pm
#19
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 16,064
Qatar Airways is fine until something goes wrong. Then, if you are not Caucasian or Arab, you are toast.
A few years ago, flying QR on a paid Business Class ticket, our original aircraft went tech and they subbed a 2-class plane for a 3-class plane and had to downgrade F->J and J->Y. Instead of downgrading the passengers who had been op-upped from Y->J, they chose to do to the downgrade by ethnicity.
I was paged in the Premium Terminal and advised of the situation - my ticket (still a paper ticket back then) was stamped "INVOLUNTARY DOWNGRADE" and I was handed a new boarding pass for a bulkhead aisle seat in Economy Class. It was myself and 5 others downgraded - all of us either South Asian or Far Eastern, while a Caucasian gentleman who I had been talking to earlier at the Premium Terminal and who had been op-upped was left in Business Class.
I was then asked to collect my belongings and was escorted out of the Premium Terminal - the reasoning being that the Premium Terminal was only for Business Class pax and I had now been downgraded to Economy. I was then paged in the main terminal and my bulkhead aisle was swapped out again for a middle seat further back as the bulkhead was a bassinet and pax with infants had priority. When I asked about taking the next flight in Business Class instead, I was told that I would need to pay a fee to do this as my ticket did not permit a "stopover" in Doha.
Oh, did I mention throughtout this that I was also Elite with QR at the time?
After contacting customer service after the flight, I subsequently was given the offer of either the difference between half my discounted J-class fare and the full Y-fare (which worked out to <$100 as I had already flown the first leg in J-class), or a complimentary upgrade on a future flight on the same route. I chose the complimentary ugprade which I used a few months later without any problems. They also credited me a handful of miles (although I only received Y class miles for the route I was downgraded on).
I've switched to Emirates since then and while they have their faults and preference for some ethnicity of passengers, it is not as institutionalised and blatant as Qatar Airways is. So for those who are thinking about switching to QR, look in the mirror and if your skin colour doesn't match what they want to see, think again...
A few years ago, flying QR on a paid Business Class ticket, our original aircraft went tech and they subbed a 2-class plane for a 3-class plane and had to downgrade F->J and J->Y. Instead of downgrading the passengers who had been op-upped from Y->J, they chose to do to the downgrade by ethnicity.
I was paged in the Premium Terminal and advised of the situation - my ticket (still a paper ticket back then) was stamped "INVOLUNTARY DOWNGRADE" and I was handed a new boarding pass for a bulkhead aisle seat in Economy Class. It was myself and 5 others downgraded - all of us either South Asian or Far Eastern, while a Caucasian gentleman who I had been talking to earlier at the Premium Terminal and who had been op-upped was left in Business Class.
I was then asked to collect my belongings and was escorted out of the Premium Terminal - the reasoning being that the Premium Terminal was only for Business Class pax and I had now been downgraded to Economy. I was then paged in the main terminal and my bulkhead aisle was swapped out again for a middle seat further back as the bulkhead was a bassinet and pax with infants had priority. When I asked about taking the next flight in Business Class instead, I was told that I would need to pay a fee to do this as my ticket did not permit a "stopover" in Doha.
Oh, did I mention throughtout this that I was also Elite with QR at the time?
After contacting customer service after the flight, I subsequently was given the offer of either the difference between half my discounted J-class fare and the full Y-fare (which worked out to <$100 as I had already flown the first leg in J-class), or a complimentary upgrade on a future flight on the same route. I chose the complimentary ugprade which I used a few months later without any problems. They also credited me a handful of miles (although I only received Y class miles for the route I was downgraded on).
I've switched to Emirates since then and while they have their faults and preference for some ethnicity of passengers, it is not as institutionalised and blatant as Qatar Airways is. So for those who are thinking about switching to QR, look in the mirror and if your skin colour doesn't match what they want to see, think again...
Sep 10, 2011 | 5:33 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Pennsylvania
Programs: AA Platinum Pro, AC *S, Marriott Gold Elite, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 9,791
I'm relatively new to EK and have never flown QR. Must say that I'm very dissatisfied with the hard product on EK, specifically the huge differences. My first flight was on a -300ER with the fancy business class seats, and apart from the horrible decor it is a very comfortable seat/bed. Connected directly to a -300 non-ER with the regional C-class, and what a contrast that is! Still, for a 4 hour daytime flight it's quite ok, but apart from a crappy seat you also get a crappy folding out screen instead of the 20+ inch.
Next flight was on a -300 non-ER, which seemed to have a seat closer to the new C-class on the ER, but not quite. Could be wrong though, I was tired at that point. I connected in DXB to a an A330 and boy was I in for a shock - I mean, does anybody else do 2-3-2 business class seating on an Airbus? Screen size was small, quality was crap and the seat was a joke.
