Girl Gets Free Upgrade To Business Class On Qatar Airways Because Of...
Intro
A couple of weeks ago, a reel popped across my Instagram feed with a story about how a girl got upgraded to business class on Qatar Airways by the CEO, and it honestly disturbed me watching the video for a number of reasons...
The Details
The 20-year-old woman, who goes by the name of Julia Jaraslawski, was flying from Bangkok to Doha and then hopefully onto the USA. She is able to fly around the world due to a family member working for the airline, and she is able to use standby benefits. Standby benefits are fantastic in some cases as you can get 90% discounted flights or, on some airlines, free. However, it also means that if a flight is full on departure, you have to wait to find a flight that can accommodate you, whether that is in 12 hours or in 3 days...
Supposedly, she was on standby to fly from Doha to Chicago that day, but due to weight restrictions, she wasn't cleared as a standby passenger. She headed over to "Ralphs" and supposedly started crying since she didn't think she was "going to be able to leave Qatar ever."
The CEO approached her at "Ralphs" and asked if "everything was okay". She felt "safe" enough (in an airport with vast security) to say her name to him and continue the conversation, and the CEO came back with a business class ticket to New York...
My Thoughts
There are a lot of details that don't make sense in this story...
The flight to Chicago (ORD) leaves at 7:50 am (QR725), right around the bank of almost every US departure. That means flights to JFK/BOS/MIA/LAX/SEA/SFO/IAH/IAD were also within a 30-minute window. When flying standby, beggars can't be choosers, and she also mentions how there was only one other flight to the US that day which is false.
While a lot of this story doesn't add up, the biggest issue is that this episode was handled in the way it was. There is a reason why we say, "We don't negotiate with terrorists in the USA"; otherwise, we would be negotiating non-stop. The same applies to this situation as well. She knew (or should have known) what flying standby means, where you can be stranded for days in a foreign country. Now, does this mean anyone can pull a crying episode and get the same treatment??
Certain people in this generation are too soft. Go explore Doha for a couple of days; if not, take a flight to Europe, as there are hundreds per day. It is not the be-all and end-all.
Final Thoughts
A woman attempting to fly standby from Doha to Chicago was not allowed on the flight due to weight restrictions. Instead of sitting patient or finding another way home, she opted to resort to crying in Ralphs, where the CEO met her. The CEO took her name and issued a boarding pass to New York in Q-Suites... I guess there are perks of being a 20-year-old woman, but honestly, the comment sections on some of those videos make me wonder if those perks are even worth it.
Look, I am happy that Qatar Airways helped her out and she made it home, but she should have understood what flying standby means. Perhaps my take on this article is biased since I have delays in airports for days, and just last week, 15 hours in Bolivia, where I don't speak Spanish...
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