When airlines receive positive reviews from vloggers, they typically express gratitude. Conversely, if the review is negative, they often reach out to the vlogger with apologies and empathy, explaining the situation and committing to service improvements. However, Qatar Airways recently took a different approach after receiving a less-than-favorable review from YouTube vlogger Josh Cahill, who has over 600,000 subscribers. Instead of engaging constructively, the airline banned him and even attempted to bribe him to remove the negative review.
What Happened?
This incident unfolded in August 2023, under the leadership of Akbar Al Baker, but it was only recently that Josh Cahill revealed the full details of his experience. In his video titled ‘The Shocking Decline of Qatar Airways’, accessible here, Cahill provided a detailed review of his journey from Colombo to London via Doha. He has been doing flight reviews for years, including for Philippine Airlines’ Airbus A350 flight from London to Manila.
Qatar Airways’ response to Josh Cahill’s review was unusual. After the video was posted, representatives from the airline, including the VP of corporate communications, requested an off-the-record call, which Cahill declined. They offered him a free flight to delete the video and also asked him to remove negative employee comments about working conditions. Cahill refused both requests. He later received an email canceling his upcoming flight and barring him from future bookings, citing a filming permission policy that had not been strictly enforced previously.
The situation escalated when a flight attendant from his flight contacted Cahill, admitting they had given him permission to film but were pressured to retract this statement under threat of dismissal. Qatar Airways then attempted to have the video removed from YouTube for privacy reasons and blocked the video in Qatar. Cahill heard from sources that the entire crew from his flight was terminated because the video couldn’t be removed. He has appealed to the new CEO, Badr Al Meer, to reconsider the termination of the cabin crew.
Negative Reviews Should be Taken Constructively
I also conduct flight reviews and ensure I present both the positives and negatives of my experiences. For instance, my recent PAL flight from Cebu to Manila was generally positive, but I pointed out a few downsides. Instead of banning me, PAL thanked me, acknowledging that such reviews help improve their services.
Banning passengers for bad reviews is uncommon, and the approach of Qatar Airways under Al Baker’s leadership was not surprising. Al Baker was known for his strict policies and ruled with an iron fist, often using fear as a motivator. He was overly concerned with the airline’s reputation and would go to great lengths to suppress negative reviews and publicity.
However, with the leadership change to Badr Al Meer, there’s hope for a change in culture at Qatar Airways. Al Meer’s emphasis on “a culture of trust and empowerment” as foundational for success is promising, and I hope this approach will be genuinely implemented and not just be a facade or, in Filipino, “charot lang.”
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
