Qatar Airways generously awarded greater than 100,000 free tickets to frontline healthcare staff throughout the international pandemic. The worldwide lottery for this sweepstakes was a manner for the airline to precise its deep gratitude to those devoted professionals.
Gaytri Patel, a resident doctor and dependable TPG reader, was thrilled to be chosen as one of many recipients of the reward. However with the pandemic dragging on for years, she and her husband discovered it difficult to redeem their two free airline tickets.
After a number of unsuccessful makes an attempt to take action, Qatar Airways confirmed the Patels on a visit to Thailand scheduled for December 2022. It regarded just like the couple would lastly have the ability to benefit from the airline’s thank-you gesture.
Sadly, there was one other impediment on the horizon for the Patels. Simply weeks earlier than the scheduled journey, Qatar Airways instantly canceled their tickets and refused to reinstate them.
With hundreds of {dollars} on the road in nonrefundable resort bookings and time working out, Patel requested TPG for assist.
Qatar Airways says thanks to frontline healthcare staff
In Might 2020, two months after the World Well being Group declared a international pandemic, Qatar Airways introduced a ticket giveaway to award complimentary flights to frontline healthcare staff.
“United in dedication, we share our gratitude. Now it’s our flip to present one thing again to these on the healthcare frontline. There aren’t any phrases or gestures which can be sufficient to repay these courageous women and men however we hope that our small supply of a complimentary return flight on Qatar Airways will permit them to take pleasure in a well-deserved vacation, go to household and mates or discover a vacation spot they’ve at all times dreamed of, as journey restrictions begin to ease.”
– Qatar Airways press launch
The discharge went on to elucidate that the lottery was open to frontline healthcare staff all world wide. Every skilled chosen from the pool of candidates would obtain two round-trip financial system tickets — one for themselves and one for a companion — wherever Qatar Airways flies.
It was a very beneficiant providing. Healthcare staff world wide jumped on the probability to take part within the free airline ticket giveaway, and Patel and her husband had been two of these hopeful candidates.
“We had been shocked however very grateful after we obtained notification that I had received,” Patel recalled. “I couldn’t wait to begin planning our journey!”
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The complimentary tickets had a slight hitch: a December 2020 expiration date. As physicians, the couple suspected that the pandemic wouldn’t have run its course by the tip of 2020. However constrained by the expiration date on the free tickets, they went forward and booked a visit.
“We confirmed tickets to Bangkok and hoped that the quarantine and different restrictions can be lifted by December,” Patel advised me.
In fact, we now know that the coronavirus would proceed to trigger large disruptions within the journey business for the next two years.
The Patels wouldn’t be going to Thailand as deliberate.
Qatar Airways extends the expiration date of reward flights
As you most likely guessed, Qatar Airways was pressured to cancel the Patels’ flight to Thailand that 12 months. When the notification of the cancellation arrived, it was no shock to the couple.
“We figured the flight can be canceled,” Patel advised me. “The quarantine was nonetheless in place, and there have been all types of different restrictions. It was for the very best as a result of Parth and I had been nonetheless very busy working. It wasn’t actually an acceptable time for a trip.”
When Qatar Airways canceled the journey, Patel was issued a flight credit score to make use of inside the subsequent 12 months. That is in step with the Division of Transportation’s guidelines about flight cancellations for journeys originating within the U.S.
One other 12 months left to redeem their present from Qatar Airways
Now the couple had a further 12 months to redeem their present from Qatar Airways.
“We tried once more and booked a alternative journey to Thailand for March 2021,” Patel advised me.
It wasn’t lengthy, although, earlier than Patel obtained a cancellation discover from Qatar Airways. “As a consequence of operational causes,” based on the airline, these flights had been canceled, too.
The Patels tried once more and booked the identical flights for January 2022. However by then, there had been a brand new surge in COVID-19 circumstances and Thailand had reinstated its quarantine guidelines for vacationers.
“There was no potential manner that we might adjust to the quarantine necessities with our restricted trip time,” defined Patel. “So, I known as Qatar and defined our drawback. At that time, we simply wished to ebook as far out as potential. We had been bored with canceling and rescheduling time and again. Qatar confirmed us on flights in early December 2022.”
The couple started to assume that they’d by no means be taking their dream trip to Thailand.
Lastly redeeming the free flights from Qatar Airways
As 2022 progressed and pandemic-related worldwide journey restrictions started to ease, the Patels had been assured that their journey to Thailand was going to occur.
However then the 2 physicians bought some some scheduling information from their residency program. Now the journey they’d booked in early December wouldn’t be potential.
For the sixth time, Patel discovered herself contacting Qatar to reschedule the couple’s dream trip.
“The agent allowed us to rebook our flights for the tip of December which match into our residency schedule. We had been so wanting ahead to this journey,” Patel defined to me. “After Qatar Airways confirmed our flights, I made all the opposite preparations. We had been so excited!”
With all of the planning full in early April, all that was left to do was wait.
However then in September, six months after Qatar Airways had confirmed their journey to Thailand, Patel obtained an e mail a couple of schedule change.
