Updated at 11:56am to add Al Baker’s response to Gulf states and terrorism
Qatar Airways’ chief executive has denied claims that the airline maintains sexist policies that require female flight attendants to ask for permission to get married or get pregnant, telling CNN: “That is not true. That is a load of bullsh–.”
Akbar Al Baker was responding to previously circulating allegations, which most recently were reported in the Washington Post, that Qatar’s national carrier only hires single female cabin crew and that the women sign a contract that prevents them from getting married until five years after working for the company.
The airline has also been accused of requiring female flight attendants to inform their bosses as soon as they know they are pregnant, which can effectively lead to them losing their jobs and residency in Qatar.
When asked about these policies during a live TV interview yesterday with CNN business anchor Richard Quest, Al Baker said that the airline operated “progressive” work practices:
“That is not true. That is a load of bullsh–. This is people creating issues because we don’t have unions and this is what they don’t like.
Our work practices are very progressive. People have all the rights they require, and what rumors are being circulated is absolutely untrue.”
He added that he believed the “unsubstantiated” rumors were part of a smear campaign against Gulf carriers.
Ongoing claims
A Qatar Airways spokesman was not immediately available to comment to Doha News on the airline’s HR policies.
But in response to the Post’s article, the carrier said in a statement that it does hire cabin crew members who are already married, and that single employees do not have to ask the airline for permission to marry.
However, it did not mention whether its married cabin crew are male or female. Nor did it address the issue of whether staff must wait for five years before they are permitted to get married.
“Qatar Airways flight attendants do not have to be, or remain single. Many of our cabin crew are in fact married,” Rossen Dimitrov, Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Customer Experience, said.
Dimitrov conceded that female cabin crew do have to tell the airline if they are pregnant, as required by Qatar’s civil aviation authority, “for health and safety reasons.”
Those who are unable to fly are “assisted with finding suitable ground positions,” he added.
These latest statements are contrary to comments Al Baker made on the same subject in March last year, when addressing the issue to journalists at the ITB Travel Fair in Berlin.
At that time, he said: “If you come to seek employment with Qatar Airways, we give you a document that these are the rules and regulations, if you as a mature individual accept those conditions, then you shouldn’t complain.”
The official also did not deny at the time that the airline sometimes ended the contracts of pregnant cabin crew, saying that Qatar Airways had only a limited number of ground roles it could offer pregnant crew, who are unable to fly due to health concerns:
“We are not in the business where we can guarantee ground jobs or let people stay away … and don’t do anything for the airline,” Al Baker added.
The airline has for some time come under fire from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), and in 2013, the union claimed that standard hiring contracts by Gulf carriers for female cabin crew members were sexist and restricted their human rights.
No subsidies
Also during yesterday’s CNN interview, Al Baker responded to the most recent criticism leveled against Gulf carriers by some US airlines, who said their competitors had an unfair business advantage due to government “subsidies.”
Last week, several US carriers asked American politicians to restrict the Gulf carriers’ access to their market.
In a joint interview with the Wall Street Journal, the heads of Delta, United and American airlines said their Gulf counterparts had received US$42.3 billion in “quantifiable” subsidies since 2004.
That’s in addition to other benefits, such as tax exemptions, breaks on paying for airport infrastructure and anti-union laws that keep wages low.
Days later, the CEO of Delta Airlines, Richard Anderson, said that the UAE (Emirates and Etihad airlines) and Qatar Airways are not airlines, they are governments. He also suggested GCC nations were were responsible for US airline woes after Sept. 11, 2001, saying:
“It’s a great irony to have the UAE from the Arabian Peninsula talk about that given the fact that our industry was really shocked by the terrorism of 9/11, which came from terrorists from the Arabian Peninsula, which caused us to go through a massive restructuring.”
Speaking to Quest, Al Baker denied that his airline – which has been state-owned since 2013 – received any government aid, saying: “We don’t receive any subsidy. What the government has given us is equity into an airline which it owns.”
He added, according to Arabian Business:
“(Anderson) should be ashamed to bring up the issue of terrorism in order to hide his inefficiency in running an airline. He should compete with us instead of cry wolf for his shortcomings.”
Finally, Al Baker countered claims that Qatar Airways had an unfair business advantage by lower fees charged at its hub of Hamad International Airport compared to, for example British Airways at Heathrow airport.
