An Expert Guide on Your Rights if Qatar Airways Denied Your Boarding
If you’ve never heard of overbooking, it can come as a great surprise to learn that you’ve been bumped from a flight, especially if you have a confirmed booking and you checked-in on time.
Fortunately, you do have rights as a passenger that can lead to generous compensation packages.
Let’s take a closer look at how Qatar Airways overbooks flights and what you can do if you’re denied boarding as a result.
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Overbooking & Why it Happens
Overbooking is the practice of selling more airline tickets for a single flight than seats available. Many airlines, like Qatar Airways, employ this tactic to ensure full flights because they are more profitable, whereas semi-full flights are not.
In most cases, a certain percentage of passengers do not show up for their flight. Some travelers cancel their Qatar flights at the last minute, miss it because of an earlier delay or cancellation, or simply fail to show up at the gate in time for boarding.
Because of the potential for no shows, Qatar Airways will deliberately oversell flights to guarantee that every flight is full and profitable.
What Happens if My Qatar Airways Flight is Overbooked?
When a Qatar Airways flight is overbooked, it means that all ticketed passengers have checked-in for the flight, but there are not enough seats to accommodate everyone. If this happens, Qatar agents will first call for volunteers and then, if there still aren’t enough seats, they will begin choosing passengers to bump from the flight. Let’s look more closely.
Voluntary Denied Boarding
When Qatar agents call for passengers to willingly give up their seats, they will begin by offering small compensation packages that can include cash, travel vouchers, and many other travel perks.
There are no rules for what airlines must offer passengers who voluntarily give up their seat, and the award packages can increase drastically as the flight nears boarding time. In addition to the compensation package, you will also be put on the next available flight to your destination.
So, if you decide to accept the offer presented by Qatar in exchange for your seat, it is known as voluntary denied boarding.
Involuntary Denied Boarding
When Qatar can’t find enough passengers to give up their seats, then they must resort to involuntary denied boarding, also known as bumping.
When this happens, you are literally prevented from taking your flight, even if you are a valid ticketholder and checked-in for your flight on time.
Fortunately, you do have other rights if you’re bumped.
Your Rights if You're Bumped from a Qatar Flight
Your air passenger rights for overbooked flights depend largely on where you’re traveling, specifically where your departure airport is located. Qatar Airways is located in Qatar, but they must comply with the local laws of the departure airport, wherever that may be.
Overbooked Qatar Flights from the United States
If your Qatar Airways flight is scheduled to depart from the US, your rights are protected by the US Department of Transportation. This means that if you are bumped from an overbooked flight, the airline must provide:
- A rebooking to your destination at no extra cost, or
- A refund if you opt out of traveling.
If you choose to be rebooked, but your new departure isn’t for several hours or the next day, Qatar Airways might give you meal and hotel vouchers, but this is not required by law. Your best bet is to ask Qatar to provide you these things to offset the inconvenience of being bumped.
You are also entitled to cash compensation up to $2,150 if you’re denied boarding because of overbooking, depending on how late you arrive at your final destination.
This amount must be given to you immediately. Also, you should be given written confirmation of why you were bumped, your rights, and your estimated compensation amount.
Compensation for Overbooked Qatar Airways Flights Departing from the US
Length of the Delay | Compensation Payout |
Arrive within an hour of your original arrival time | None |
Arrive between 1-4 hours of your original arrival time | 200% of one-way fare or up to $1,075, whichever is lower |
Arrive over 4 hours later than your original arrival time | 400% of one-way fare or up to $2,150 whichever is lower |
What to Do if You’re Bumped from a Qatar Flight
- The first thing you should do is speak with the Qatar Airways gate agents. Ask them for written confirmation that you were involuntarily denied boarding. You should be given a document stating the amount of compensation you’re owed, and you should be issued the money immediately.
- Next, request a rebooking to your final destination. Also, remember that you might be able to get some perks like a seat upgrade on your new flight or lounge access if you have to wait.
- Finally, document everything in case something goes wrong and you don’t receive your compensation. If you have to file a claim, you’ll have all the supporting documents ready.
When You Won’t Get Compensated
If you get bumped from a flight that was not overbooked, you might not be compensated. Here are a few denied boarding situations that will not lead to compensation.
- Intoxication or acting under the influence of illegal drugs
- Interfering with the duties of the flight crew
- Engaging in unruly behavior towards the crew and other passengers. An example is physically assaulting a passenger or threatening airline staff.
Need Help with a Claim?
If you’ve been bumped from a flight and need help getting compensated, AirAdvisor is happy to assist. We’ve been protecting air passengers’ rights since 2017, and our legal team has a 98% win rate for airline compensation claims. See if your flight is eligible by entering your basic flight details into our free compensation checker.
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