Travel agents say ongoing schedule changes and route cancellations by Qatar Airways are creating extra work and complicating travel arrangements for clients. While agents acknowledge the exceptional circumstances, many say the volume of post-booking changes is placing pressure on both consultants and travellers.
Katie Pillinger from Trademark Travel said the disruptions ranged from route changes (Qatar suspending flights to Hamburg and rerouting via Berlin, or replacing Venice with Rome), to time changes ranging from a two-hour to a 10-hour layover.
“The changes are giving clients longer layovers and sometimes an overnight in Doha. It is causing extra hours on bookings that were already completed,” said Lisa Ballerini from Above and Beyond Travel.
Disrupted itineraries
“A mom and her infant will be stuck in Doha from midnight until after 08h00. I am waiting for the airline to confirm a stopover but they have advised this will only be confirmed closer to departure, leaving us waiting and hoping confirmation will come through,” said Pillinger.
Deanne Hunter, an ITC with TAG Travel, also struggled with a recent last-minute cancellation. “A rep in Doha amended the flight from Cape Town to Doha and not the onward connection – that had to be done by the client in Doha. The client had to stay in Doha for 23 hours and 50 minutes after missing the connection by 10 minutes. She only arrived at her final destination two days after her scheduled arrival,” said Hunter.
Qatar Airways also cancelled its Malta and Venice routes, impacting clients during the July holidays.
“The airline was unable reroute in the same booking. I could only book the route via Rome on a separate booking. There is also no seat availability in the booking but there are plenty if you are not in the booking. How do we explain this to clients?” questioned Henriëtte Botes from HTH Travel.
Added costs
In some cases, the changes have also resulted in additional costs for travellers. “With Qatar no longer serving Venice, clients had to purchase new tickets on Emirates, which cost more,” said Ballerini.
They also risk missing transfers. “We are spending time on bookings that have been finalised, at zero compensation. I have to try and reaccommodate clients at their expense and mine which is time consuming,” said Botes.
In some cases, clients with long layovers do not qualify the stopover programme. “A client’s one-hour layover in Doha changed to a seven-hour 40-minute layover. No stopover was granted as it was less than eight hours and the client has to decide if they want to stay at the airport or find accommodation at their own expense,” said Hunter.
She said they originally opted for the flight to avoid a long layover. They were notified of the changes approximately two months before travel with tickets purchased six months in advance to get lower fares. “To now change their flights to something more suitable will cost them too much.”
Qatar cited the recent conflict as the reason for the changes.
“The geopolitical situation has disrupted our schedule, and we are grateful to our agency partners for their flexibility and understanding throughout this unprecedented challenge. We strive to be in regular contact with agents about changes to our schedule and, wherever possible, will give as much notice as possible,” said a Qatar Airways spokesperson.
The airline said it had restored over 85% of its flights.
Even as operations recover, some agents say the repeated changes have made them more cautious when recommending the carrier for certain itineraries.
“My confidence in Qatar has dropped. We’re too busy to deal with an airline that was once regarded as one of the best but is now creating problems for us,” said Botes.
Pillinger said clients were offered a full refund but no alternative. “A full refund a few days before travel is not enough. The airline feels they have ‘done their job’ but honestly, we don’t look professional in these situations,” said Pillinger.
This creates additional work for agents and travellers. “Each time it’s a discussion around what alternative would be better, which land arrangements are affected, how to accommodate the changes, and then we process the changes. Once accepted, it’s resending an updated itinerary and ticket to the client. From the client's perspective, they have to rework the arrangements not processed through the agent,” said Hunter.
