Security failure on a Qatar Airways Flight

illuvatar,

I did actually, but they rejected saying that it is always easy to be negative and so they only accept negative reports if they are well substantiated.

I was quite surprised to receive such answer which made think if Qatar Airways has any influence in this site!

Lusitano - you might wish to consider posting your experience at:

http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/5star.htm

I'm sure other travellers would be interested to know of how 5-star Qatar Airways handles such situations and.

Just fly business.

Argue about the planes not having enough room etc is fine for improvements later. By all means, complain and try to have things improved.

But the fact remains that the plane we are flying in has these limitations, flipping one's seat to the max has it in someone else's face - therefore respect other people and think not only of yourselves.

/I rarely recline actually, and only do so if the person in front reclines too far. And that too, just a bit because I know the person behind me will be uncomfortable.

*****************************************

Don't want no drama,

No, no drama, no, no, no, no drama

But having said the above, I can understand his frustrations with having the idiot in front of him recline his seat to the max, without considering other people's discomfort. The fella is front is egocentric too.

I have had a few experiences where the idiot in front of me just flips his/her seat to the max without warning, nearly or sometimes spilling my coffee. I feel like pouring the balance of the coffee over him/her, but refrain because I sympathize with the stupidity of some people.

But if I happen to be extremely stressed about something or sick and cranky, then I might just.. oops! accidentally dump the entire cup of hot coffee over his/her head.

*****************************************

Don't want no drama,

No, no drama, no, no, no, no drama

Not bad. At least there's a reply - action and communication.

Good that you raised awareness with this issue. Some people need to grow up, see the bigger picture and stop living in their own little worlds. Weak characters act in this manner, most unbecoming and an embarrassment to their family and religious upbringing. But I think they are in the minority. What goes around comes around. One day, he will learn, most probably the hard way.

This is what you get from flying a "5 star airline".

Finally a feedback from Qatar Airways. They actually didn't explain why the captain didn't report the case as announced to the passengers, but considering the professional tone of their reply, I consider the case closed.

We can all relax now, the crew has plenty of experience and training in dealing with similar cases, as they do occur frequently on Qatar Airways flights.

Here is their apology note:

"We are in receipt of your email regarding your in-flight experience on your travel with us on 24th May 2009.

Firstly, we apologize for the delay of our reply and your taking the time to write to us is very much appreciated as safety is

paramount to us and you have our assurances that it will never be compromised under any circumstances.

We fully understand your concern and regrettably, our investigation confirmed the other similar incident you unfortunately,

shared with us again on QR100/25th of June 2009.

Please rest assured that we do take reports such as yours, with serious concern and the same was immediately forwarded

to our Cabin Services department for investigation and feedback, which we would now like to share with you.

Our Cabin Services department has given their assurances that our Cabin Crew are trained and aware of the procedure

in place in regards to the handling of a misbehaved/unruly passenger, where initially, the passenger will be given a verbal

warning. If passenger does not comply with the warning, then a Passenger Disruptive report will be signed by the Captain

and the Security will be called on arrival. However, if the passenger starts behaving or is complaint to the warning, then the

next step is not initiated.

The report, which we received from our Cabin Services department confirms the matter was resolved on board and the

handling was in accordance with the afore-mentioned procedure in place.

We are sorry for any inconvenience that you may have experienced and do certainly hope that these incidents will not deter

you from traveling with us in future as we look forward to the continued privilege of serving on our flights.

Respectfully yours,

that lady is also having a brain cancer or maybe her breast cancer spread to her brain, so she acted like that

I think you ought to refrain from making stupid comments lol.

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or if your a family person just refrain from sending your kids inaccompanied on sucha airline tommorow if anything happens to your kids the crew and captain will put their hands up how they did in this incident

True story, I swear - I was on a flight from New York to San Francisco a few years ago and one of the passengers started kicking up a rumpus about the guy in front of her reclining his seat. The two passengers had come close to blows and the flight attendants were trying to sort it out. The woman in the seat behind claimed she had breast cancer and that she had a special right to an undisturbed rest. She hooted and hollered until the captain said that the flight would be met by authorities and she assumed that meant the police. The flight was met by airline personnel who managed to calm her down (I guess) although she still wanted to press charges against the other passenger and was very disappointed not to see him dragged away in handcuffs. But you know what? I really don't think that all (most, many or even some) breast cancer patients are arrogant, rude, claim special privileges and think they are above the law. I think it was just her!

Mandi

lol Alexa, and that's me running on decaf...what would I be like with caffeine!!!

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Alexa, that was just me out for coffee ;)

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Bleu,

I'm sorry for that but it wasn't me who wrote it.

As I said:

When some people get frustrated / attacked / hurt, they tend to generalize...

