I wanted to share a frustrating and stressful experience I recently had with Qatar Airways in hopes of raising awareness and helping others avoid similar issues.
Background:
I was on a Qatar Airways flight from San Francisco to Doha, with a connecting flight to Hyderabad. We had a delay because a passenger lost consciousness, which led to an emergency landing in Kuwait for about an hour and 40 minutes. By the time we landed in Doha, the connecting flight to Hyderabad had already departed.
The Incident:
Things went south during the Doha layover. A Tunisian airline representative, responsible for flights to Hyderabad, started randomly and carelessly collecting passports and OCI cards from passengers. Many of us were hesitant to hand them over, but he insisted it was necessary to either get us a new flight or arrange hotel rooms. He took my OCI card and passport, saying it was crucial for processing.
Despite my repeated questions about why he needed the OCI card specifically, he insisted it was just a formality and told me I was delaying everyone else. We waited for two hours while he sorted through around 30 passports, returning every ten minutes with a few and updating passengers on their flight or hotel arrangements. I was the last to get my passport back.
When he finally returned my passport, my OCI card was missing. He then claimed that I never gave it to him. Since I was the last to get my documents back, no one could confirm I had handed it over. He suggested I must have lost it or was hallucinating due to exhaustion. I checked my RFID proof play and found only my US passport and boarding pass.
The situation was chaotic, and everyone around knew my OCI was missing. I tried to stay calm while dealing with his ridiculous accusations. Luckily, I had photos of myself holding the OCI card and passport.
The representative then went around asking other passengers if they had a misplaced OCI card, introducing me as the person who lost it. After over 30 minutes of this mess, a colleague of his found my OCI card. It turned out it was misplaced by one of his coworkers.
Although he apologized for the mix-up, he said it wasn’t his fault but rather his coworker’s. When I later tried to find him to file a complaint, he had disappeared. The staff recalled him but didn’t remember any arguments with him. It seemed like they were trying to cover for him. In the chaos, I forgot to note his name.
Always take a photo of your important documents and the person receiving them. This can be crucial in proving what was given and to whom, potentially saving you from a lot of stress.
Has anyone else had similar issues with Qatar Airways or other airlines? How did you handle it? Any advice would be appreciated.
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