Australian women on Qatar flight internally examined

[get me outta here]

Perhaps this is why we are only hearing about this appalling Qatari activity nearly 4 weeks after the event. These women, very young and old who had this attack had to go into quarantine after getting to Aus. I wonder if they had to deal with it by themselves. The Fed Govt should step in here to bring Australians back on our planes.

This must be quite a dilemma for the Australian government. Banning Qatar Airways is probably the only way to get them to take much notice. At the same time, they are one of the few airlines continuing to bring back Australians from overseas. If the airline got banned, thousands of Australians won't get home by Christmas (unless the government paid to put on more charter flights or drastically increased arrival caps to compensate).

Like you, I don't think this will happen.

 

[BettyB]

Totally shocking allegations.

 

[JessicaTam]

[mod hat]
Some posts have been moved from other threads.
[/mod hat]

 

[dajop]

At the same time, they are one of the few airlines continuing to bring back Australians from overseas. If the airline got banned, thousands of Australians won't get home by Christmas (unless the government paid to put on more charter flights or drastically increased arrival caps to compensate).

The issue will be the complexity around refunds and those who already have tickets being able to secure them on other carriers. The capacity exists on multiple other carriers. If Qatar had no flights into Australia, that could easily picked up by other carriers. When flights are only carrying 30-40 pax, there is plenty of capacity to absorb a whole weeks worth of QR flights on other carriers. Probably ADL would be most affected, but even then it has 600 arrivals a week cap, split across 6 flights .... (4xQR, 2xSQ), so that would be 400 seats SQ would have to absorb ... they fly a 303 seat aircraft, so could in theory do it!

 

[Mattg]

Perhaps this is why we are only hearing about this appalling Qatari activity nearly 4 weeks after the event. These women, very young and old who had this attack had to go into quarantine after getting to Aus. I wonder if they had to deal with it by themselves. The Fed Govt should step in here to bring Australians back on our planes.

Apparently those affected were offered support when they arrived back in Australia.

'Some were upset, angry, one was crying': significant concerns over invasive Doha searches

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has described an incident at Doha airport, where 13 Australian women were invasively searched without their consent, as a "grossly disturbing" and "concerning" set of events.

www.smh.com.au

However, you'd have to wonder how many of those women were flying Qatar Airways only because they were desperate to get home and there were no other options available to them.

 

[bcworld]

However, you'd have to wonder how many of those women were flying Qatar Airways only because they were desperate to get home and there were no other options available to them.

Which is possibly also the reason that all may have complied with this process in the first place. If failing to do so meant being offloaded leaving behind partners and children onboard and uncertainty about the next opportunity to board a flight.

 

[Pushka]

In a situation like this, especially after having perhaps waited months for a flight to Australia, there would be immense stress and a great sense of having no power whatsoever given the authoritative nature of immigration people generally and especially being in the Middle East.

 

[MARTINE]

There would be no realistic capacity to give consent against this assault. It is well accepted when travelling that you really have no capacity to not comply with a ‘reasonable’ safety request at an airport. They have all the power to take you off a flight /interfere with your onward journey etc etc. However, never would I have envisaged this could happen and it’s truly frightening.

 

[davidj]

I think we will find this could have happened on any carrier, and is not QR specific. I understand other flights were delayed too. The common denominator is Qatar govt and airport authorities.

It is more utter outrage rather than “surprise”.
Although you may be right that pax have short memories when it comes to self interest, the post still feels like an insult.

I think the general population will be shocked but once you know the inner goings of the ME, many out of public view, this is really not that surprising unfortunately. Many folk already don't fly through the ME for this fact.

 

[MARTINE]

Myself included

 

[I love to travel]

In this instance agree with Qatar being be banned. It won't change their culture but it does send a message. Australian government can negotiate with any airline it wants for extra flight.

 

[davidj]

If the Fed Govt really cared about the rights of our citizens then they would ban Qatar Airways from this country until a full and formal apology, and compensation paid to the affected women for the distress, was received. Qantas, with all their huff and puff about equal rights, should remove themselves from any alliance with Qatar.
Of course, none of this will happen.

We have previously praised QR for bringing Aussies home when it was uneconomical to do so.

Not sure how viable it is to close off QR for something the airport staff and authorities did, also risking other Aussies from being stranded OS.

 

[DC3]

... Not sure how viable it is to close off QR for something the airport staff and authorities did, also risking other Aussies from being stranded OS.

A few charter flights should help. Scomo to the rescue.

 

[davidj]

A few charter flights should help. Scomo to the rescue.

Yes, and could have influenced the decision for QFA direct charters.

 

[get me outta here]

I very much doubt that it was the sort of support need after being coerced into being sexually assaulted. Quarantine has not been the best dealing with people in distress. This was done to women young and old.
The women were told to submit or they would not be getting back on the plane.

Apparently those affected were offered support when they arrived back in Australia.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

In this instance agree with Qatar being be banned. It won't change their culture but it does send a message. Australian government can negotiate with any airline it wants for extra flight.

It's outrageous. And banning would be great... but then we have to think how many other airlines would we also have to ban under the same reasoning?

 

[SeatBackForward]

I think the general population will be shocked but once you know the inner goings of the ME, many out of public view, this is really not that surprising unfortunately. Many folk already don't fly through the ME for this fact.

Despite what you see going on in the Middle East, even the more "liberal" places like the UAE, you're not every welcome to peek "back stage" behind the circus act on stage. The last thing the rulers want is people to have any form of actual freedom

 

[Guvner]

It's outrageous. And banning would be great... but then we have to think how many other airlines would we also have to ban under the same reasoning?

At some point you have to make a stand. Might as well start now.

 

[DC3]

At some point you have to make a stand. Might as well start now.

Exactly. Start somewhere, and this could be it.

 

[Seat0B]

I hate that I have to visit the UAE to see my son. His choice to live there, but all the comments about the lack of women's rights in the ME are spot on. My daughter is married to a lovely woman, and they will not visit him there for obvious reasons. I had not considered using Qatar because of the inability to get from Doha to anywhere else in the ME because of the boycotts, but I definitely would not fly via Doha now. I understand that it was the airport authorities not the airline that did this obscene invasion of privacy, but in reality both of those are just arms of the Qatari government, and we need to get the message across somehow.