The problem exists in Qatar and it should be acknowledged and debated accordingly.

Negative generalizations are never fair and should not be used.

lusitano,

"it just doenst happen here if you are local. they grow up like this so thats just why they look down at anyone who is not like them." is Qatari bashing, not about misbehavior of some people.

IF YOU ARE LOCAL:

THEY GROW UP LIKE THIS.

THATS HOW THEY LOOK DOWN AT ANYONE WHO IS NOT LIKE THEM

THEY, THEM, ... It's a generalization about the locals, not "some people".

vegas, I am always a good little girl.. in the PUBLIC places.. ;)

*********************

“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

ROFL Tall.

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Your opinion is noted.

Yes, every country has good and bad people, but in most countries the good people know they can count on police force, law and common sense in your defense.

I believe in very few non muslin places there is such a feeling that no matter what happens, unless you are a local, you dont really have that sense of fairness and justice.

The good locals should try and show up a lot more.

I wonder if this http://www.airrage.org/ website would find this case interesting.

As far as I know, in many countries, air rage is considered a serious criminal offense but apparently it is not so here.

I aint talkn about nationality here,, every country have good & bad, polite & impolite people..!! its just the way that person behaved..!! wht he did could have been in a better way as well.

~noms~

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"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein

I aint talkn about nationality here,, every country have good & bad, polite & impolite people..!! its just the way that person behaved..!! wht he did could have been in a better way as well.

~noms~

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"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein

And on it's way...

Then we can get crazy...

Fly business class as I always say...

You can't teach experience...

I haven't forgotten and have no problem with people not agreeing with me. I never said anything to the contrary.

And I agree that there are Qataris who give their country and fellow countrymen are bad name. But there are also those who do the opposite. This is true of any country. If you fail to see the good as well as the bad then perhaps you are only seeing what you want to.

And of course your entitled to your own opinion. But similarly, based on the opinions you present, we're entitled to form an opinion of you and comment accordingly. If that upsets you then perhaps you should think twice before posting your opinions.

tallg... give me a break!!! when i start seeing locals being gentle, being treated fairly when they do something worng, when I start seeing them waiting on line as the rest of us or driving as real drivers and not as if they owned the streets... when I stop seeing them around the swimming pool littering the place, then I might start thinking differently.

Until then, I have the right to think whatever I want. I have the right of a opinion.

I saw a local (and I know as I saw the license number in his car) treating the doorman at a hotel like if the poor man was his own private servant... I am sorry, but when I start seeing more locals behaving with a little more cortesy and social manners I will change my opinion.

Lucky you if you love this place and its people so much. Maybe thats why you migth have forgot that people can think and have their own opinion and SOMETIMES they dont agree with you.

bleu, it's not qatari bashing. it's about misbehavior of some people!

tallg, it's useless. I stopped commenting on weak Qatari bashing....

I am really alergic to all those ball less expats who hand their ass over to the other person as soon as they hear 'I am a Qatari'....If you are wrong you are WRONG.

Noms,

hehehehe...a lot of passengers in that flight expressed similar thoughts!

It should've been me on the 18C & after the first few words & one kick behind my seat, that guy wouldnt have had chance for another kick in his entire life, nor would he even open his mouth..!! what rights he talkn about?? both the passengers carry same tickets including the taxes..!! wtf!!?!!

~noms~

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"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein

tallg,

When some people get frustrated / attacked / hurt, they tend to generalize...

I am quite sure that Su was referring only to the bad experiences she witnessed here (perhaps many) and not to the entire population!

lusitano, I'm being pedantic. But I find paragraphs like the following from su2009 extremely rude;

"it just doenst happen here if you are local. they grow up like this so thats just why they look down at anyone who is not like them."

Qatarisun,

Not too long ago, there was a post here about a guy, kicked out of an Emirates flight leaving Morocco to Australia via Dubai, due to his misbehavior.

Not sure if he was blacklisted but at least he got what he deserved on the spot and the airline proved to all that they apply the International Security rules.

tallg,

Why numbers? Isn’t enough what one can be exposed when living here?

The % is sufficiently high to give Qatar a bad reputation.

We understand that is unfair for the educated and respectful Qataris and that is why we should not say "all" but "some".

I ‘ve got a question here.

If someone misbehaved while flying or on the ground while getting aboard, can this 'someone' get blacklisted by these Airlines and not be admitted next time when he/she wants to fly with them?

*********************

“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Yep, spotted that lustano. But the second paragraph is a complete generalisation.

And how many is lots? I want percentages.

well, it is because this is qatar. the rules and law are always disregarded for the local here which is quiet unfair to evryone..

Tallg,

she said "lots of", not "all of".

