Is saving $300 worth flying through Doha? ...next June?

October 27, 2017 1:45 PM

In June 2018, I'm flying from the U.S. to a destination in SE Asia where the cheapest flight is on Qatar Airways and has a layover in Doha. While obviously no one can predict the future, given the current political situation (wrt airline service & airspace rights, I am not especially worried about security), how big a risk am I taking?

FWIW, it's also the best flight in terms of timing and number of stops -- like, this flight would save me $300 and 15+ hours of my trip/life. On the other hand, I'm traveling for a big family event so I'd rather not find out a week before my trip that e.g. the U.S. says "nah, you can't fly out of us anymore". If it were a crummier airline I probably wouldn't even consider it, but Qatar Airways is a Serious Business Nice Airline, which makes me think they might be more stable, but ?!

Have you flown through Doha recently? Do you have any particular insight? Would you book this flight?

posted by goodbyewaffles to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

Best answer: Predictions are hard, especially about the future, but I think the answer is "very low risk." Not only is Qatar Airways a Serious Business Nice Airline, but Doha airport is an enormous state-of-the-art hub, and the disruption to worldwide commerce from banning flights through Doha would be pretty substantial. Plus the political conflict in question seems to be sort of simmering. You never know with anything these days, but as things currently stand I wouldn't hesitate to plan to fly via Doha.
posted by eugenen at 1:51 PM on October 27, 2017 [8 favorites]

Best answer: I recently flew Qatar through Doha to Armenia, and had no problem whatsoever. I think someone on my flight had to take a bus to Dubai, though, instead of what was supposed to be a connecting flight on Qatar. I believe Qatar arranged the bus for them, but it seemed inconvenient. FWIW, the staff were very friendly and accommodating, e.g. they gave me a nice exit row seat because of my size even though we were on bargain-basement tickets. I would personally book the flight unless the SE Asian country you are flying to has expressed any desire to join the sanctions--but I'm fairly risk tolerant.
posted by lmindful at 1:52 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I would book it. I've taken flights through Doha on Qatar fairly recently. It's a great airline and a nice airport. And I'd be surprised if air traffic through Doha gets disrupted.
posted by mkuhnell at 1:55 PM on October 27, 2017

Best answer: Travel insurance can sometimes cover refunds if travel is interrupted for reasons, so you might want to look into it as it will likely be less than the difference in ticket price.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:22 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I flow through Doha last week. It's a lovely airport, and Qatar Airways was nice. The U.S. has a significant presence at Al Udeid Air Base, including the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East. We're not exactly tripping over decent places to host military bases in the area, so we're likely to maintain good relations with them so long as we remain entangled in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Also, yeah, trip insurance.
posted by waldo at 5:51 PM on October 27, 2017