djtriggz

Hi guys. I have not flown QR in a while as the last 2 times I did I had delays of 3 hours the first time and 8 hours the second time. The difference is this time I’m flying from the UK and my delay is of 15 hours!!

Currently I’m on board a flight from UK > DOH. I got a message on my app saying due to disruptions I have been placed on a flight for tomorrow and the new transit time is 15hrs and 30 minutes instead of the 50 minutes it should of been. This has happened to me every time I’m flying to Kenya on Qatar airways but both times before I was flying from BKK and so could not claim any money back and only a free lounge pass was given.

Im in Economy and have booked the flight on my Amex Gold card so there should be insurance on that? I also have a revolut card metal so should have travel insurance from that aswell.

what do I do once I land and claim what through who? Please help!

navylad

lost_in_translation

Where an overnight stay is required on departures from the EU, QR will owe you a duty to provide hotel accommodation if you request it rather than just a lounge pass this time, which includes transportation to the hotel. Go to the QR transfer desks on landing if there is no one waiting for you at the gate already to offer this and QR should organize this for you. If QR don't play ball and you don't want to spend the night in the airport, I would book my own accommodation and then either bill it back to QR later or claim under travel insurance if that is covered by your policy.

In terms of compensation it depends why the flight was delayed. It will need to be deemed effectively QR's fault that there was a delay and not due to 'extraordinary circumstances' which were beyond QR's control, which are typically thought to include things like extreme weather events. A delay of above 4 hours on a flight above 3,500km (which are both satisfied here) will entitled you to EUR600 compensation from QR, which you'll have to claim by writing to them directly once the flight is over.

djtriggz

lost_in_translation

I haven't had to claim from QR yet, only other airlines, but didn't find the process too painful. Can be quite time consuming so just depends how much time you want to invest in the process, if you're happy just to outsource it to someone else then it will save you hassle.

Your travel insurance should be on top of the statutory EU compensation so you'll also need to contact your travel insurance provider separately if you have insurance that covers this - note this may not count as a cancelled flight but a delay instead given the connecting nature of it, just depends how the policy is worded. You can obviously deal with the hotel at the same time if QR don't provide one.

You should get a letter from QR on landing regarding the delay and if you don't I would push for one as you may need this to be able to make the claim.

MSPeconomist

navylad

Often1

There are two separate claims here and it is important to keep the terms clear.

1. Duty of care - QR has this duty no matter the reason for the cancellation. It should provide you with a hotel and meal vouchers as well as local transportation to the hotel and back to the airport. If it does not, you must keep receipts and submit those to QR for reimbursement. This is not compensation but reimbursement. You may also find that your travel insurance is better, provides you with more flexibility and certainty. Use that if you wish. I would wait to see what QR provides by way of a hotel.

2. Cancellation compensation - Unless the delay is for "extraordinary circumstances" you will be due compensation of EUR 600. You may claim that once you are back home and have settled in. Typically weather, air traffic control and maters generally not controllable by QR are "extraordinary" while mechanical defects are not. Try to find out as much detail as you can from QR staff at DOH. On the ground staff may be more helpful and provide information. You are free to use a claims agency, but those typically take 25-33% of the loot. It seems wasteful to pay someone as much as EUR 200 to file a simple claim. You always have that option if it comes to that.

In your claim, stick to the relevant facts and omit all that is irrelevant, e.g. what happened on other flights. All that is relevant is that the flight was cancelled, the reason was not extraordinary and the delay exceeded 4 hours at your final ticketed destination for a ticket which originated in the EU.

If you have a UK address, you can always file an MCOL complaint with little effort. Even if no such address, the small claims process is user-friendly and permits telephonic hearings. But, you are nowhere near a lawsuit at this stage.

msm2000uk

QR are usually pretty quick to respond to EU261 claims, so that's helpful.

What I'm failing to understand here, is why you couldn't find an alternative routing yourself - which would have dropped you to your destination far quicker?

M

Mcflyneo

If the issue occurs to a EU segment. As per Airhelp " By law, only if the flight departs from within the EU, or departs outside and arrives within the EU via an airline that is EU-registered. "
Yet https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...r/index_en.htm

Often1

That is outdated and incorrect.

plunet

I think the OP was actually mid flight between London and Doha, and got a notification from the QR app.

Its ​​​​​in these kind of situations that being disconnected and blissfully ignorant and not being able to stew on bad news stuck on a plane for several hours would probably be a better outcome as far as I would be concerned, but I guess that depends on whether your travelling for leisure or business.

djtriggz

navylad

and also whether you get the notification with your one hour free internet, or you have paid for internet for the whole flight (1< hour and the pressure really is on to try and find a solution).

plunet

Well that's probably as good an outcome as you could have expected, bad luck the bags didn't make it, but great response from the QR social media team - assuming that a gate agent and buggy wasn't already organised.

If you didn't have the knowledge or capability to tweet QR but had received a similar notification onnboard, I assume that the senior cabin crew should have the capability to reach out to Doha and request assistance to try to get a passenger to make a tight connection whilst in flight...