There’s a certain type of traveler who believes airline rules are for everyone else, but not for him (and it’s almost always a he). And thanks to social media, we’re seeing more of them.
Qatar Airways Should Ban Pesky “Influencer” Who Thinks Airline Rules Don’t Apply To Him
A self-described travel influencer is upset after Qatar Airways flight attendants repeatedly asked him to stop filming onboard.
According to his own account, this happened on three separate flights. At some point, most people would take the hint, but not this guy.
Instead, he doubled down, complaining publicly that crew members should simply let passengers film freely and “ask after” if they want to be removed from the footage. That’s not how this works…and of course he did not blur out the employees from his videos after being asked to respect their privacy.
Virtually every airline prohibits filming crew members or other passengers without permission. It’s common sense…unwitting flight attendants are not props for your Instagram reel. And when a crew member asks you to stop filming, that’s not a suggestion.
The idea that you can film first and “edit later” misses the point entirely. The issue is consent, not post-production. Even more absurd? The influencer in question claimed he would blur faces…then posted footage without doing so.
So much for respect.
There’s a growing belief among some content creators that paying for a premium ticket somehow entitles them to ignore basic rules, as if flying business class transforms a commercial aircraft into a personal film set.
It doesn’t.
And it certainly doesn’t give you the right to ignore crew instructions. In fact, doing so can get you removed from the flight…or worse. The irony here is rich: the influencer complains about “respect” from crew while showing none in return.
Now he says that he will continue to film, even if he is asked to stop:
Well my bubble ain’t broken, but guess what, in my world, neither you nor some employee is gonna tell me what I can record or NOT record on my experiences, and just like you if they do, I have no issues in telling them where to go.
Difference is, yes I am paying for the experience, if you ain’t adding to it, stay the F*** away cause I don’t want your energy around me.
Yikes…
Qatar Airways Should Ban This
Qatar Airways is widely regarded as one of the best airlines in the world. That reputation is built primarily on its superior product, but also from the professionalism from its crew.
Undermining that, especially for the sake of someone’s social media content, is a mistake.
I call on Qatar Airways to take a stand. A ban would be highly appropriate here. Do it now. I may question the Aljoscha Wendholt ban, but I would not question this one.
CONCLUSION
Airline rules as well as basic human dignity and respect exist for a reason, and they apply to everyone onboard, regardless of how many followers you have. If you can’t follow them, you don’t deserve to fly commercial….it’s that simple.
(I’m not going to even mention this loser’s name, but you can read more personal details over at One Mile At A Time)
Oh, and the picture at top I received permission to take from the flight attendant…
“Some employee” can have you and your undoubtedly miserable wife removed from the aircraft to a police van, you pompous twit; and that’s not something you want in Qatar.
I would not miss Instagram and most other social media platforms if they suddenly disappeared. It has created a generation of entitled monsters. Ugh.
+1
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It’s unfortunate that some passengers take so much for granted. I respect what you (Matt) and the other bloggers do to review, respectfully. When some adjacent to you (such as this influencer) rock the boat too much like this, it’s just sad. Not to mention, completely tone deaf with all the disruption over the past month in the Middle East. Yeesh.
If the airline has a policy and doesn’t enforce it equally its a useless policy. Half of the world with a cellphone thinks they are an influencer once they have 2 followers
I’d go further: He should be banned from all flights on all airlines for 30 years but be able to appeal after 10 years. After a couple of examples are made, idiots would learn. It’s extremely unfortunate that such measures are necessary but some people feel that they can abrogate societal rules without repercussion and they need to be publicly shown that that isn’t the case.
Foul language and bad grammar……. why would anyone think this guy is relevant or “influential” on any subject ?
I just don’t understand why ANYONE would spend a nanosecond listening to this clown, or any of these so called ‘influencers’. It just goes to show you how lazy, and gullible Americans are. No wonder we ended up with Trump. Don’t ever underestimate how stupid Americans are.
Spot on.
Wait – Qatar Airways started flying again? As of Feb 28 2026 they have eliminated their regularly scheduled flights and are now only flying 20% of the trips they did before that date. And yet as of March 27 2026 Emirates is flying 80% of their regular schedule.
Am wondering how old this story is. Only flights QR is flying now are “repatriation” flights, No one is allowed to connect through DOH as of today, a month into the “war.”
You’re as out of date as one of Criminal Trump’s fake news broadcasts.