:)

all of them su2009?

the way I see is... in most countries, anyone who behaves as lots of the locals behave here, that person would have to take the consequences.

it just doenst happen here if you are local. they grow up like this so thats just why they look down at anyone who is not like them.

it is like living in a bubble.

Don't get me wrong people, if I'd have been on the plane I'd have be baying for him to be knocked unconscious and stuffed in the toilet. If I'd been the guy in seat 18C I may well have done that to him myself.

But putting myself in the pilots shoes, I can see how saying that he'd be handed to security on arrival may have seemed like a good way to calm the situation down. You could argue that, since the situation was successfully defused, it worked.

I think Tall is just trying to add a bit of perspective lol.

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Couldn't agree more with Ummjake, Cynbob, Oryx, Marycatherine and su2009.

I don't agree with Bleu, as the aggressor ended up disturbing more than the person in front of him. As the crew witnessed he was offensive to all other passengers around him and therefore the airline does owe an explanation to those passengers of what action they take in these circumstances.

Just because we landed in Qatar, the aggressor was a Qatari on a Qatar Airways plan, its no excuse to let unpunished this kind of behavior.

I am sure that if Bleu was the victim, he would not have appreciated the aggressor’s attitude!

Tallg,

You seem to be always the nice guy.

PS. Still no news from QR, even after

- 1 follow-up email using their "contact us"

- 1 phone call to customer service, which they say that they don't deal with issues related to past flights and i should email "[email protected]";

- 1 email to "[email protected]";

I will keep you updated when I get their official reply.

Yes, I kick and scream every time I go abroad. It's simply the only way to behave.

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well, that shows exactly how things work in this country. and what to expect once here.

as I said, they are very quick to kick and scream at the first sign any of their traditions or habits need a little adjustment when they are overseas... a one way road.

"in the heat of the situation he didn't have time to think things through"? And he's flying the plane? Glad I'm boycotting QR LOL

Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

Yes, he could have and that would have been better. Perhaps in the heat of the situation he didn't have time to think things through.

TallG - if you are going to state consequences of actions then they need to be enforced otherwise its just a farce

he could have used nebulous statements like 'dealt with accordingly' or something

Well, to be fair, the captain could have said that the 'aggressor' would be handed over to security at the airport purely as a means to reassure the other passengers and to make the 'aggressor' reconsider what he was doing before things escalated.

At the end of the day the incident, while completely unacceptable, wasn't THAT serious. While personally I think he should have been handed over to security, it could be that protocol or personal judgement deemed it not necessary.

That's just it --- there is no shame.

There is no shame because people like this aren't shamed in public.

The captain; airline crew; and/or security are all enablers and reinforcing this type of behavior.

Until these 2 year old acting adults suffer consequences, they will start acting like mature adults.

Until then, the rest of the population suffers.

I think they would reply to the "victim", and possibly contact the "aggressor"... They just won't inform you.

If I was QR, or the Airport, I wouldn't reply to a third party asking questions about an issue they saw.

passengers on board about what steps they were taking to ensure the safety and security of the flight.

I can totally see where this heading...the captain will point a finger at the cabin crew, who will say no, the captain told us that was what he was going to do...

In the end, not a damn thing will happen and everyone will just throw their hands up into the air and say "Oh well...no harm done", and this ill-mannered man will continue to annoy and disrupt future flights with his childish antics without consequence.

God help my son if he EVER grows up to behave as disrespectfully to ANYONE as this bloke did on the flight, because I would take him out of rotation so fast his head would spin.

Honestly...this man and his family should be ashamed, and Qatar Airways and Qatar International Airport just lost a lot of my respect for their lack of a response to the situation AND a lack of a timely reply to lusitano's query about the matter.

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

Oryx,

Thank you for the update. I am still waiting for their official explanation.

This contradicts what the cabin crew announced to the passengers around the aggressor and in such case another explanation needs to be given!

that is the explanation...i sent the link as promised to the right person and that is the reply i got.

Oryx,

Let's see what Qatar Airways will say... still waiting for their explanation.

Apparently the captain didn't report it so thats why there was no one waiting for the guy when he disembarked.

Same as with the airport Fire department, out of all the chaps that work there ,, there would only be 1-2 that have the ICAO qualification to do that job, and buy law all must have the qualification. But they get their license renewed each time.. How.. Pay under the table, god help us if an incident accured there , the fire department would not know what to do,it would be the same as the accident at Thailand Phuket airport… so why should security department at the airport be any different

Power to the non believers, it’s a great feeling to have and hold.

Genesis,

I can't comment on the lack of feedback or consideration from Qatar Airways towards others.

Perhaps instead of writing to the media, they should write to Qatar Airways.

