mediator

I just had a quite IROP (irregular operation) occurred on me. Let me share the story:
I purchased IAD-DOH-xxx on an AA award ticket in J for travel on 03/11 (with Mrs). We have 001 tickets in hand. We have picked the two middle seats as the IAD-DOH has QR suite. On the day of the departure, QR informed me that we were IDB'ed because we were booked on "mileage ticket"? The only option would be:
1. Fly in Y
2. Travel the next day.

Of course, I did not accept any of the option. After some back and forth, QR rebooked us onto PHL-BOS-DOH-xxx (first segment on AA in Y). Over the phone, QR's agent confirmed our seat assignment and reassured us we would still be in a QR suite. We received the new ticket numbers (157) issued by QR in the email. So far so good. Just I thought everything would be in order, things took an unexpected turn. While we are at PHL getting ready to check in, we received a new ticket (157) for the following routing:
PHL-LHR-xxx (first segment on BA; second segment on a different OW carrier).
We did not receive any phone call from QR regarding the change! This might sound OK but with an over eight hour connection at LHR plus all sorts of COVID-restriction, no way we would accept this new routing. In addition, BOS-DOH still has at least 2J for sale (checked with EF). After some long conversation with QR again, finally we were rebooked back onto PHL-BOS-DOH-xxx but we lost our QR suite. So here is the summary:
1. IF you are on mileage ticket, QR might bump you without any consent.
2. QR might re-route you deliberately.
3. Even though having the ticket number in hand, your ticket is not guaranteed.
4. Seat assignment is not guaranteed.

Thanks for reading my story.

m0hamed

Downgrades happen in terms of fare class and status. So if the flight is oversold then a non status pax on an award will be the first to be bumped.

Downgrades do not require your consent, hence the term involuntary.

Seating is never guaranteed nor are Q Suites.

I do sympathise with your situation, it is difficult and terrible. I would have chosen to travel the next day.

AirbusA350

You mention "all sorts of COVID-restriction" when referring to LHR. Whilst of course 8 hours within LHR isn't great, in terms of COVID restrictions, if you're just transiting through LHR, there's absolutely no restriction whatsoever, no need to fill in a UK PLF either! In fact, provided your passport/nationality permits you to do so, you could even go into Central London comfortably and enjoy a light meal or some shopping entirely restriction-free and mask-free, all you would have needed is a UK PLF completed in this case (I say this assuming you're fully vaccinated). Also, if your passport/nationality didn't permit entry into the UK, even then, particularly if you're transferring onto "another OW carrier" from LHR, I would suspect the likelihood is that this would have been from T3 (as it isn't seemingly QR or BA and most certainly won't be AA either as you're not travelling back to US from the US, which leaves behind RJ, QF, MH, CX, AY) which would have permitted you to the superior CX and/or QF lounges in T3 (and BA T3, though why one would want to choose that over the others is puzzling) if you were booked in J (irrespective of status). Of course, you've not been wishing to disclose your final destination, which is absolutely fine, but irrespective, the LHR routing may indeed have been a pretty reasonable option. Nonetheless, you still ended up getting QR J which even without Qsuites is still a far superior hard and soft product compared to many other airlines! So IMO, whilst the back and forth wasn't helpful, particularly given yours was an award ticket also, I believe you have done quite well!
Safe travels.

mediator

I am vaccinated and boostered. I think you have a valid point but I was literally rerouted to LHR with less than two hours before my original departure time. Pre-pandemic I would have accept the LHR routing. So essentially, I need to resolve a few issues in a short amount of time:
1: Does my passport allow me to transit LHR TWOV? ( In retrospect yes but still...)
2. Is there any COVID-related restriction (e.g. testing)?
3. Does my final destination OK with a transit from LHR?
I am just felt a bit surprised QR put me onto the LHR routing without any communication first.

AirbusA350

1. If you are transiting airside only, then doesn't really matter what passport (bar a very few narrow exceptions). If you wish to exit the border, that's a different matter.
2. No COVID restrictions at all to the UK now. No tests, no forms, no vaccination required. It is like pre-pandemic
3. I don't know what your destination is, so I can't accurately advise. However, you will need to ensure you meet the testing/vaccination requirements for your destination. There's nothing you need for the UK irrespective of whether you transit airside or decide to go landside (if your passport permits you to do the latter)

mediator

I read QR's CoC but I find nowhere does it say that award tickets booked by an OW partner is more likely to get bumpped than others. I would hope the IDB process is a bit transparent but that is just a hope.

KingCanute

I'm not suggesting you should not feel aggrieved, but it may be logical to expect that there is some form of hierarchy in the choice, if it comes to having to make one. In your own FF programme for example, you might expect top tier members to be treated more sympathetically than base tier, or to members from other programmes.

But airlines don't really want to offload or reroute people, it costs them money. Your re-route, however much you didn't want it, probably cost them.

I had a partner for many years who worked in airline revenue management, and the selection of compulsory offloads was determined by, as expected, cold hard revenue. We had a number of discussions about the emotional downsides of being denied boarding but her airline were specific about keeping people like her away from the emotions of check in so that they could only make the best commercial decision.

I'm sure I may also have seen on here somewhere a while ago that there was some kind of expected hierarchy for upgrades at QR, broadly reflecting a combination of fare paid and FF level and programme. No doubt that also applies to downgrades and offloads.

Some people are delighted to take whatever compensation is offered to take the next flight. But in my experience of it happening to me, it's anywhere between frustrating and annoying, to extremely inconvenient. Thankfully it happens extremely rarely.

​​​​

ISTFlyer

OP, just to let you know that if you are involuntarily dumped without consent, I would be opening a claim with the US DoT ( Department of Transportation ) as Qatar Airways must offer you monetary compensation for the involuntary denied boarding situation in CASH.