I just booked an insane Qatar Airways Business Class deal…to connect with another insane deal I booked in Ethiopian Airlines Business Class.
You see, that whole Ethiopian issue isn’t resolved yet, but I’m still banking on using my originally booked return this autumn to fly from Toronto to Bangkok. When I get to Bangkok, though, I’ll need a way back. Thanks to a short-lived but incredibly attractive fare sale from Qatar Airways last night, now I have a way home…plus another trip back to Vietnam…
I was chatting with One Mile at a Time yesterday evening about whether to take advantage of the latest fare sale from Qatar Airways. He was too busy working on a blog post to think about his own trip, but we came to the consensus that this deal was too good to pass up.
But where to book? My primary objective was to fly Qatar’s new QSuite and I know the carrier announced plans to begin QSuite service to New York this fall. I ended up booking the A350 from Doha to New York and the 777-300 from New York back to Doha. Hopefully, at least one of those flights will be subbed for an aircraft with QSuites by the time the flight date rolls around. I don’t like that both flights are overnight flights, making photo quality less optimal, but I appreciate the flights are timed to maximize sleeping and ease of connection.
I am of the opinion that whether Qatar honors these or not, booking directly through Qatar was the best bet. Therefore, I booked on Qatar’s website. I plan to take advantage of the free transit visa to leave Doha airport for the first time. I know the inside of Hamad International Airport all too well, but I’ve never been outside of it.
Mistake or Not?
I’ll address this in a post later today, but I think the answer is clear in this case that the fare was not a mistake, but rather a special “Business Promo / Golden Ticket” deal that Qatar intended to offer.
CONCLUSION
I am ecstatic to fly Qatar Airways again and look forward to experiencing both QSuites and likely the A350 on longhaul flights to/from New York. Plus, now I have a solution for getting home from Bangkok!
they started cancelling ticket now. It is surely glitch fare. Yes it is coincident with promo they try to run, perhaps the promo screw up a little bit. AFAIK, they will put a golden fare on SOME route and SOME date. But things screw up and turn into this madness.
Have you secured flight on ethiopian? Curious how this will ends….
@FYI Matthew this was a 0$ base fare(potentially negative base fare) ticket, thus should QR choose to not honour those tickets there is absolut nothing one can do against it
I have flown on mistake fares before and I would be the last one to condemn you for it – good on you if you got one.
However, you and I both know better than to believe that this was an INTENDED QR fare sale. Given how low it is, it is very clearly a mistake.
You do not do your credibility, and that of your blog, any favors by stating the opposite here just so that in the case of a fight with the airline, you can point to something documenting that you acted in good faith. Instead, it makes you look like a fool who does not know what he is blogging about.
Remember you are playing Russian roulette. The base fare, if you look at your ticket, is zero dollars, a mistake fare.
I agree with others. Attempts to classify this as a legitimate fare may be a nice exercise, but it isn’t an argument made in good faith. You are too smart and well versed in this industry to believe otherwise.
Wow, so many people just talking out of their arses here! It was a legitimate fare sale, not a zero dollar “glitch.” It’s been well-documented that the cancelled tickets were on hold, not itineraries payed for and issued during the (very short) life span of this sale. Look forward to reading your review, Matthew, and can’t wait to hear the deafening silence from the scores of miserabalists who just can’t for their suspicions to be confirmed as science fact.
How can I find out when qatar will upgrade to Q suites on their Atlanta to Doha flight?
No timetable has been set beyond New York. I don’t expect it to happen anytime soon.