LAHORE: Travellers boarding a Lahore-bound Qatar Airways flight QR628 early Monday morning registered strong protest over ill-treatment by the management, after having to wait in the aircraft for close to three hours without any air conditioning.
The heat and humidity generated in the fuselage resulted in an episode of heatstroke and fainting of a Qatar Airways crewmember.
A team of paramedics had to be called onboard to stabilize the crew member in question who had to be transported off the aircraft on a wheelchair. Eyewitness accounts confirmed that the person in question was semi-conscious when being wheeled off of the plane.
This was in addition to many passengers, especially infants and children onboard, becoming increasingly agitated due to the prolonged absence of sufficient ventilation and temperature control in the aircraft.
Talking to Pakistan Today, a passenger confirmed the incident, stating that flight QR628 from Doha to Lahore on the night falling between June 11 and 12, 2023 was indeed delayed initially by two hours and then a further 45 minutes due to a health emergency onboard.
“The conditions on board were not tolerable. I saw the flight crew member who required medical attention working very hard to make passengers comfortable, and I heard her complaining about the heat in the plane. Next I saw her, she was on a wheel chair, hardly conscious, being taken off the plane by the medical team,” an eyewitness passenger described.
“I am very particular about what my child is exposed to. The image of anyone being taken off the plane in an unconscious state, especially when the same person greeted and served you in the most polite and gracious manner possible just minutes earlier is most unfortunate. Someone should be held accountable for this,” said a disgruntled passenger.
“Qatar is quite pricey. But I still use their service as it is ranked the best in the world. After this latest experience, I wont be using it again”, they added.
A roundtrip ticket ticket from Lahore to Doha on Qatar Airways can cost up to $700, around Rs200,000.
In April 2021 a Karachi court had ordered Qatar airlines to compensate a passenger to the tune of Rs550,000 and Rs25,000 to be deposited in government treasury due to ‘faulty services’. Qatar had reportedly delayed a London- Lahore flight last minute causing a 23 hour delay.
Pakistan Today attempted to get any comment from Qatar for this story but found no relevant resources or contact information on their webpage to deal with such severe and valid customer complaints.