“I don’t think that is true. The airport is part of the government infrastructure and the fees that are charged to Qatar Airways are also charged to all the foreign carriers that operate from there.
So there is no subsidy or assistance given to Qatar Airways,” he added.
Thoughts?
I can’t tell if all the hype surrounding QA is true or a bit sensationalist. All I know was that I experienced less than great customer service from some flight attendants.
Oh, Rahma, you must be one of those pax coming on board with that annoying “i bought a 200 pounds ticket so I own the airline and you must give me everything i ask for” attitude. Indian sub-continent or British passport holder? Wanting to get a free ticket and willing to say any possible lie about how bad the flight was just to obtain something for free from the airline? Yuck.
And yes, Albaker sucks. But he’s got an excuse. He is mentally disturbed. Paranoid disorder, what can you expect from him?
I am really amused and impressed by your ability.
Can you please tell my nationality and passport too. How did you acquire this amazing skill?
I’m on the fence. I’m sure there are a lot of QA staff and flight attendants who read Dohanews so perhaps they can confirm or deny allegation.
I do personally know married flight attendants, some married while on the job.
But no idea what happens if they become preg.
Also I know Akbar isn’t necessairly the best employer to work for.
“We are not in the business where we can guarantee ground jobs or let people stay away … and don’t do anything for the airline,” Al Baker added. —nuff said.
There are preconditions , take it or leave it
Folks, the truth is as follows;
Married cabin crew are employed by QR.
CC must wait 5 years after arriving before they can get married.
CC who want to get married must apply directly to the company for permission to do so.
CC and pilots cannot be involved with one another. It does happen but if found out the CC is sacked and sent home, the pilot usually looses the opportunity for command upgrade or fleet transfer.
If female CC become pregnant then there is a problem. If already married then it is usually a sacking. Forget the ground position bs. It doesn’t happen enough to be mentioned. If single then there is also a legal issue as there has been some “how’s your father” outside of wedlock. It will be a sacking and prob a visit to the cops. End result, ticket home.
Freedom of association is a fundamental human right.
By freedom of association, do you mean the right to join a trade union?
I think he means the right to ‘associate’ with a flight attendant 😉
Well Akbar is right this is complete BS … One World should establish a charter on how a company must treat their employee and endure QA adheres to it
Is there a chance to be hired as cc even if applicant is mrried?
Akbar has a horrendous reputation, one of the worst among the major employers in Qatar, that is for sure.
QA has the monopoly rights to import and sell alcohol and pork products through the QDC. Would one not consider that a form of subsidy???
QDC is a subsidiary not subsidy.
LOL. I KNOW the difference! I know that it is a subsidiary. However, having QDC is like printing money and is pretty much recession proof. My point is the fact that unlike other countries in the world, even GCC countries like Bahrain and UAE, there is COMPETITION amongst importers to bring in products that customers WANT and price them according to the competitive market. Here in Qatar, there is NO competitive market because QA has been given the MONOPOLY on those particular markets. Thus, I am suggesting it is a thinly veiled subsidy.
Monopolizing the market in Qatar is fairly common practice, not a well kept secret. Anyway, it seems irrelevant when HIA is part of QA Group. Any fees charged to QA go straight back
in their pocket?
Yes, it would be interesting to know if the government is using the airline fees to feed back to QA or if the fees at this point are being used to recoup the cost of the airport along with running it.
Me “I need to charge you landing fees”
Myself “cool, how much”
Me “lets just make it up as we go along and say we are doing it that way”
Myself”sounds good, but can I get a bonus out of it?”
Me “its why we have pockets”
Myself “lets go find some smoking hot flight attendants in Peru for a few days”
Me “ok, but you fly”
Myself “ha, ha, ha”
Me “ha, ha, ha”
There you go: found it on google. Second link it’s the pdf.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=qatarairways+female+cabin+crew+contract+pdf
Lol, looks like Richard Quest should have done more research if a simple google search showed an employment contract of Qatar Airways employees.
That would mean giving Richard Quest the benefit of the doubt and assuming he is a real journalist! lol :-p
LOL.. The guy is a walking joke… No wonder why they get along so well these two “individuals”
He sure didn’t come across very well in that interview with Richard Quest, that’s all that I know.