However, I don’t think that a 5 star airline would ever stop serving alcohol or will ever favor a particular nationality over the others. If ever that happened Qatar Airways would be flying Qataris only (a very low number of passengers when compared to other nationalities).

As for the episode describe in this post, as Qatar Airways is a 5 star Airline,I expect feedback and a reasonable explanation for the security failure.

What do you expect?

As long there are Qataris who think that QA is their private jet , This will persist. All over the local media many Qataris yet complains of not being favored by the airline, the serving of alcohol on board & the deviation on air ticket fair.

So far none of the Airline or government officials are addressing those complaints from locals...

Bleu said, "This is a feeling shared by many Qataris who have become a minority in their country." I feel that these certain acts of bullying is steming from that sentiment. Putting too much pride in your race or citizenship is something everyone is guilty of. Yeah, from where I am coming from, I'd say something like, "Well, nicely done to him on possibly yet again, brilliantly, using his power or advantage as a Qatari" (sarcastically speaking). Never mind the labels such as racism and such..This is classic bullying. Everyone is guilty of such in their lifetime. But hey, if I was the guy at 18C, I would be furious and will find a way to get back at him for sure.

Update:

I have sent the report to QR on 25 May, a reminder on the 28 May, and so far I have not yet received any acknowledgment or reply.

I will call them today.

Power to the non believers, it’s a great feeling to have and hold.

they cant take care of their own staff and workers andwhat are they going to take care of the passengers stupid fools.only want money really dirty and disgusting airline and these crew cheap people spolilng their name and the company name in the clubs here for money.really when i meet such type of people it really makes me sick .when you meet these employees always they talk bad abt the company and where all they have flown to if your not happy ina company leave it dont come an spoil others calm and peace with your qatar airways bullshit.

If QR didn't report it to DIA, then QR are at fault (if you think they should have reported it of course).

If they did, then when the landed the pilot would have taxied to wherever he was told, so that would imply it was DIA's fault

I think theres a point missed here. If there is a disturbance on a aircraft and is radioed ahead,procedure says that the plane is taxied to a separate area and the cabin doors are not opened until the authorities are on the other side, the doors are then opened, police board the aircraft take off the offender and complainant before anyone is allowed to disembark. QA obviously didnt follow protocol.

I was once a flight to Sydney and there was this 'man' sat behind my son. My son was so ill; he suffered greatly from travel sickness. After he had finished being sick, I asked the man behind if it was OK for me to put his seat back so my son could lie down and get some rest.

This man said No. Fair enough.

Later on in the flight, he put his seat down. Unbeknown to him, the person sat behind him is a mate of mine and had seen what an arse he was to me. So he asked the man to put his seat up. The man kicked off BIG TIME.

The staff dealt with it all wonderfully.

They moved the offensive bastard straight away (laughing) to shall we say a part of the plane he would hate and we got peace.

____________________________________________________

God does not believe in Athiests.

... then DIA shud have not let the guy walk away with a handshake and smile ... bottomline - some form of action shud & must be taken but none will...after all he is Qatari, and it is 'their' plane and he is landing in Qatar .....

Isn't the issue here with Doha International Airport, not the airline? It sounds like QR dealt with the incident very well at the time.

if a Brit kicked up a similar fuss.. it wud be front page news in the UK and worldwide and a hot topic on QL abt how DONT fly BA .. there probably wud be lots of Brit bashing here and talk of how wonderful it is to fly QR in peace and harmony :o) ... and if a Brit or Indian or Singaporean had kicked and punched the seat like that on a QR flight bound for Doha, the moment the person sets foot in Doha, that person wud have been taken by the local authorities and most likely jailed & deported ...

mary catherine, emirates just put up their luggage allowance for economy class from 20 kg to 30 kg.

I wonder what will happen if British kicking a fuss on British Airways flight and said I am a British in a british airways flight so I have more rights then non british passenger. Or same case with Singapore inside Singapore Airlines flight.

Oh no, you will get a response from QR - however, it will be "that the airline has followed all the required procedures and policies" there will be no offer of follow up or compensation - I've only flown QR 3 times - have had serious (from my perspective) complaints, made them in writing - got an email reply that stated the above to each - maybe a 100% failure rate on only 3 flights is not significant to those that have had good experiences. Perhaps my expectations are too high - then again, I usually fly Emirates - I've had complaints with them over 8 years, but at least I don't get a generic email response and they seem to care about improving their service where they see a need.

I'll be flying Emirates from now on - even if it does mean going backwards to go home and paying more for the privilege. They seem to value their customers and the feedback they get (good and bad) and don't have to "buy" their awards which it seems QR does - I don't see how they could get them legitimately - from my admittedly limited experience.

Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

justagirl,

i suspect that QR can do as much to this qatari as police do to the reckless drivers here!

i will follow up and demand an answer from QR and will publish it here!

doubt u going to get any response from QR ... and if they do, please do share with us. wud be interesting to see what their response is ... probably wud say something like 'it is not in QR's authority to detain the psgr as we have handed him over to the local authorities' ... its like out of their hands which is probably true ... from their side they could probably black-list the guy from using QR again .. but it wont solve the problem of this arising again i guess ...

justagirl,

I see your point, it does happen often with the choice of meal.

As we are talking about personal views about Qatar Airways, here goes mine:

Qatar Airways is definitely not the worse, but not the best either (Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Japan Airlines, are among the best service and comfort providers in economy class).

The entertainment selection does not change for several months. The program selection is quite boring. Often very old programs and series are the choice instead of others more recent.

Try and ask for a glass of cold milk in economy class and I guarantee you that the answer will always be negative as if you were asking for a glass of liquid gold!

Qatar Airways business class seats are poorly designed. Even if the space allows you to flatten your seat parallel to the floor, the seat's inclination is limited and the closest to a bed you will get, is a flat assembly of 4 or 5 separate panels, assembled together with 30 degrees of inclination, making you slip towards your feet.

Thanks Oryx, please do forward it to a person who can provide me/us with some feedback, as Qatar Airways has not yet bothered to do so.

I am sending this thread link to the correct person

i have only had problem with ground staff never with in flight service

Never had a problem with QR.

.. at least saudia dont harp about 5 star service and 5 star this and that ... if Saudia and QR are exactly the same thing ... oops but 'QR, u cannot be 5-star' ... i've met some very good as well .. but never a good flight as i still find their seats highly uncomfortable ..but then, Alexa u are right.. each to their own experiences..

.. its called money ... u pay skytrax some cash .. show the guy who is visiting u a very pleasant experience(ie different from passengers like u and me ..) and there u have it .. the best economy class in the world! which i cannot see for the world. their seats are very uncomfortable, the food is really bad and the service of the crew really depends on their mood with no consistency. then there are the instances where the choice of 'beef or chicken' becomes 'just beef' or 'just chicken' as they run out one of the meals... the crew just puts the tray on ur table and when u ask, the crew which are trained to say 'beef or chicken?' blinks at u and says 'no chicken, chicken finish' .. its really stupid ... 5 star airline? worlds best economy cabin? LOL!

you have a point bujasim but i think that's too harsh, hitting him physically could make it worse. reprimanding or reminding him or his rude behavior is one way and if his attitude gets worse, i think restraining him would be appropriate.

There are two issues being discussed here:

- The first one is the misbehavior of a passenger and the lack of action from Qatar Airways and Security at the Doha International Airport.

(By the way, 3 days have passed since I send my report to Qatar Airways and so far there has been no feedback nor acknowledgment);

- And the other issue is the comfort of the economy class seats provided by Qatar airways.

The second issue does not give any excuse to the aggressor to behave the way he did. What he did was wrong and he should have been punished as he would have be if he was landing in most of any other international airport on board of most any other airline!

I sincerely don't understand how Qatar Airways could get the "best economy class award" when there are other airlines providing much better services and comfort.

A genuine 5 star airline listens to their passengers and uses their feedback to continuously improve their services.

Let's take the example of Cathay Pacific; they introduced new seats, fit in a shell, so its movement won't disturb the passenger sitting in the back. Have a look:

"The fixed-back shell seat in our new Economy Class ensures that no one in front of you will ever intrude into your space again. So you can relax and enjoy your 9" widescreen TV with StudioCX – featuring a rotating library of 100 movies, 350 TV shows, 888 music CDs, 22 radio channels, and entertainment programmes in nine languages."

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/whatonboard/neweconomyclass

The Crew should have slapped that Qatari for his stupid behaviour..What if he is a Qatari??The Qatar Airways flight is not his fathers property!!!!to do whatever he likes...

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

lusitanto,

Thanks for the clarification. It makes more sense now. I can now use the word agressor, he deserves at least some spanking.

QS,

VIPs don't treat people that way. He's just a Qatari version of a redneck.

very witty

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"let's slip out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini" Mae West

You can't teach experience...

little seats...And it's 14 -15 hour flight to DC...

Can't imagine the new one to Houston...18???

You can't teach experience...

The airline treats passengers equally.The failure is from the captain who should have informed security to meet the aircraft upon arrival.Also a failure from cabin crew for letting the passenger disembark the aircraft.

The other problem is that the space between seats in economy IS too small for passengers to recline them without seriously inconveniencing others. They should either be further apart or not able to recline. QA's spacing is not as bad as some other airlines'.

