Saturday, September 30, 2006

What should you do????

If your Qatar airways flight from Damascus to Doha was delayed and by that you missed the plane from Doha to Osaka.
Here I will tell you what happened with me early this September when I was in summer vacation in Syria.
After I checked-in in Damascus airport I noticed that the time for the flight was changed. Just after I checked in. So I could not go back out and spend some more time with the family. I informed Qatar Airways staff that I have a connecting flight to Osaka and there is only 3 hours waiting in Doha. They said it is OK. The flight will be delayed for 1 hour and half, so you will wait now only 1 hour and half in Doha.
Supposedly , the flight should leave at 14.40 from Damascus. We took off at 20.00 from there. The last 45 min we spent in the airplane .
By arriving at 23.00 Doha's time, I missed the Osaka plane (Left at 22.30), next one after 24 hours. So I went to the connecting flights disk , showing some angry, I told the staff there : I missed two plans now. Doha to Osaka and Osaka to Sendai.
With her yellow smile and shacking her head ( she was Indian) she said : No problem sir. We will give you boarding pass (tickets) till your final destintion.
-What is the route????
She said: simply, Now you will take Qatar airways flight leaving to Hong Kong, arriving 14.30 local time(9 hours) . Then , catch the Cathay Pacific airplane, leaving 15.45 to Nagoya (4 hours and a half). It will arrive at 21.30 Japan's time. Then , you will catch the flight from Nagoya to Sendai. Here was the problem.
No flights before 8.00 in the morning.
For your information, originally I should arrive my home at 19.30.
-OK, is there any hotel reservation in Nagoya????
-Wait moment sir!
Waiting...waiting...waiting
-Soooooooooo....
-Sir, can you go to that window they will help you.
At "that" window, a British lady from Qatar airways staff
-I have missed my plane to Osaka due to a delay in Damascus flight. I will go through several connecting flights which will take me to Nagoya(.......) where is no any hotel reservation.
-OK sir, just one moment and I will check....
5 minutes and new employee came , I get more nervous this time when I was telling him the problem. In the same time there was another American guy whom was shouting because of similar problem. Another British passenger whom were leaving to Ghana was having the same problem.( Flights delay) So it was like "Souk Khdra", every one shouting and Qatar airways staff running away and sticking inside.
The British employee came back saying: I am sorry , I can not do any thing for you.
The other employee also came back saying: sorry. I have called our staff in Hong Kong. I have asked them to check with Cathay Pacific if they can manage a hotel for you in Nagoya but also they failed.
-ARE YOU SAYING I HAVE TO STAY THE WHOLE NIGHT IN NAGOYA AIRPORT??????????
-Sorry sir.
At that time I could not control my self , I bit the counter strongly and left.
I went to check at what time the flight for Hong Kong. In less than 5 minutes, they called me again through internal call ( it was nice feeling, you are important).
When I arrived , I looked scowling, WHAT ELSE???
-Sorry sir, but we have another option.
-Which is???
-You can sleep here tonight, and leave to Dubai tomorrow in the morning, from there you will catch an Emirates airplane leaving to Seoul, then to Sendai. You will arrive to Sendai 12.30.
At that time there was a flight leaving to Dubai. I told him, there is another Emirates flight will leave to Osaka tonight if you can put me in that flight.
After several calculations , we found I can not get that flight. So I told him, put me in the flight leaving to Dubai now, and manage me to sleep in Dubai. ( I have some friends there). Of course he refused. Then I get angry again and I said I will go and sleep in Nagoya.
Actually , I thought that it should be a hotel in Nagoya airport, where I can stay for one night, and in case I could call my friend in Nagoya, I can spend the whole day there. ( Later I found he was in Syria also).
So by that I left to Hong Kong.
Frankly I was full of anger, I did not want to stay any extra minute in Doha.
In Hong Kong, when I arrived, the Qatar airways representative was waiting me at the gate of the airplane. He told me that they could managed a hotel reservation to me in Nagoya. He introduced me to the Cathay Pacific airways representative, which took me and finished all the matter.
It did not over yet. In Damascus I had around 35 kg weight in my case. For the Cathay Pacific only 25 kg is allowed for the economy class (even for Qatar airways) . So, I have to pay 70$ for the extra weight.
I should not paid that money, but I was in miserable and I just wanted to finish , so I paid them.
I told them it was OK on Qatar airways , but they said it is different carrier, sir!!!

At that time I should call the Qatar airways representative again and tell him that they have to pay for this , but I was exhausted and I just wanted this thing to be over.
So, in case any one of you had such bad flight , he knows now what is going to happen.
By the way, even in going to Damascus I went through bad situation which made me wait in Doha airport for 11 hours. Me and some Syrian friends, living in Japan, whom I met during that flight.
Another thing, during this , I saw two great airports. Hong Kong's airport is really BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG and great. While I was in the air I managed to see some parts of Hong Kong, I liked it that I started to think why I should leave to Japan. I can stay for several days here.
Nagoya's airport is also beautiful and BIG . It is like Kansai airport , artificial island. But I think it is more organized and more beautiful. I am sure if any one will come to visit Japan through Nagoya airport he will get the correct impression about it. I liked it more than Kansai.
So, in case any thing happened to you like this, you know now in advance what is your options. Good Luck