“if you as a mature individual accept those conditions, then you shouldn’t complain.” Read no further.
This guy is a spectacularly bad communicator. I wouldn’t leave him in charge of a puppy let alone a national airline.
Those who are unable to fly are “assisted with finding suitable ground positions,… ” by being given a letter telling them they are fired.
There is nothing odd about Dimitrov’s comments. A responsible airline should know whether its flight attendants are pregnant and how far along they are. Besides, isn’t it better to be assigned ground positions instead of having to lift and shove all manner of overhead luggage into bins in addition to spending long hours on your feet as your ankles squeal for relief?
Of course. But qa is not responsible and usually fires the..
Please don’t presume to know what is best for a pregnant woman. What is best for her is decided between the woman and her doctor. What an employer should do is value their employees and offer options for alternative duties which the woman will either accept or not accept. A pregnant woman is not sick or broken. She is merely pregnant.
I understand your point and agree with Bursin’s response. However, even if we were talking about another airline and not QA, in this line of work one cannot assume that only the doctor and the pregnant flight attendant can make decisions about whether or not she can fly. There is a reason why you rarely see pregnant flight attendants even in Europe and once it gets to the third trimester it’s just downright risky. Yes pregnancy is not illness but things can and do go wrong and airlines do not want to be sued.
You can bet your bottom dollar that if he didn’t have all the DIRT about what the Al-Thanis get up to when they go abroad then he wouldn’t be anywhere near the position he’s in now.
As a former staff..i can tell you that it is true…you must seek permission before marriage which may or may not be denied…but i did know a few who were hired and were already married. Don’t know what all the fuss is about though…have you ever seen a pregnant flight attendant on board?… the only problem is they may be forced to resign instead of getting positions on the ground.
I am pleased that you have spoken out on this matter. As regards pregnancy the fuss is that in other parts of the world where employment protection exists one cannot be fired for being pregnant. There are no pregnant CC as it would be detrimental to the life of the unborn child.
One more thing, since we got you talking. Can you tell us what is the “recommended” age for a single woman to be able to live outside the comp accommodation? I’m sure there’s some feminist out there that would love to hear the answer to this. Sort of like the “expiry” date when it no longer matters what she does. Thanks.
Female staffs are only allowed to leave the company accomodation once they got married and should live with their husband.
I do believe there’s also a once you reach 40 years old we don’t care anymore rule.
Do they still maintain the curfew on attendants?They used to have to be in “camp” by a certain hour.All things pointing to controling their lives and potential exposure to meeting boyfriends
Yes, curfew is till being maintained!
Now wouldn’t that be a sweet documentary or expose for the Guardian.
A side question: are CC at least well-paid? Because having this Al Baker as a boss is apparently not something people would be happy with 🙂
Check the employment contract Coco posted below. From my calculations, a new CC barely makes above minimum wage. So the answer is, no.
Logo looks a bit funny on it, could be a staffing agency thing, either way, I’m sure marketing are held to similar standards, could be an old one, no real way of telling except the GBP conversion, which was last at 7 to 1 in 2008. Salary, doesn’t look so bad to be honest, approximately 1500$ plus expenses paid, training, meals, that’s not so hard to save a huge percentage of your paycheck, see the world, get cheap tickets for your families and live life before settling into a career or making a career out of it, in which case I’m sure like any job, you weigh your options and move up or out….outside the conditions being discussed which are ridiculous. Would love to see a recent contract or offer or whatever this is.
YOU choose to work for QA. YOU know what the rules will be. YOU have the alternative NOT to work for QA. What’s all the fuzz about? Do you want to push Qatar in the 21st century? Forget it.
Contract is $904 USD plus all accommodation(s) and per diem while traveling. This is base, plus $10 or so per hour while in the air….so a bit more than minimum wage depending on where you are from, and not bad when compared to other jobs with only a high school diploma. On the plus side, after 3 years if they go back home, they have experience to join those flight crews and unions….so maybe a tradeoff? Doesn’t even compare to US/UK flight crew wages though – http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Flight-Attendant-Salary-Details.aspx?&yearsofexperience=0 Seems they start at around $42,000 annual and average $67,000 with the high end of the range of $98,000.
Is this $904 per month?
