A 20-year old student was upgraded to business class for free after a chance encounter with the CEO of Qatar Airways in a Doha coffee shop. There’s a bit more to the story, though.
Girl Goes From Stranded In Doha To Qsuite Business Class After Qatar Airways CEO Notices She Is Crying…
Julia Jaroslawski is a 20-year-old student blessed to fly the world on a standby basis. It seems her parents or someone close works for an airline and therefore she gets to fly the world on a standby basis too…which has its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages are clear: for a fraction of the cost of a revenue ticket, she can list herself on a number of carriers and if there are seats left, she will get one of them. Some carriers even let pass riders fly in premium cabins. It’s a lovely deal when there are seats.
But there are disadvantages as well. When flights are full, particularly during the summer months, you can get stranded…for days. Even when already seated onboard you might be booted off if a defect is found on another seat or a last-minute customer shows up and often when you do clear you end up with the worst seat on the plane…a middle seat in the last row next to the lavatory.
Even so, for those with some flexibility, it’s a huge fringe benefit of working in the airline industry and a tool to explore the world far cheaper than most of us can.
Jaroslawski was in Bangkok trying to get home to Chicago. She listed herself on Qatar Airways and successfully flew to Doha. But in Doha, her flight “home” to Chicago went out without her (suggesting one of her parents might work for United, which is based in Chicago?). In this case, there were even open seats, but the flight was weight-restricted so she was turned away at the gate.
The gate agent also mentioned that the two remaining flights of the day…one to Washington Dulles, one to New York Kennedy, did not look promising.
Jaroslawski began to cry and retreated to Ralph’s Coffee shop. As she sobbed over her predicament, a man leaned over and asked her was the problem was. She explained her predicament and he told her not to worry, got her name, made a phone call, and moments later she was confirmed to New York…in business class.
She was even invited to use the beautiful Al Mourjan Lounge (begging the question why the CEO of Qatar Airways would be having coffee at Ralph’s instead of one of his lounges, all of which offer excellent coffee).
Jaroslawski had a lovely flight on QR705 in business class though she arrived late in New York (10:30 pm) and had to “spend the night in the airport” before connecting to Chicago the following morning.
A once-in-a-lifetime story to be sure!
The Employee Standby Element
Jaroslawski’s story has been covered all over the press, but I have not seen a single mention of her status as a pass rider…people have been misled into thinking she was booted off the Doha – Chicago flight due to the weight restriction.
No, she was never confirmed on the Chicago flight in the first place.
Sorry if I sound cruel, but her claim that she “had a full-on mental breakdown” suggests to me she may be better off not pass riding. Pass riders know the rules…you are entitled to nothing. You show up, you hope for a seat, and if you don’t get it you wait for the next opportunity. It’s not for the faint-hearted…
Crying, begging, demanding, or making any sort of scene is not just uncool, but it can get your pass privileges revoked (and those of the sponsor too).
So while it stinks to be stranded, that’s the nature of the game and the bargain you make when you choose a standby ticket for 90% off retail…
She claims it was prayer and her rosary beads that led to the coffee shop encounter, but I’d say it was more likely her pretty face and the beads…or rocks…of the CEO (of course, had it been me, I would have hoped to run into Akbar Al Baker instead…). Hey, no judgment there…it’s a beautiful thing to be young and attractive.
CONCLUSION
Jaroslawski went from stranded to the lap of luxury, flying Qatar Airways’ flagship product on one of its flagship routes. It’s a feel-good story and I’m happy for her that she had this encounter.
At the same time, she’s not a great representative of pass riders and the idea that “there are really good people out there and prayer really works” is probably not the best explanation for why she landed a business class seat…
image: Tiktok/@julia.jaro
I totally agree with your point about her breakdown. For the airline I work for, if she had that breakdown at the gate (none of the coverage seems to say where it started) both her and the employee would have lost their standby benefits. Potentially even indefinitely. One of the things we are always told is to make the expectations abundantly clear to anyone you are adding to your benefits, since you are accountable for their conduct both on and off the aircraft.
She started to cry … that is not a breakdown .
If you watch the video, she called it a mental breakdown.
A rather privileged young adult with the combination of an exaggerated sense of self-awareness, “woe be me” attitude + public attention seeking? I don’t know if there are way more of those around nowadays than there used to be, but things go viral nowadays in a way that just wasn’t the case even 25 years ago, but surely you don’t’ wish a bridezilla type for any family member or friend for whom you wish a good life.
So, he could have a Y pax who paid for a ticket upgraded to F and her take the Y seat, but felt she deserved the F seat. Not my idea of good customer service.
Yet in a travel blog you continuously defend breaking international law building illegal settlements in the West Bank and Gaza,and the aftermath genocide taking place….BTW,I don’t doubt her prayers worked a minor miracle,us Catholics still believe in them.
You’re wrong, Asa. Stop misrepresenting my position.
I believe in prayer too…but not in a god who is a cosmic genie granting our venial wishes.
Prayer for the Lord’s assistance is both appropriate and effective .
I have been visited by Rabbis , Priests , and Monks , and all of them were of important assistance to me .
If people prayed daily , they would be mentally healthy .
If people foll0wed the Ten Commandments and the first five books (Torah) , we would have a healthier world .
Speaking of her trust in religion , of which I am also an adherent :
I must add that the news of a Dem politician mocking Communion ( with Doritos ) was highly repulsive to all people of faith , of all religions .
