Qatar Airways

Very disappointed in a recent trip using Qatar Airways as one of the connecting flights to our final destination.

We travelled on 7 Sep 2022 and were told by the Qatar Embassy that either a rapid or full PCR negative test result would suffice to obtain a transit visa and entry into Doha, as our lay over on this connecting flight was 8 hours.

Instead we were re-routed into different queues multiple times at passport control having to re-queue; then told that our PCR test is not accepted and that it should be done in Qatar; then told to queue in yet another row where we were told to now complete a transit visa online pre-registration that required 3 additional documents which we did not have over and above the PCR test result.

We could thus not complete this procedure to obtain a transit visa, because of rude staff making us re-queue multiple times in different rows not indicating or explaining why and ending up to do a pre-registration procedure we were not told of in order to prepare the additional documentation in advance.

If this was not enough, our trip back on 19 Sep 2022 was also experienced with an unprofessional outcome. I was summoned with a friend travelling together, to be escorted to security while checking in at the boarding gate of our flight.

We were not told the reason only to find out when arriving at the security office 60 boarding gates back, that my friend's suitcase was a security risk as his electric tooth brush switch on which activated a security alert, which is understandable. But they did not have a reason why I was flagged red and pulled out of the boarding gate while my suitcase activated no security risk or alarm, one again unprofessional and inefficient communication.

The senior officer in charge of this boarding gate for flight QR1365 was D.M. Samira Geige whom did not respond when I asked why we were being pulled out of the boarding procedure.

I can understand if rules and regulation need to change at short notice for security and health and safety reasons, but surely this can be explained and communicated properly?

I will defenitely not fly via Qatar again, as staff are extremely rude and unable to communicate properly, something you would expect from an "award winning" airline!