According to the document, yes that is the base, plus an hourly wage for time in the air. So figure another $800-1200 for hours in the air, as they are limited by regulations.
“That is not true. That is a load of bullsh–.” At least is he is right about the BS part
Unless the policy has changed significantly since I was there, you very much have to ask for permission to get married.
Besides crew, it is worth having a look at the turnover rate in head office.
Yep, My family member worked at QA. A colleague was getting married in the fall of 2014 and was reminded that she had to write to the Al Baker to get his approval :-p
Meaning Al Baker is a frekking liar!
I think that is a reasonable assumption.
What makes me chuckle is his description of work practices being very progressive. Well, they may be, but let me assure you, they are starting from a very low base.
Probably explains why they’re so ridiculously disorganized. Fine until you have a problem but then when you do worst.service.ever
Just wondering why employers out here just love to have so much control over their workers and the more the employers keep on denying the truth the more harder it is for others to believe what the employers are saying
Cc have to wait for 5 years and than ask the daddy in written form for a permision to get married with a DETAILED information about the future husband. And if it happened that THE DADDY doesnt like him based on given info, simply denies it. And worst case scenario Daddy would fire cc because the future hubby doesnt meet requirements etc….
The only thing good about qr it that the salary comes on time other than that I would not recommend any normal grown up girl to go to that brainwashing reporting industry. There are plenty of jobs where people treat other people with respect without that famous fear of reporting each other And getting fired because somebody doesnt like you.
And finally about Big Daddy words are unecessary. Just look at his face and behavior in front of the cameras. Well he is no less pleasant in person. Just another filthy hipocrite preaching something he is not.
Enough from me for now. I know too much and it is insulting my intelligence when I hear these things again and again without any progress over the years.
But karma is a witch 😉
BRAVO!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing the TRUTH!!!
Regards,
An ex-qatar cabin crew
So we understand each other 🙂 its nice that finally I can speak up. I have been fired together with my boyfriend because of anonimous report. Lets put our private life, job wise we were more than perfect. I had my private life with future husband and that was our big sin. But thats ok, I knew it might happen. Only thing I never thought that somebpdy would report us and that a 5 star company took in shield that anonimous person never telling me the truth.
Shall I also mention various occasions I have been present when selfclaiming non sexist DADDY wanted to have a lot more than a proffesional relationship with my fellow colleagues. I was really feeling sick of the news I read and than again the reality I see with my own eyes. Finally I am free to talk. And to tell everybody to be well prepared if they decide to go and MARRY QATAR AIRWAYS.
Maybe I should start writing a blog or smth :))))
The smart way to have done this was to collect proof while you were inside QA. Hidden tapes, copies of documents etc. Would have given you more credibility than just anecdote’s.
Hi. So they won’t hire you even if u are qualified just because u are married?
Hi. So if u apply as cabin crew and u are married. They won’t hire you even if u are qualified?
I have a close friend who recently resigned from Qatar Airways. She was required by Qatar Airways to submit documents about her husband ( salary certificate , CV and ID ) when she wanted to get married .Best part is that the couple had to wait for Qatar Airways confirmation before going on with the marriage . The couple are residents in Qatar since 8 years .
Reason of resignation ( she got pregnant ) if anyone wanted to know !!
My Reply to Akbar AL Baker ( what you said is not true , that is a load of Bullsh- )
Would love a representative from Qatar Airways to contact me or any other media PR in-order to present proof that their allegations are false . ( oh no , no one will 😛 )
Actually we all know now that Al Baker is a frekking liar!
He
Funny…here is the employment guide note the section on Marriage. 3 years – must stay single does Al Baker not know of the internets?
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjy.shou.edu.cn%2Fdownload_attach_file.php%3Ffile_id%3D1267421714%26file_name%3D%25D0%25BD%25D7%25CA%25B4%25FD%25D3%25F6.pdf&ei=MGTkVK6_EYHvUNiwgYgC&usg=AFQjCNEOc7AaC8E_jg_PQb1F-nXAcnq2eA&sig2=UVw1obBGeVyczffSyOMXsA
Again, Al Baker is a liar.
Interesting. This contract states that end of service gratuity is only paid to those who have 3 years service. That’s a breach of Qatar Labour Law.