What happened was a security drill to surface the air marshall who did not swallow the bait:)

btw. I am kidding but could be true

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

Cynbob,

At the airport terminal, he sure did behave as if its a routine for him!

You are right, authorities here (those who have power to change things) stimulate this kind of behaviour in planes and on the qatari roads!

This is Behavior Modification 101:

rotton behavior is positively reinforced.

This guy has been getting away with these tantrums since he was a child.

The police are enablers; thus, continuing to positively reinforce this child-like behavior.

Bottom line: Look out for this guy on future flights--he's not going to change any time soon.

Amoud darling and what would have the Air Marshall done to this Rowdy passenger, he probably would have had a go at them also..

-----------------

HE WHO DARES WINS

There were no air marshals.

The person in front of the aggressor was very polite but insisted on his right to recline his seat, which made the aggressor even more out of control. The situation was getting out of control when other passengers started to heat up and shouting that he deserved a lesson right there.

The crew was amazing in calming everybody down, assuring the security will do the justice upon arrival in Doha and managed to convince the victim to move to a seat near the front and when this happened the aggressor then agreed to move to a seat in the back of the plane. Even after they were moved, the other passengers were shocked and took everybody a while before they calmed down.

i guess thats like saying what would have happened if security met him on the ground? He could have a go at them also.

If I am correct, with air marshalls present who do not step in on such instances the IATA can ground the airline.

____________________________________________________

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"

I don't think it's an international requirement Amoud. Someone else may know for sure though.

I'm sure if there had been one on board they would have intervened if they considered it a serious enough threat to the aircraft and passengers. But since it seems that the QR staff dealt with it adequately the marshal (if there was one) may have felt there was no need to step in.

You can't teach experience...

One question, where the heck are the air marshalls in such incidents? We flew Syrian airways a few years back and even they have them. Isn't it an international requirement?

____________________________________________________

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"

Exactly, that's what I thought, too!

He was just not an ordinary passenger - he thought of himself!

The crew explained him that the passenger in front of him had the right to recline his seat and the space left is what Qatar Airways offers to all economy class passengers. Nothing convinced him that he was not right. At a point he threatened the crew that they offended him and they were the ones who would be in trouble after we land. I witnessed that the crew never lost their temper and were never offensive to him. It was just as revolting to observe the whole scene, as much as it is when the same type of people tailtag you on the roads in this country!

ops, vegas.. i have posted my comment, and then I saw your comment, which contains the same idea.. :)

*********************

“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Vegas he was not in Business Class because he was not an Elite Qatari but just an ordinary Qatari I suppose.

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HE WHO DARES WINS

if this qatari passenger was such a VIP, why wouldn't he fly with the Business class or First class? there is much more space there.. he could also get 2-3 seats around him to make sure no one disturbs him..

*********************

“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

You can't teach experience...

Thank you all for your comments.

Just to clarify some of your doubts.

In no way I had the intention to imply that this behavior can only come from a Qatari. The nationality just became an issue as he was screaming his lungs out that he was a Qatari and the plane was qatari and therefore he was inside a qatari property so he had more rights than any other foreigner. And he went on that he would not allow the seat in front of him to be reclined because it was not comfortable for him and that the crew were serving his country and they should not dare to offend him. When the crew politely offered him to move to another seat with no one in front of him, he refused and instructed the crew to move the passenger who was sitting in front of him.

He kept shouting in a hysterical voice and kept punching and kicking the seat in front of him. All the other passengers were shocked and couldn't believe what he was doing (specially that he himself had his seat reclined). Most of the passengers were westerns on transit to other destinations and started to talk to him and things got a bit out of control. That is when the crew decided to communicate with the captain, and shortly they announced that security would be waiting for the aggressor at Doha airport.

Meanwhile they convinced the aggressor to move to another seat and he said he would only move if the victim (not me, Mr. Bleu) would move too. The crew convinced both to move and by then most of the passengers nearby were shocked and could not believe that somebody would claim national rights over an aircraft.

Once the flight landed, no security was waiting and the aggressor left freely the aircraft. Upon arriving at the airport terminal, he went straight to the passport control for GCC nationals section. He was greeted by a local official who chatted with him, laughs and hand shakes were exchanged before he cleared immigration formalities and then he went off for luggage collection. This was witnessed by myself and other passengers in transit. They were even more shocked with what they just witnessed than the scene inside the aircraft. They could not believe what they just saw. I told them, as a resident, I was not surprised at all, this is the Qatar way. When I arrived at the luggage collection, there he was (the aggressor), as if nothing ever happened.

As Ummjake said, the lack of any punishment, just continues to stimulate this behavior and does nothing for the evolution of civilized behavior of certain people here in Qatar, on the roads or on board of “their” aircrafts.

