Qatar Airways Review
Flights to and from Doha (February 11-15, 2025)
**Routing:** SUN-SEA (Alaska Air), SEA-DOH (Qatar Airways), DOH-SEA (Qatar Airways), SEA-SUN (Alaska Air)
After hearing so many rave reviews about Qatar Airways being one of the world's best airlines, I was excited for my recent business trip that would take me through Doha. Unfortunately, my experience from booking to boarding fell significantly short of expectations, especially considering Qatar's 5-star reputation.
Booking Nightmare
The troubles began long before I stepped foot on a plane. Qatar's website might be one of the most frustrating airline interfaces I've encountered in recent memory.
The OTP Overload
Every single action on the Qatar Airways website required a one-time passcode (OTP) sent to my phone. Want to view your reservation? OTP. Want to check seat availability? OTP. Want to look at meal options? OTP. The constant need for verification codes became exhausting, especially when I was trying to make multiple adjustments to my booking.
Seat Selection Chaos
Despite purchasing a full-fare economy ticket, I was only able to select seats on 2 out of my 4 flight segments. For the other two flights, I couldn't even view the seat map – an experience I found truly baffling given the cost of the ticket. In 2025, being unable to select a seat on an international flight feels like a service failure, especially from an airline that markets itself as premium.
Inflexible Changes
When I tried to explore options to improve my routing, I discovered that Qatar only allows you to change your destination, not your origin. This rigid approach feels outdated and customer-unfriendly. Plans change, and a truly service-oriented airline should accommodate that reality.
Customer Service Failures
The customer service experience with Qatar Airways left a tremendous amount to be desired. I tried every available channel - phone calls and website chat features - only to waste many hours accomplishing absolutely nothing.
When I complained about not being able to view the seat map, their response was baffling: "Maybe because you already booked a seat." This explanation failed on multiple levels: A) I hadn't personally selected a seat; my travel agent had. B) Why should having a seat prevent me from viewing the map? Passengers frequently want to change seats. C) Most concerning - they didn't actually know why the system wasn't working!
This was just one example of many frustrating interactions. The customer service team consistently provided vague, unhelpful responses that demonstrated either a lack of knowledge about their own systems or an unwillingness to properly address customer concerns. For an airline with Qatar's reputation, the gap between expectation and reality was stark.
Upgrade Impossibility
One particularly disappointing aspect was the complete inability to upgrade my seats, either with money or miles. My company books economy class for business travel, but I'm more than willing to pay out of pocket to upgrade to a lay-flat seat for a 15-hour flight. Qatar Airways offered no pathway to do this, effectively leaving money on the table and me with a less comfortable journey.
Airport Experience
Mobile Boarding Pass Failure
In both directions, I was unable to get a mobile boarding pass – something that has become standard for most major carriers. The real frustration came on my outbound journey where I could only get one of my two necessary boarding passes. This meant waiting in line a second time at my connection point, adding unnecessary stress and wasted time to my journey.
Inconsistent Carry-On Policies
Coming home, the airline was notably stricter about carry-on weight limits than they had been on my outbound journey. This created a tense situation as I was traveling with sensitive equipment for work. After some discussion, the staff were kind enough to make an exception due to the expensive nature of my equipment, but the inconsistency in policy enforcement was frustrating.
Onboard Experience
The Bright Spots: Service and Food
The onboard service was genuinely friendly, which was a welcome relief after the pre-flight challenges. The cabin crew were attentive and helpful, though the service itself was quite basic compared to other premium carriers.
An edible economy meal. I wish airlines would stop heating things in plastic.
The food was decent – better than many airlines I've flown recently. However, the absence of salt and pepper packets felt like a strange oversight for an airline that prides itself on attention to detail.
Extra Legroom Seat: A Mixed Blessing
Miles of legroom
I managed to secure an extra legroom seat, similar to an exit row in the middle of the plane where the seats in front were missing. While the additional space for my legs was wonderful, there was nowhere to store my personal items during takeoff and landing. This meant that I had to place everything in the overhead bin, making it inconvenient to access my essentials during these critical phases of flight.
Final Thoughts
My experience with Qatar Airways presents a striking contrast between their marketing and reality. While they're often cited as one of the world's premier airlines, my journey revealed a carrier with significant room for improvement in their digital experience, booking flexibility, and consistency of service.
For an airline that positions itself at the premium end of the market, these service gaps are particularly noticeable. The friendly onboard service and decent food weren't enough to overcome the frustrations of the booking process and inflexible policies.
Would I fly Qatar Airways again? Perhaps, but with significantly tempered expectations and only if the routing made sense. In an era where customer experience should be paramount, Qatar Airways has some serious catching up to do with their digital offerings and passenger-friendly policies.
**Overall Rating: 2.5/5**
- Website Experience: 1/5
- Booking Flexibility: 1.5/5
- Customer Service: 1/5
- Airport Experience: 2/5
- Onboard Service: 4/5
- Food Quality: 3.5/5
- Value for Money: 2/5