Last flight was a redeye from Europe to DXB on a -300ER, but one fitted with the horrible regional C-class seats. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, and I'm glad I chose to depart a day early; the regional seat is simply impossible to catch a decent sleep in.
Haven't tried the A380 yet and, frankly, I'm unlikely to fly EK ever again unless they standardise their seats.
Next flight was on a -300 non-ER, which seemed to have a seat closer to the new C-class on the ER, but not quite. Could be wrong though, I was tired at that point. I connected in DXB to a an A330 and boy was I in for a shock - I mean, does anybody else do 2-3-2 business class seating on an Airbus? Screen size was small, quality was crap and the seat was a joke.
Last flight was a redeye from Europe to DXB on a -300ER, but one fitted with the horrible regional C-class seats. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, and I'm glad I chose to depart a day early; the regional seat is simply impossible to catch a decent sleep in.
Haven't tried the A380 yet and, frankly, I'm unlikely to fly EK ever again unless they standardise their seats.
Even on routes with a consistently bad plane (MAD comes to mind on the A340) you know the F/J products will suck so, while you might not be enthralled, at least you won't be in for a shock.
Nothing is worse than expecting a shiny new 777-300ER with suites and getting stuck on an A330-200 with non lie-flat seats even in F.
Sep 10, 2011 | 9:41 pm
#21
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Delhi
Programs: Emirates gold *alliance silver jet airways platinum tridentprivilege gold.
Posts: 1,818
Sep 11, 2011 | 3:04 am
#22
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Western Europe
Programs: Yeah, well, don’t really care anymore
Posts: 1,142
Qatar Airways is fine until something goes wrong. Then, if you are not Caucasian or Arab, you are toast.
A few years ago, flying QR on a paid Business Class ticket, our original aircraft went tech and they subbed a 2-class plane for a 3-class plane and had to downgrade F->J and J->Y. Instead of downgrading the passengers who had been op-upped from Y->J, they chose to do to the downgrade by ethnicity.
I was paged in the Premium Terminal and advised of the situation - my ticket (still a paper ticket back then) was stamped "INVOLUNTARY DOWNGRADE" and I was handed a new boarding pass for a bulkhead aisle seat in Economy Class. It was myself and 5 others downgraded - all of us either South Asian or Far Eastern, while a Caucasian gentleman who I had been talking to earlier at the Premium Terminal and who had been op-upped was left in Business Class.
I was then asked to collect my belongings and was escorted out of the Premium Terminal - the reasoning being that the Premium Terminal was only for Business Class pax and I had now been downgraded to Economy. I was then paged in the main terminal and my bulkhead aisle was swapped out again for a middle seat further back as the bulkhead was a bassinet and pax with infants had priority. When I asked about taking the next flight in Business Class instead, I was told that I would need to pay a fee to do this as my ticket did not permit a "stopover" in Doha.
Oh, did I mention throughtout this that I was also Elite with QR at the time?
After contacting customer service after the flight, I subsequently was given the offer of either the difference between half my discounted J-class fare and the full Y-fare (which worked out to <$100 as I had already flown the first leg in J-class), or a complimentary upgrade on a future flight on the same route. I chose the complimentary ugprade which I used a few months later without any problems. They also credited me a handful of miles (although I only received Y class miles for the route I was downgraded on).
I've switched to Emirates since then and while they have their faults and preference for some ethnicity of passengers, it is not as institutionalised and blatant as Qatar Airways is. So for those who are thinking about switching to QR, look in the mirror and if your skin colour doesn't match what they want to see, think again...
A few years ago, flying QR on a paid Business Class ticket, our original aircraft went tech and they subbed a 2-class plane for a 3-class plane and had to downgrade F->J and J->Y. Instead of downgrading the passengers who had been op-upped from Y->J, they chose to do to the downgrade by ethnicity.
I was paged in the Premium Terminal and advised of the situation - my ticket (still a paper ticket back then) was stamped "INVOLUNTARY DOWNGRADE" and I was handed a new boarding pass for a bulkhead aisle seat in Economy Class. It was myself and 5 others downgraded - all of us either South Asian or Far Eastern, while a Caucasian gentleman who I had been talking to earlier at the Premium Terminal and who had been op-upped was left in Business Class.
I was then asked to collect my belongings and was escorted out of the Premium Terminal - the reasoning being that the Premium Terminal was only for Business Class pax and I had now been downgraded to Economy. I was then paged in the main terminal and my bulkhead aisle was swapped out again for a middle seat further back as the bulkhead was a bassinet and pax with infants had priority. When I asked about taking the next flight in Business Class instead, I was told that I would need to pay a fee to do this as my ticket did not permit a "stopover" in Doha.
Oh, did I mention throughtout this that I was also Elite with QR at the time?