What about other positions in QA? I mean staff who works in their back offices and ticketing and reservations office? I am sure the female staff in those positions need to get permission to get married and start a family. At least that’s how it use to be a a few years ago.
The point is not that the employee has signed and should therefore not complain. I don’t see people complaining here, it’s the outsiders who are shocked with certain conditions and want to inform the people. The point is that the company regulations are in breach with international human rights.
Tje truth In short:
-CC cannot get married before 5 years with the company.
-Prior approval from the company has to be obtained and that is not guaranteed.
-Ladies loose their jobs once they been found pregnant or forced to resign and possibility to rejoin only if ur the luckiest and they are in mood.
-Male or female CC cannot live outside their accommodation if they are not married.
-CC must not leave his accommodation for any reason 12 hours prior to any duty.
-CC looses their jobs if they return to their accommodation one minute later than 4 am.
-CC are not allowed to have visitors after 10 pm or during the 12 hours minimum rest before duty.
-CC and pilots cannot get along or they will be fired.
-CC are not allowed to smoke cigarettes or they will be fired.
-if you get injured on or off duty ur contract will be considered cancelled or terminated.
You’re joking yes?
The absolute truth
No he is not.
its the truth.
So even if an applicant as cc is qualified. they won”t hire her if she’s married?
It’s a shame Richard didn’t ask why Qatari are not permitted to be CC
U cant pay a Qatari Qr7,5k salary, to them this salary is disrespectful & an embarrassment to their nationality. More like Qr75k fits the bill :).
Al Baker is an autocratic bully who runs QA with fear and intimidation, he is despised by all his staff and intimidates and terminates anyone who dares question his authority. he exploits members of the CC frequently, and those who dont comply to his wishes, find themselves shunned or terminated, these facts have been verified by members and ex members of QA staff and are 100% true, the man is a parasite
I get the feeling you don’t like him.
I think you need to tell us what you really think !
Elaborate on exploit
Perfectly said!! Thank you
Management by fear and intimidation is the style used by many Arab “managers”. Bullying is the norm.
Two points:
they have “all the rights they require” what a telling quote, an instant Qatar classic
and if you judge an airline employees happiness by how they treat economy customers then QA staff are not very happy … Emirates staff appear much happier ….
Those conditions don’t comply with the standard MOL contract. How does QA get away with that. Do they pay EOSB?
They will get what is commonly know as an ‘exception’ … which all the govt employers get in one form or another for one thing or another …
“All the rights that they require”…well, that’s might kind of you to make such a determination.
He his held in quite low esteem, isn’t he? Anyone have any idea how Qataris feel about such a dufus ?
The common story you hear is that he is often referred to by both QA staff and industry contacts in Boeing and Airbus as “Mr Burns” from The Simpsons.
Yah, I have friends in aviation in North America. They know a grand total of less than nothing about Qatar in other fields, but even they make fun of him.
He didn’t make friends at Boeing. Here’s a paragraph from an online aviation forum in 2009 i in the midst of the 787 delays which captures the Boeing/Baker relationship pretty well:
However, the Dreamliner programme delays have pushed back the airline’s deliveries by around 18 months, with its first aircraft is not now due to arrive until late 2011. While he is unspecific about the nature of the issues, Al Baker says that Boeing is not dealing with them “in a professional manner, and Qatar Airways is very impatient with them”. He adds that the airline has the right to “walk away” from the deal if “the delay is unreasonable. There are excusable delays in our contract and if these delays get escalated, every organisation gets the right to walk away.” Speaking more generally about news that Boeing is evaluating various ways to respond to the A350-1000 – for which Qatar Airways holds 20 orders – Al Baker says he believes Boeing is “doing things too late. Unfortunately Boeing is not run by commercially minded people, it is being run by bean counters and lawyers and if they continue this way they will give an even bigger advantage to Airbus.”
They don’t consider him a real Qatari due to his genetic heritage……
So they give him an airline to play with?
You made a point here…
Honestly no.. It is because he does not speak Arabic and his know aggressive stand on qatari employment … I personally know at least seven people sacked at different times from different jobs in QA.. All of them QA…
Any defiant employee or even pilot gets sacked
Pilots have been known to get sacked, including Qataris, for drinking the first class orange juice or eating meals while the plane is on the ground prior to take off.
