Qatar Airways Bans YouTuber for Negative Review Critique 2023

Qatar Airways allegedly banned a YouTuber for sharing a critical flight review and subsequently dismissed the crew involved. The airline’s actions in this situation seem illogical and raise questions about their decision-making process.

Qatar Airways Bans YouTuber Josh Cahill Due to Unfavorable Review

Popular YouTuber Josh Cahill, known for his flight reviews, recently faced controversy with Qatar Air. In a 20-minute video titled “The Shocking Decline of Qatar Airways,” posted in August 2023, Josh highlighted issues with an economy class flight from Colombo to Doha.

Here’s a concise summary of the events:

• Following the video’s release, Qatar Airways requested a private call with Josh, led by the company’s VP of corporate communications.
• During the call, Qatar Air declared the conversation off the record, questioning Josh’s motives behind the negative review.
• The airline offered Josh a free flight in exchange for deleting the video, an offer he declined.
• Qatar Air then requested the removal of negative comments from its employees on the video, a request also denied by Josh.
• A week later, Josh received an email stating that his upcoming booking with Qatar Air was canceled, and future bookings were prohibited, citing articles 8 & 12 of the contract of carriage regarding filming permission.
• Subsequently, Josh received an email from a flight attendant admitting to being pressured to retract permission for filming.
• Qatar Air forwarded statements from the crew to YouTube, demanding the video’s removal for privacy reasons.
• The initial flight review has allegedly been blocked in Qatar for users with a Qatari IP address.
• Josh claims that sources informed him of the crew’s termination after the airline failed to remove the video.

For the detailed account, watch the video below.

During the call, Cahill stated that airline representatives expressed concerns about his video portraying Qatar Air negatively. They offered him a complimentary flight in exchange for deleting the video. Cahill declined, prompting the airline to raise privacy issues due to visible cabin crew faces in the video. Additionally, they requested removal of a comment from an alleged Qatar Air crew member, addressing serious work condition concerns.

Despite Cahill’s refusal to delete the comment, he offered to share the airline’s response, which Qatar Air declined. Failing to have the video removed, the airline reportedly lodged a privacy complaint with YouTube. Simultaneously, a crew member from the original video emailed Cahill, requesting video removal, citing concerns about potential termination if she didn’t comply.

Although YouTube opted not to take down the video in response to the privacy complaint, Cahill agreed to blur the faces of airline staff. In response, Qatar Airways invoked its contract of carriage, stating passengers must not film onboard without explicit airline permission, leading to Cahill’s alleged ban.

The YouTuber, Cahill, highlighted that he filmed without permission, noting that other popular YouTubers had done the same on Qatar Airways without consequences. Nevertheless, an email from the airline’s customer service team informed Cahill of a canceled booking and a ban on future reservations.

In earlier videos, Cahill praised Qatar Air and even interviewed former CEO Akbar Al Baker. However, his recent critiques of the airline’s fleet management and a dispute with Airbus, leading to the operation of older aircraft, took a toll on his relationship with the airline.

Al Baker abruptly resigned last month with two weeks’ notice, leaving the reason for his departure unknown. The airline swiftly appointed Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer as the new CEO, promising a “new era” focused on a “culture of trust and empowerment” for shared success.

Several weeks into his role, Al Meer lifted a controversial nighttime curfew for cabin crew. Despite a request for comment, Qatar Air has not responded.