Yes, Barna did a study on the lack of a biblical world view essentially being a major cause of anxiety and stress. Surprise? Nope.
I feel anxious and helpless without Jesus too.
*I’d feel…
@Ni … +1 .
Religion is a crutch, but religion is no solution to the mental health crises in the country and around the world.
So much cynicism Matt and denial of exploiting the tragedy unfolding in Gaza,as you enjoy $400 per night pampering…..What flavor Kool Aid was it that you drank?
The supreme tragedy in Gaza is the reign of terror by Hamas:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/10/12/exclusive-hamas-documents-sinwar-planning-iran/
Stop drinking the Kool Aid, Asa.
The same Israeli government that claimed they found a Hamas timetable that turned out to be just a calendar. Or the same Israeli government that claimed there were underground bunkers under hospitals that turned out to not exist.
In those issues and others…
https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-09-24/ty-article/.premium/the-six-biggest-lies-netanyahu-told-america-and-the-world/0000018a-c74f-d13d-a98f-dfffed240000
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-netanyahu-lies-war/
I never drank Kool Aid of any kind,too clever for that.Will point out however,apart from the horrors Netanyahu has unleashed on Palestinians,what he has done for jews and Israelis is germinate the seeds of anti semitism around the world for generations to come.Right now jews are starting to live in fear from the backlash globally….Still don’t know what this has to do with an otherwise excellent travel blog.
@Asa … Speaking only from my personal knowledge , Whereas Some of us have never lived in fear of antisemitism , because those individuals tempted towards antisemitism are so moronic and ignorant of those they hate , or do not understand those whom they hate . However, Many of us live Do live in fear because cowardly individual antisemites , do group together and attack in a mob .
I actually have zero sympathy for this passrider. In fact I think she should have the benefits suspended for acting like this.
As you know. You have pitfalls when flying standby. You have costs for getting stranded.
She was not a victim at all.
The pax was upset at staying in a strange place , without hope to continue on her journey .
The CEO went to a coffee shop , because he had a discount card .
The CEO assisted one of his passengers . I say good on the CEO .
She’s not a pax – she’s a nonrev. Not good on the CEO for giving up a premium seat to a pass rider.
So, if your family member works for any airline you are entitled to fly on standby on any airline in the world? I thought that only applied for the airline your family member works for and not any airline? I think these stories are BS and same goes to family members getting offered to fly on business class when loyal customers don’t get upgraded on international flights. That is always the case with Delta when you see many empty seats on business class and suddenly all are taken by people known to the FAs and they spend a lot of time chatting with them during flight.
Depends on the carrier. United and Air Canada are very generous. American and Delta are not.
I do think employees should be eligible for premium cabins after all eligible revenue customers are upgraded. That doesn’t mean, for example, a DL Diamond gets upgraded when not using an instrument to support upgrade.
Not sure what this is about, but Delta employees can zed on OA as well, including Qatar. Heck, as a DL employee I’ve used ZED on UA. Zedding is via a 3rd party site so generally it’s the same or similar level of flexibility for all participating airlines.
Yes, but (and correct me if I am wrong) the DL agreement with most carriers is coach only, whereas with United employees often get business (and even ZED Low business) on many, many more carriers.
Fair point – the only published upgrade policy we have on non-DL metal is with Virgin. Otherwise it’s economy on other airlines, including partners like Air France / KLM / AM / Korean! 🙁
You may not know what you’re talking about lol it’s called zed and you have to be married to an employee or the parent or child of the airline employee so yes you can be an immediate family member and fly any airline
Non-reving in the summertime is only for the foolhardy …. and in general akin to being in the ‘untouchable caste’ ! …
Most airlines participate in a reciprocal interline discounted travel agreement. Discounted rates are generally based on distance flown. Fortunately for this woman, its sounds like she wasn’t expected to “pay” for this favor.
Good for her she wasn’t stranded in the Middle East as a single female traveling alone without a chaperone…
She isn’t a local, so the chaperone issue doesn’t apply to her.
Most of the GCC countries — Qatar included — have foreign women traveling around without a male chaperone. Nothing new in that regard, as it’s been this way since before you ever even got a personal email account.
I haven’t watched the video, but….do we see the CEO in the video at all? Or is it just her word that it happened that way? I too am a bit skeptical that he just happened to be in the same coffee shop at the same time she was and offered her a business class seat to the US…plus she was offered a seat to NYC and then retreats to cry, but then she gets offered a business class seat on that route? Was traveling to the US in economy that depressing?
I dunno, maybe I’m being cynical, but in the age of social media, who knows how true some of these stories are.
@Aaron … she was not offered a seat to NYC , she was told a flight to NYC “did not look promising” .
She lucked out by encountering the CEO .
Rings true to me .
Yes, how amazing that once she talked to the CEO, the flight to NYC went from not promising to a seat available in business class.
Would have been better if she was crying about Qatar’s devaluation of Avios in Qatar Privilege Club and the CEO decided to make things better for all of us with Qatar Privilege accounts.
@Alert,as someone who lit the friendship candle at 3 Bar/Bat mitzvahs I couldn’t agree with you more.
@Asa … =1 .
@Alert. That’s it,be yourself!
@Asa … +1 . Thumbs up .
A quick LinkedIn search you may be able to conclude that her father works at EVA in IL; probably explains why she was headed to Chicago (UA is probably a fair guess but guessing it’s the EVA connection of her father in IL).