After contacting customer service after the flight, I subsequently was given the offer of either the difference between half my discounted J-class fare and the full Y-fare (which worked out to <$100 as I had already flown the first leg in J-class), or a complimentary upgrade on a future flight on the same route. I chose the complimentary ugprade which I used a few months later without any problems. They also credited me a handful of miles (although I only received Y class miles for the route I was downgraded on).
I've switched to Emirates since then and while they have their faults and preference for some ethnicity of passengers, it is not as institutionalised and blatant as Qatar Airways is. So for those who are thinking about switching to QR, look in the mirror and if your skin colour doesn't match what they want to see, think again...
Sep 11, 2011 | 3:32 am
#23
Moderator: Emirates Skywards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: 12R/30L
Programs: EK Gold|EY Gold|Bonvoy Ambassador| IHG Plat|HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,850
I think the people that love EK the most are the ones who fly on routes where aircraft changes are unheard of (JFK/IAH/LAX/SFO/YYZ come to mind.) If you fly to YYZ, for example, you will be getting the A380 J class product.
Even on routes with a consistently bad plane (MAD comes to mind on the A340) you know the F/J products will suck so, while you might not be enthralled, at least you won't be in for a shock.
Nothing is worse than expecting a shiny new 777-300ER with suites and getting stuck on an A330-200 with non lie-flat seats even in F.
Even on routes with a consistently bad plane (MAD comes to mind on the A340) you know the F/J products will suck so, while you might not be enthralled, at least you won't be in for a shock.
Nothing is worse than expecting a shiny new 777-300ER with suites and getting stuck on an A330-200 with non lie-flat seats even in F.
The reason EK don't do it on these ULH routes is the technical requirements for range and load.
Sep 11, 2011 | 3:33 am
#24
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 16,064
With all due respect, having spent time in a Qatari holding cell in the past (unrelated to this), I had absolutely no wish of antagonizing the airline. When you are South Asian and visiting a state such as Qatar, you do what you are told and do not speak back.
Sep 11, 2011 | 4:01 am
#25
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Western Europe
Programs: Yeah, well, don’t really care anymore
Posts: 1,142
I cannot comment on the racism so often displayed in various ME nations, what being a white boy I've never been subjected to it.
But I have been subjected to attempts at downgrade, once on EY flying from Ab Dab back to the real world. And I did tell them to go forth etc, and in the end some other unlucky sod was downgraded and I kept my seat. I've also had seat reassigned at the gate, or rather attempts to reassign. If the new seat is worse than what I have on the boardingpass in my hands, I just say "no thanks", turn around and walk away.
Shutting up and taking it on the chin is something I would not do.
But I have been subjected to attempts at downgrade, once on EY flying from Ab Dab back to the real world. And I did tell them to go forth etc, and in the end some other unlucky sod was downgraded and I kept my seat. I've also had seat reassigned at the gate, or rather attempts to reassign. If the new seat is worse than what I have on the boardingpass in my hands, I just say "no thanks", turn around and walk away.
Shutting up and taking it on the chin is something I would not do.
Sep 11, 2011 | 4:23 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 16,064
And throwing you into a holding cell, or beating you up, or whatever else for standing up to them is not something that would happen to you in Qatar either. So trying to compare what your reaction would be from behind the protective veil of your white skin isn't really relevant here is it? QR is great for you because they WILL take care of the white and Arab passengers at the expense of the Indians, Filipinos and everyone else.
Sep 11, 2011 | 5:23 am
#27
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA GS-2MM, QF LTG, EK Gold, Marriott Amb, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 4,006
Moderator Comment:
Folks, lets leave race out of this. And any comments to do with race. Doesn't belong on FT.
Thanks
SIMON
(eightblack)
Moderator-EK Forum
Folks, lets leave race out of this. And any comments to do with race. Doesn't belong on FT.
Thanks
SIMON
(eightblack)
Moderator-EK Forum
Sep 11, 2011 | 8:49 am
#29
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Sydney
Posts: 5,775
I Have been EK G for 6 out of last 7 yrs
I thought they were just the best-
thought their food has declined in quality from the first years
I have recently gone to the dark side( Etihad)
I must say other than the A380 showers and the F DXB lounge
I have not missed them
the food on EY and the cabin crew are exceptional.
I have made EK G again till 2013 but I doubt I will be joining their aircraft again except to NZ.
or if an exceptional fare comes my way.
I thought they were just the best-
thought their food has declined in quality from the first years
I have recently gone to the dark side( Etihad)
I must say other than the A380 showers and the F DXB lounge
I have not missed them
the food on EY and the cabin crew are exceptional.
I have made EK G again till 2013 but I doubt I will be joining their aircraft again except to NZ.
or if an exceptional fare comes my way.
