ubiest

You could look at it as you are still able to fly QR, by positioning to KWI or MCT, which is no different to a QRPC member who lives a country that QR used to serve/has never served - what sort of accommodation should he expect from QR?

Without getting too OT, the diplomatic spat is very deep; from a political point of view, it would make no sense that QR somehow gave residents of the KSA, most of whom are likely to be Saudi citizens an easy ride. As a further point, they could be accommodating to non-nationals living in KSA, UAE, etc. and discriminate the citizens, but if AAB envisions a day that the blockade would end, QR would be shooting itself in the foot.

clubeurope

let's hope so, my friend

beduin

Dr. HFH

I'm missing the logic part of your logical solution. QR no longer serves the cities you need. Happens all the time, for lots of different reasons. I used to be a loyal PG customer; but it no longer serves UTH. In the U.S., I've been with AA for decades. But it no longer flies nonstop to SFO or LHR from BOS; so I look for alternate service on those routes.

Why would you expect QR to maintain your status if you're not flying with them?

beduin

ASR1

QR extended my status for a year despite me not meeting the qpoint threshold (Qatar resident). However the scheme is vastly less appealing as the prices for Doha-origin flights have absolutely skyrocketed (close to 2x pre-blockade for off peak and upto 3-4x for peak !), points accruals have decreased and redemptions have materially increased in cost post May/June 2018. I regret switching over my primary account from BA to QR.

Dr. HFH

Time will tell if it's permanent. But being [hopefully] temporary doesn't make it different. PG has been in and out of UTH a couple of times since I've been living here. The roster of cities served by an airline is only permanent until the airline decides to change it. I don't see the fact that QR didn't make the change voluntarily as a sufficiently differentiating factor.

Don't forget, as well, that all the frequent flyers who are now traveling on other carriers are building up points, miles and status in the FF programs of those carriers. They may not be anxious to leave the others where they now have benefits, particularly given the higher prices on QR compared to before the blockade.

I understand what you're saying; I just don't agree.

JamesKidd

Seeing how rational the ruler or his son/brother, whoever is in charge, is - don't be surprised if they declare all people living in Saudi give up Qatar FFP programme.

Isn't it already illegal to sympathize with Qatar if living there ?

Logic and middle East don't go together. Pride/Ego and middle East are match made in heaven

orbitmic

Yet, in a way, that is exactly what you are asking albeit in a context of positive discrimination. You want QR to positively discriminate citizens of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other countries blockading Qatar as a direct consequence of that political decision by their countries to operate that blockade.

If anything, I could see a logic in QR offering to those citizens and option to temporarily suspend their membership and resume it at the level they left it once the blockade ends and normal flight operations can resume. This would in a way put those years in parenthesis. However, what you are asking - ie that QR subsidises the lounge access, redemptions, and priority services of people not flying them for a prolonged period of time regardless of the reasons - strikes me as unreasonable. All the benefits you enjoy as a Platinum member cost money, and it would be quite a paradox that as QR already pays a real price for the blockade (in terms of trade, network, and longer flying routes), they further increase that cost by footing the corresponding bill for members who may not be paying a penny to QR for several years.

ilcannone

The bigger travesty is that you have to fly to KSA to begin with!

gms

^ I was thinking along similar lines.

QR can't even post items from Qatar to blockade countries, so it starts to make it really complicated to even do basic membership services, such as sending out new cards. They could work around this, but politically that becomes messy.

I am sure that if/when the situation is resolved QR will be seeking ways to attract past loyal customers.