When Patel known as the airline to debate the alteration, the agent defined that one leg of their itinerary had been canceled. As Qatar’s consultant was looking for a alternative flight, she instantly positioned the couple on a prolonged maintain.
When the agent returned, she had disturbing information.
This promo is over and your flights are canceled
“The consultant mentioned that she had proceeded to ‘droop’ our tickets since our journey was past the validity time level for the healthcare tickets promo (which supposedly led to Might 2022),” Patel advised me.
“Understandably, we had been livid, as we had these tickets confirmed for over six months, with not a single e mail from Qatar Airways concerning this.”
The agent concluded their dialog, and Patel quickly obtained a affirmation of the cancellation of their flights to Thailand.
The couple discovered the flip of occasions exhausting to consider. They started a brand new mission — looking for somebody at Qatar Airways who would reinstate their flights. However regardless of weeks of trying to contact anybody on the airline who might assist, the couple appeared out of luck.
Then Patel had one other concept: She requested TPG for assist.
Determining what went incorrect
When Patel’s plea for assist landed in my inbox, she was in a panic. Her journey was in peril. She had been relying on Qatar Airways to fly her to Thailand and had booked almost $10,000 in nonrefundable accommodations, excursions and home airfare inside Thailand.
“Nobody at Qatar Airways is ready to assist me. We not have tickets to fly to Thailand, and we will’t cancel the nonrefundable components of this journey. Are you able to assist us?”
Reviewing the timeline of occasions, I might see that somebody at Qatar Airways had made an error with the couple’s reward in March. Though the airline had issued a number of extensions of its present to healthcare heroes world wide, the free tickets did formally expire in Might 2022.
That closing expiration date of the promo was a “fly by” date, not a “ebook by” date. By way of flight credit, that distinction is essential. The flight credit some airways, equivalent to American Airways, difficulty have a “fly by” coverage, after which they’re unusable. For different airways, equivalent to United Airways, which has a “ebook by” coverage, passengers could make their bookings proper as much as the expiration date after which fly past that date.
Qatar Airways’ healthcare heroes promo had “fly by” expiration phrases. That meant Patel and her husband would have wanted to start their journey by Might 2022. However the agent they’d initially spoken to at Qatar Airways allowed the couple to order an itinerary past that date.
For that cause, I centered my investigation on seeing if I might get the couple’s tickets reinstated since they’d not been knowledgeable of the issue till after they’d booked all the nonrefundable components of their trip.
Will Qatar Airways reinstate the flights for these healthcare heroes?
I needed to get the Patels’ case in entrance of somebody at Qatar Airways who had the power to dig deep into the circumstances.
As a client advocate and reporter, I’ve entry to executives that the common individual doesn’t. I reached out to our media contact at Qatar Airways and made a plea for the couple and bought a speedy and felicitous response:
“Hello Michelle,
Thanks once more for elevating this and we have now regarded into this, I’m glad to say the workforce has already been in contact instantly with the client and had the reserving reinstated with our apologies.
The tickets for healthcare staff was a particularly necessary gesture for the airline given their dedication to the world throughout the darkest days of the pandemic and we need to guarantee folks get the flights to which they’re entitled.
Sort regards, **** Qatar Airways Company communications”
Two months after somebody at Qatar Airways had unceremoniously canceled the Patels’ vacation journey, their tickets had been reinstated. This constructive decision got here two weeks after I joined the Patels’ battle to get their flights reinstated (I had additionally had a tough time discovering somebody on the airline who might assist them).
The Patels’ much-needed trip was again on. And this time, it might really occur.
Qatar Airways makes it proper
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GAYTRI PATEL/THE POINTS GUY
As a result of TPG interceded, these deserving frontline healthcare staff took their long-awaited journey to Thailand. The Patels had a beautiful time and thanked Qatar Airways for his or her generosity and TPG for our help.
“Hello Michelle!
We’re so grateful to you and your workforce for your whole exhausting work you set into this- with out you guys none of this is able to have been potential! So thanks all a lot!!!! 😊”
Backside line
Profitable a prize from an airline is thrilling — there is no query about that.
The Patels had been in a position to take pleasure in their dream trip to Thailand, however it isn’t possible that the couple would have been in a position to obtain this end result had they not reached out to TPG.
Sadly, by the point all the celebs aligned between their schedules and worldwide journey restrictions, the free flight award had expired, based on the nice print of the competition.
Individuals have an obligation to acquaint themselves with the principles of any prize they win so that they don’t land in a scenario like this couple discovered themselves — with hundreds of {dollars} in jeopardy due to a misunderstanding and an airline agent’s mistake.
The Patels virtually misplaced out on what turned out to be an unforgettable journey, and their story might have simply had a unique ending.
Fortunately, TPG was in a position to step in and assist. In the end, Qatar Airways determined to increase the couple’s prize yet one more time so they might lastly take their journey.
This case underscores the significance of listening to the phrases and situations of advantages, rewards or prizes you obtain. You might have a duty to try this as a result of should you don’t, you may not be as fortunate because the Patels.
If you end up in a irritating scenario with an organization and may’t attain a decision, ship your story to suggestions@thepointsguy and I will probably be glad that will help you, too.