I must say that I am somewhat disappointed with QR's new policy of not re-routing existing bookings ex-CAI. QR stopped selling tickets ex-CAI not too long after the crisis started last June. That means that those of us who have bookings for 2018 must have purchased our tickets reasonably well in advance of our travel dates, and my expectation is that there can't be such an extraordinarily large number of such bookings (at least, compared to the second half of 2017). I had two bookings, one for Jan (CAI-KHI return), the other for Mar (CAI-JFK return) which I hung on to in the expectation that they would be re-routed as had the trips booked for the second half of 2017 (via BEY on ME, and then QR flights from there). Every time I asked QR about the 2018 bookings, I was told that they have not yet issued any policy for how to deal with bookings past 31 Dec and that I should check back in, say, a month. And then, all of a sudden and relatively "late in the day", so to speak, I find that my only option is to get a refund on the 2018 bookings, which I have done, and repurchase tickets for my trips on other airlines (in one case, at considerably greater cost than the refunded ticket, given how much nearer my trip dates now are), which I have also done.
I am also a little puzzled by this new policy. As I said, there can't be that many existing ex-CAI QR bookings for 2018. Apart from the potential loss of good will amongst those of us who had decided to stick by QR with our bookings instead of jumping ship at the first opportunity, it doesn't make sense to me that QR would find it financially more beneficial to itself to refund my tickets in full, rather than pay ME for a CAI-BEY-CAI re-route, for example, and then put me on QR flights whose seats would probably have otherwise gone empty (in my re-routed 2017 trips, I never witnessed 100% loads on *any* of the QR flights I was put on). It doesn't make sense to me.....

While I sympathise with your frustration, I think most stuck with QR - and even went out of their way to fly from Cairo - to take advantage of low fares, sometimes exceptionally low fares, and then stayed with the airline because of its readiness to indulge sometimes quite exotic re-routing.

Fares (especially Business Class fares) ex-CAI are, of course, distinctly cheap by international standards. But that is true pretty much across the board for all airlines. QR fares were not particularly cheaper compared to other airlines', at least not for my destinations. In fact, for JFK they were most definitely somewhat more expensive than other reasonable-quality choices available: TK, AF, etc. -- even the ticket I have just purchased on AF to JFK for travel in late February was cheaper than the refunded QR ticket by a couple of hundred dollars, and would have been cheaper still had I bought it at the time I bought the QR ticket months ago. For KHI, fares were comparable to EK's & EY's.
I fly QR, even when they were not necessarily the cheapest, because I like them, and I stuck with tiresome re-routings and five- and six-hour layovers in BEY in the hope that by the time the return portion of my last existing booking was done with (Apr 2018) the crisis would have been resolved, and I would be able to continue flying with them for my next trip after that, summer 2018. Of course, the way things are looking, hoping for the crisis to be resolved by the time one would have to make plans for the summer seems like a forlorn hope at the moment.

Well I wanted to post a final follow up to my First Ticket Booked with QR after several calls and emails to their HQ. In a nutshell they won't budge. The flight was originally a First Ticket ex CAI (yes to take advantage of a great fare) to DOH then BKK on A380. I totally understand the political issue is beyond their control but what annoys the hell out of me is when it all kicked off I could have used the ticket (Summer) and flown from CAI to LHR on BA and then onwards. I spoke to an agent and as my dates were flexible I was told the best thing to do would be bank the ticket and there would be no issue in the future as this was a new agreement with QR. I double checked in May and was told yes I could fly from any airport within a few hundred miles of CAI as this was standard policy on QR First Flights if the schedule changed.

Of course when I go to ticket I get the magic ZERO. Sent a complaint to Doha via email and three emails back saying "policy has changed" which basically different words for "we are not keeping to the new agreement we made with you". These things happen and I will of course have to take the refund and just book with a different carrier. Life goes on but it does severely tarnish my opinion of QR. Best of luck to anyone else if they are in the same position.

Happy New Year to all,

Stephen

I certainly understand how you feel; but the fact is that policies do change. "PLT for life" on AA really means, of course, PLT for the life of the program as it is currently configured. Same with Lifetime PLT in Starwood. People over in that forum (including me) are hoping that Marriott doesn't change that. And you're not out anything, -- you're getting a full refund, right?

I totally agree and am ok about it. Out some money as the ticket was purchased using a Euro card but in Egyptian Pounds and the exchange rate has tanked not in my favour and also what really annoys me is they are charging me some Egyptian tax or whatever but I really just am done with the argument and will move along...

This could produce some progress. IIRC, it's the strongest statement to date from the U.S. government. Pompeo’s Message to Saudis? Enough Is Enough: Stop Qatar Blockade.

Some recent reporting of possible progress to a resolution or improvements on the Qatar blockade
https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2...e-lot-quicker/

Fingers crossed....

There's been talk of this as the next Trump-brokered deal after Israel-UAE normalisation agreement: though I guess Trumps appetite for taking credit for anything on the international stage might have withered - unless it poisons the well for his successor.

The greatest transport-related economic benefit to Qatar from normalisation of relations with KSA would probably be from opening the land border. For QR the resumption of haj/umrah traffic would be helpful, but after getting fingers burned they're unlikely to restart the Al Maha project. There's a measure of bad blood between Qatar and it's closer neighbours, and with Egypt, so it might take time to drag them into KSA-led harmonisation with Doha.

Sadly it will not benefit me personally unless they resume flights to the UAE, and by all accounts, there's a long way to go on that front.

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail sooner rather than later. I think history has shown that one way to decrease the probability of a conflict is to encourage travel/trade/interdependence between nations and to keep lines of communication open. Overflight rights are fundamental to this ongoing exchange and ongoing good relations between nations.

Unfortunately there's significant dissymmetry in the impact of the overflight bans, and indeed of the wider "blockade", between the nations instigating the action, and Qatar as subject to it. Incentives leading to restrictions being lifted will be external, and political - issues properly for the OMNI forums.

Just to round this thread off, for the record, it's being reported that borders in the gulf are now reopening...

BBC News - Qatar: Saudi Arabia embargo 'to be lifted'

A new thread is discussing the reopening

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qata...ens-qatar.html