Quick question, in a country & region where all males proudly take their father’s and grandfather’s names as their 2nd and 3rd names respectively,followed by their family name, why is this ‘gentleman’ merely Akbar Al Baker? Thoughts anyone?
Yes I know a number of Qataris that worked for QA and they are less than impressed by the non Arabic speaking CEO….
What heritage is that, half-troll and half-nosferatu?
Can you imagine the abuse he got when trying to mingle in as a child? That explains so much…It’s like “Pretty Woman” but with an indian twist.
The man went to boarding school & undergrad college in India,the country of his birth. He doesn’t speak Arabic for a reason! So I don’t think mingling as a child was too much of an issue but yes you’re spot on about the “Pretty Woman with an Indian twist” analogy!
He’s Iranian!
Ok folks,
Vote UP if you think the CEO is BAD at his job. And vote DOWN if you think he is GOOD at his job.
Which CEO? Anderson?
I don’t think he’s bad…I just think running a grocery in ind. area might have been a better career choice.
He is very good in his job. In a job like his you’ve gotta be a crook to be good.
”People have all the rights they require”
Big Daddy O’Bull Shyte is right.
:))))) indeed is bullshit to deny the fundamental right to have a family and it is written in the contract. So no more lies cause there are thousand of contracts out there with the cabin crew that can prove this! Wish people that were let go from that airline and never given the right to enter again the country to post pictures of their contracts!
From Jeremy Williams book “Don’t They Know It’s Friday? Cross-Cultural Considerations for Business and Life in the Gulf” I came to be aware of the concept of saving face and how it is deeply entrenched in the Arabic culture. In my time here in the gulf I have experienced time and time again situations where individuals of Arabic descend will look you straight in the eye tell you something that he knows, that I know, that we know is a lie, not flinch, all in the name avoiding embarrassment and save face, a very retrogressive approach to issues. A very simple cure to avoiding embarrassment in the first place is to do the right thing. But I guess the right thing may not always have a commercial edge.
About time they thought about replacing face with facts?
AEC, replacing face with facts???!! Such an ambitious preposition, borders on funny
haha!!!……read on…
Delta CEO Richard Anderson states US3 case against the Gulf-3 carriers, follow the link below.
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2015/02/16/qmb-delta-ceo-richard-anderson-intv.cnn
He articulates a very clear agenda against these carriers and why the US government has an obligation and duty attend to this matter. I am impressed they are pursuing this with the relevant authorities and not just airing rhetoric.
Fact, i.e. the Gulf-3 exposing their books to scrutiny can easily dispel or confirm this allegation however I doubt that is even an option unless they are compelled to do so. Probably we could come to that as the US3 advance their case
In the meantime the most that is coming from from the Gulf-3 is trivialising the issue with very cheap rhetoric (read: saving face) and from time to time spiced with “colourful words” on international media!!!…..catch my drift???
Changing this “saving face”culture is a prerogative of the Arab natives if they ever find it worth their while.
As for the wise make it a cardinal rule to discern characters you choose to associate with, it will guide you on the “rules of engagement ” and if you need to setup “safety nets”. For those in the gulf Jeremy Williams book “Don’t They Know It’s Friday? Cross-Cultural Considerations for Business and Life in the Gulf” is a good place to start.
Go easy on the pontification and instead put in due diligence ones choices which is guaranteed to save one unnecessary agony.
In the USA you will see many pregnant flight attendants. The airlines even offer maternity uniforms. they can fly as long as they wish or as long as their doctor says they are able to. Just do a web search for “photo pregnant flight attendant” and you will find many photos.
This could be like a whole new thing: Preggie Air. Imagine all the crying kids and hormonal women in one airline…the rest of us might actually enjoy flying afterwards 🙂
well as an ex staff with qr i can even provid u with documents that prove daddy akbar must approve and sign ur request if u decide to get married
And in case he rejects the request u may be terminated also specially when it back to qatari male
Far from all that there is a carefu sO for ground staff we are not allowed to go out after midnight and in case we want to go we need to ask for permission up to 2am
In case of any we get home late this is a subject to termination also
And aLso a lot of thinks i even know a girl the mr akbar terminated cause she was showing a gum really it was same as guantanamo 10h shift a day and ur iblige to came for over time sometimes u plan to travel than ur ask for ur exits permit and the refuse it just to force u to work in ur off days and much more that happened dailly and as a staff we cant talk about it
Say what???!
