plunet

I had exactly the same retiming issue.

Basically what happened was QR274 was retimed/cancelled (can't remember exact detail) so it was leaving much later from AMS.
This then forced a rescheduling of your onward flight DOH to BKK to be on a later service as you were a misconnect onto QR836.
But then QR274 got reinstated back to a similar late afternoon departure time from AMS. Your reservation for AMS to DOH got put back to this time.
But your DOH to BKK is still on the later retimed flight.

Just call up QR and either give them the details above, or just claim ignorance but ask to be put back on QR836 as you need to be in Bangkok for a meeting at 5pm. Assuming QR don't mess around with the operational plan QR836 is usually the A380, as opposed to QR832 which is usually a 777.

patsharp

ah ok that all makes sense, I'll give them a call.
QR274 is now taking off 1h30 earlier which would rub salt in the wounds if i cant change back

thanks

endet

I dont know when OP is flying but in October the QR836 is an A340-600. I will have the pleasure at the 14th of October.

crombiestone

I just received a myflights alert a few days ago that QR836 on 30th October has had the A380 subbed for a 777 . Not best pleased as I was booked in First since January and I have already had to reroute via BEY due to the blockade from Egypt .

They tried to rebook me on 1st November when the A380 seems to be back but I had hotels booked that were non refundable and I would have lost 2 days of vacation . I have now changed to QR830 a day earlier (29th) back on an A380 , with only 7 weeks to go I hope there are no more changes !

endet

If you go to QR cargo website you will see that it was QR836 is an A340-600 until 28th of October. After that it seems that no plane has been scheduled (at the time of my writing). QR cargo is precise for about 2 weeks in advance but you might want to follow it as it is easy to see which flight on this route has a specific plane type scheduled for a whole week.
QR830 has a 777 scheduled for the 27th of October before it returns to an A380.

343

Some schedule changes (last minute changes?) on DOH-MAD-DOH route. QATAM aircraft back to QR149 QR150

crombiestone

Thanks for the info endet .It looks like I'm not out of the woods yet then as no aircraft listed for QR830 on 29th so far . I didnt check there to be honest . Just what the customer service lady said on the phone, it may have been a different flight number on 1st November. I didnt pursue it as I wanted to fly on 29th . I wouldn't be too bothered about an aircraft change if I wasn't booked in First . Who knows when QR would have contacted pax if they didnt have myflights ?

endet

As far as I remember my schedule changes with BA and QR you would not have been notified at all. If you are lucky your seat allocation will have carried over. If not you would have been assigned a seat at check-in.
A seat reservation is nothing guaranteed and my assumption that this is the reason why you would not be notified.

msm2000uk

Owing to the timetable changes for Autumn/Winter, it could well be that QR haven't updated the QRcargo website quite yet.

However, check back in about 2 weeks time and the schedules should have been loaded.

M

crombiestone

Myflights showed a new seat reservation in J on the 777 but to be downgraded from first to business I would hope that QR would notify at some point . Really bad form if they don't. OK mine was a QCredit upgade but the flights are pricing around $8000 USD RT.

msm2000uk

This happens every year, and it's happened to a few FTers who have written their experiences.

The two options, tend to be:

1) 75% of the fare refunded (but this takes times to negotiate as I have warned many times).

2) Take the later or earlier A380 flight - which is what most do.

It's very irritating, and most simply turn up to the airport without realising, but these things happen.

M

patsharp

You called it exactly right, I managed to get put back on to QR836 - even though the first call centre chap said that the flight was no longer scheduled! I suggested that it might be given that it was still showing availability on the the Qatar website. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing he eventually managed to put me on to QR834 which actually means I wait an even shorter time at DOH. I dont mind missing out on the lounge experience given that ive got a 7h layover on the way home (no better options unfortunately)

plunet

Great, happy to have shared the info and helped out - that's what the forum is all about. Sounds like your fare bucket might have been sold out on QR836 and the agent you spoke to was not being very flexible - invol schedule changes are not usually limited to fare bucket but any available ticket in the same class. But if QR834 gives you a quicker connection you can be enjoying your time in Bangkok sooner. Have a good trip!

patsharp

Info was much appreciated. thanks.

The agent wasn't so much unhelpful as keen to get rid of me I think. His first suggestion that the flight didn't exist took him about 2 seconds to come up with so I don't think he'd looked it up. He also nearly booked me on the correct flight number but A WEEK LATER! until i corrected him I was nearly due for a 7 day layover

agreed that that's what the forum should be about, I've been a lurker for ages and got some
great help e.g. Using myflights, getting cheap J fares ex-AMS etc. Pretty poor from QR that I wasn't notified about leaving AMS 1h30 earlier

plunet

The notification of schedule changes is apparently a function of the local QR office where the booking originates from. For my PSA-AKL flights I had no notifications of any schedule changes until a few weeks out and then I had quite a few emails over quite a few different days all telling me the same information. Some others have noted on the forum that they do get timely notifications, so it being tied to the local office kinda makes some logical sense, although it makes no sense from a customer point of view.

I agree that notification of flight changes is something QR could do with improving considerably as it appears the experience is quite variable.

Apart from staggering notifications when there are widespread changes to schedules (so to avoid the customer care teams being besieged with callers) I really fail to understand why notifications can't sensibly be sent out within 24 hours of a schedule change being made.