It is the behavior of people like this that give Qatar a bad name. With all respect for all the educated Qataris, this will go on until Qatar is a state governed by the rule of law, applied to all inhabitants equally.

I will update you here on the response from Qatar Airways.

You pay for a seat which has a reclining function, then you are quite within your rights to recline it. Except for takeoff and landing of course. Tough!

***********

"There's this thing called being so open-minded your brains drop out". - Richard Dawkins

lol ladyjane. this cute lil teddy bear has a baddy-baddy side:-)

kadaut...

...that's pretty harsh for such a cute li'l teddy bear...

(Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug...)

ummjake, actually if it was me, i would love to shove the passenger's head inside the toilet bowl. there goes the diplomat:-)

kadaut...

...all Qataris because of the poor behavior of one because God knows I've met some very kind Qatari people. But Mr. Indignant, self-righteous Qatari boy needs to fly business class or first class in the future. He won't have anybody to bitch about then...maybe. I wonder how some of these people handle things when they travel outside Qatar, and don't get any special treatment because of their nationality. It must be a real downer for them.

(Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug...)

While in no way condoning this idiot's behaviour, I can to some extent understand his point of view. When the seat is reclined it leaves less space and is uncomfortable for the passenger behind unless he too reclines his seat. I have problems when the passenger in front reclines his seat beacause I then find the TV screen too close to watch comfortably so then I need to recline my seat too. Then I worry that I am annoying the passenger behind me.LOL

And probably nothing happened to the Qatari because of the 'old boys club' attitude of comraderie among them.

5-star airline!!! Get on or get off!!!

Hahaha

Welcome to Qatar!!!

bleu - The incident as such may not seem very serious. BUt when it happens on board a plane, its different.

______________________________________________

- Listen to Many...Speak to a Few -

No, they should have handcuffed him in the toilet and made him sit out the flight in there.

tallg,

I'm sure he's complaining about the rude passenger on 18C who reclined all the way on him, and wouldn't leave him any space... He'd say it's OUR plane and OUR country....

This is a feeling shared by many Qataris who have become a minority in their country.

I would blame him for saying that, i don't believe in entitlements just because he's Qatari.

I would also blame QR for not handling the situation, they should have moved ONE of them before the situation escalated this far. They should have said "we have a more comfortable seat for you".

tallg/ummjake,

I generally agree with you, and don't condone the actions of the 19C passenger, but "Agressor" and "Victim" are very big words...

We all don't know what exactly happened. The airport authorities may have talked to him. We just don't know.

It seems that lustiano, and many of the others imply this is something that only a Qatari would do. Let me assure you that there are rude people everywhere.

Yes, of course there are rude people everywhere, and I've heard of far worse being done on aeroplanes. And you're right, we have no proof that this is what actually happened (or didn't happen).

But Aggressor and Victim are the words I'd expect to be used for an incident like this, and to be fair to lusitano, only a Qatari could say that "he was Qatari and he was on board of a Qatari plane and therefore he had more rights than the other, foreigners"!

Agressor??? Who did he kill/rape/maim???

He was only kicking and shouting... It's not a big deal.

What should they do to him?? Execution?? Jail??

It seems lusitano was the one in 18C.

I would hope people don't read this thread and think ALL Qataris would behave in this way.

But your diplomatic post made me think of another, related issue: natural consequences.

(Allow me a moment to step up on my soapbox on this particular issue in this culture...) Many people here don't enjoy the chance to experience the natural consequences of their actions -- because other well-intentioned individuals step in to save them from their fate.

In so doing, they are depriving that person of a valuable lesson, causing them to repeat the same mistakes, again and again.

I would venture that if this gentleman was detained even briefly at the airport upon his arrival because of his in-flight outburst, he would think twice before behaving in such a fashion again.

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

perhaps the transition to plane from camel is very short indeed for this unruly passenger so please excuse him:-).

kadaut...

.

http://carloz.newsvine.com/_news/2009/05/13/2812229-blind-man-arrested-dragged-off-plane-for-questioning-why-it-had-been-sitting-on-tarmac-for-two-hours-not-allowed-to-take-his-cane-accused-of-faking-blindness-and-held-in-jail-overnight

A blind man flying with his wife from Philadelphia to Belgium (where he works as a translator) was arrested and dragged off the plane when he stood up and demanded to know, after two hours, why they were sitting on the tarmac, with no drinks and no news. The arresting officers didn't let him grab his cane, but rather accused him of faking blindness, then characterized his problems leaving the plane as "resisting." He was imprisoned overnight without being told of his charges, read his rights, or given access to counsel -- and he injured himself while there because he didn't have his cane.

.

.

call kicking and shouting "aggressive" behavior.

Nobody suggested execution.