Cabin Crew will not comment because it risks them loosing their job … to say anything about their CEO or their company! I know for a fact all the mentioned is true… sad thing is, the report is only scratching the surface!
P.S, They are not allowed to use Facebook, Youtube, Twittier etc… just another rule there so they can fire at their free will. Of course many use those sites… but if someone reports you out of spite, you may very well end up terminated for that reason.
What a great leader and visionary person. Great management style. Unbelievable.
This article is set of complete lies. Al Baker can only spit out lies. I know all the QA rules – I did marry a CC. But before we could marry, in accordance with my wife’s QA contract, we have to seek Al Baker’s permission.
Also I can confirm:
1. CC cannot marry until at least 5yrs of service.
2. QA required all my details – work details, passport, accommodation etc.
3. The request has to be hand written to Al Baker,
because he doesn’t like the request to come printed, has to be hand written – providing details as to why we wanted to get married.
4. Curfew is 4.30am now – if your late it goes onto your record and you can be fired.
5. Min rest – no visitors for 10hrs before the flight/leave the accommodation – has been well documented before
6. Can only take Karwa taxi –
7. We have left Qatar now, but whilst we were engaged (prior to getting permission from Al Baker) I could not take or pick up my wife from the airport after a long flight. She would have to either take a taxi or take the work bus – which at 2/3/4am might be the last thing she wants to do after a long flight.
8. QA unilaterally change the employment contract of CC without consultation. CC have to sign a new contract with no discussion about the changes – if refuse to sign, they are fired.
If Al Baker or QA want to continue to deny the terms of their CC contracts, please reply or feel free to contact me, we can discuss my wife’s employment contract, we still have a copy – as we have both left the country, we are free and no longer live under QA rules.
Wont it be better for you to create a blog and publish all the details there. That way you could refute the allegations with evidence Rather than anecdotes.
Sir good day.Can i ask is there a chance QA hire applicants who are already married? I hope for your reply. Thanks.
So.. this guy went on CNN to lie about Qatar Airways practices. Anyone who has lived in Qatar know the truth behind the veneer. Did you put on two pound this week — you’re fired. Your arms are a little hairy, lose it or you’re fired. Why is your lipstick the wrong colour – lose it or you’re fired. Qatar airways staff are referred to by Al Baker as “his girls”. So what do you think? Of course they need to get permission for marriage. Getting pregnant, good luck, if you’re pregnant and unmarried you’re kicked out of the country or imprisoned anyway, so that’s not even a valid question.
Did he mention the insane curfews?? Did that come up. They’re basically slaves.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/02/14/3623267/qatar-airways-flight-attendants/
i cant believe a whole CEO lies… am an ex flight attendant with Qatar Airways, i remember signing a contact mentioning all those stuff like if you need to get married you have to finish 5 years and even still ask for permission to be married (i knew of flight attendants that were rejected to be married, i know of a lot flight attendant getting married and not informing the company…) YES its true the contract mentioned if you get pregnant you must inform the company!!!!
seriously!!! he said Bullshit… I am one of the excabincrew who asked for permission because we have to ask qatar airways CEO and yes I got the permission in written form.
I flew for QR for 9 years. And what the CEO of QR said is the real Bullsh-.
I don’t find it very professional for a CEO to use words that needs to be censored in an interview. i have had friends fired because they did not disclose their marriage. QR has a no marriage policy for 5 years from the date of joining. After you have completed 5 years you are still not free to get married. You need to apply for permission to get married to the CEO via the Crew Welfare (aka Crew Warfare) department. Its a two week process. Some girls have been fired for asking to get married before they have completed 5 years of service.
Someone in the comment mentioned that QR pays on time. This statement is very true. But however in 2008, the company cut 100 Hours of over time pay just before the yearly overtime was released. This happened without any prior notice. And no one could say anything about it.
Their are so many violation of human rights going on in QR, it’s going to take a long time to list them. It’s just not QR…human rights is a non- existant idea in the middle east. Make your money and leave.
I will not be flying Qatar. Emirates or Eitihad. Simply reminds me of Ali Bakar and the naughty thieves