Jail? Depends upon what was actually said/done. If he struck the other individual with one of his kicks or verbally threatened him -- maybe.

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

You're not helping matters bleu!

Anyone behaving like this on a plane should be at the least talked to by security upon arrival at the destination.

when that nasty video of Sheikh Issa torturing that poor guy surfaced in the US media:

"All rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department."

Hmm...I am sensing a trend here...

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

I suspect it's a failure on the part of the airport, not the airline.

You may receive a reply from Qatar Airways but it will state that the incident was handled in compliance with their policies and procedures - 5* airline dream on!

Signature line > "You can't fix stupid"

behavior happens all over, but I like to think that in the vast majority of other countries, aggressive, unruly behavior mid-flight from a passenger like what was described above would have minimally been met with his being taken into custody upon arrival, and grilled for a few uncomfortable hours at the airport, possibly with a fine/arrest for behavior that put the flight at risk.

Especially since 9/11, they've been cracking down more on in-flight behavior from passengers.

This guy should have been detained at the bare minimum, not been seen walking off, smiling, chatting casually with airport personnel friends.

What kind of image of safety and security on board a Qatar Airways flight does this behavior give passengers?

What if this guy, instead of just being an arrogant wanker, was actually someone with a more nefarious purpose? Clearly Qatar Airways security policy is: if he looks/sounds/is Qatari, then he gets to do whatever he wants on board our flights.

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

Wrong EMN....

i have Few 1-20 still left....:)

u lost the bet, now shave off ur head....lol

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.

lol...TAILGATING?

Even in the plane??????

...

...my Valium, please...

.

.

Rizks i bet u dont have any.

Aana free, jaana free,

Pakde gaye tho khana free.

really ashamed from the stuff reaction, yes it happens and its a bad way to reply from a qatarian man, but to be honest it happens all over the world in lot of countries.

EMN

coz of ur big gorilla like HAIRS on ur head.

They are scared u might hide some arms/ammuniations in ur SKULL....:)

YOU WROTE THE LETTER...so soon they will announce you a free return ticket... to your destination... and back to doha... whenever you fly... this what would likely to happen...

QR on twitter - http://twitter.com/qatarairways

Seem to respond to a lot of questions. Someone should tweet them the link to this page, see what they say.

these kinds of people should be taught the right way to act in public the hard way!

I did write the report to Qatar Airways with the detailed flight number. I am sure the crew have done it too.

The Qatari passenger was extremely rude and aggressive, shouting to the crew and threatening them that he was Qatari!

I have to say that the crews were extremely professional and they went to report the incident to the captain. They then announced to us that the aggressor was expected by the security upon arrival and that did not happen.

I think the problem happened because we were landing in Doha. If we were landing in London or in most of any other destination, the aggressor would REALLY be expected by security.

I suspect that the problem here was the Qatari Authorities it self and not Qatar Airways.

As for the newspaper here, I agree with Novita.

I would never fly through Doha International Airport or fly Qatar Airways EVER again. Have been shocked and very scared by there practices.

"If enough stuff keeps happening to damage their image, they will care enough to start changing things."

i don't think so ummjake, i beg to definitely disagree!

The security officials always take me aside for a special search whenever i fly.....even i dont know the reason why.

Aana free, jaana free,

Pakde gaye tho khana free.

there are a lot of reasons why nothing happened when the plane landed here in doha, most or some of them we really don't know. the aggrieved passenger should have filed a complaint against that local upon arrival.

write a letter to the editor in the newspaper here? Do you really think that thy will publish the letter ???

I get so annoyed that stuff that like continues to be tolerated. If more people complained and made a point of not sweeping it under the rug, then things will start to change.

Write a letter to the editor of the the newspapers here, and send one to the head office of Qatar Airways.

Where did your flight originate? Other countries often have differing rules on passenger behavior and safety procedures. Notify them/pull them into this conversation and issue to bring more attention to the event and the complete lack of any response once you landed.

I have to say, yours is not the first story I have heard recently that makes QA look bad. If enough stuff keeps happening to damage their image, they will care enough to start changing things.

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."

-- Maya Angelou

The point is that International Airline Security Rules were not implemented because it was a Qatari in Qatar airways and that is a huge concern and a threat for other nationals flying Qatar airways.

The crew and captain did their job but once we landed in Qatar, the matter was not addressed by Qatari authorities, leaving some of the transit passengers (who don't know the real Qatar) shocked!

As a resident in Qatar, I wasn't surprised, as a matter of fact I was expecting what actually happened!

5star airline don't take action.

Aana free, jaana free,

Pakde gaye tho khana free.

WELCOME TO QATAR

peace :)

well i guess we don't have to wonder why nothing has happened, a no brainer :)