“Qatar Airways – my worst travel experience ever,” wrote a passenger on X (formerly Twitter) after she was allegedly stopped from boarding her flight to Dubai at Heathrow Airport. The passenger, Sampa Kabwela, claimed that the officials repeatedly asked for the UAE visa, even though she explained that one was not required for a short layover. She added that she was later charged £457 (around Rs 53,000) for a “no show”.
‘Never again on Qatar Airways,’ says passenger
“This afternoon I arrived at Heathrow to fly to Dubai, transiting on to Kabul. 2-hour layover, not leaving the airport. At check-in, they asked for a UAE visa,” Kabwela claimed, before adding that she showed her onward flight details and boarding pass to Kabul “to no avail”.
According to her, a supervisor was called to “use discretion” to allow her to board. “The supervisor arrived with a power-trip energy. He paced around, spoke in airline jargon and refused to clear me. ‘It’s government-to-government policy,’ he said. His word was final.”
She said that as the boarding gate was about to close, she “gave up”. However, at the last minute, the airline staff reportedly contacted Dubai immigration for clarification, who then asked for her travel details.
“Dubai immigration confirmed exactly what I repeatedly explained for over an hour: I did not need a visa to transit (on both my passports),” she claimed.
Barred from boarding, charged Rs 53k for ‘no show’
By the time she was finally cleared to board, the flight was already “too far into boarding”. Then came her biggest nightmare. She was charged over Rs 53,000 for “no show” and other fees.
She also accused the authorities of “power abuse,” saying that the supervisor had the discretion to make the right call and use judgment but chose not to.
Kabwela claimed that she always flies Emirates, but for a change, opted for Qatar Airways.
“Never again on Qatar Airways. NEVER!” the furious passenger further said, before adding, “I would recommend walking rather than using Qatar. I feel what it must feel like to cheat on a loyal and amazing partner in search of a new experience and end up paying the price.”
In the comments section, she revealed that her itinerary included a Qatar Airways flight from London to Dubai (transiting in Doha), followed by a flydubai flight from Dubai to Kabul.
QATAR Airways — my worst travel experience ever
— Sampa Kabwela (@ukusefya) November 6, 2025
This afternoon I arrived at Heathrow to fly to Dubai, transiting on to Kabul. 2 hour layover, not leaving the airport.
At check-in, they asked for a UAE visa. I was puzzled but explained I didn’t need one when transiting. I showed…
FinancialExpress.com has reached out to Qatar Airways and is awaiting a response. It will be added as and when we receive one. The information shared by the user has not been independently verified by FinancialExpress.com.
Social media users share similar ordeal
The post received significant traction on X, with many leaving their thoughts in the comments section.
One person asked, “Did you have 1 or multiple tickets?” before adding, “If your QA ticket ends in Dubai, it doesn’t matter what ticket you have after that; they won’t let you board without a visa. Having an onward flight ticket from another airline doesn’t matter. To switch QA to flydubai means going through immigration.”
Kabwela responded to this individual and explained, “It’s a Qatar Airways policy, not founded on the UAE transit visa policy. I travel through Dubai every four weeks on separate tickets – Emirates, Kam Air, flydubai. From Kabul, I often stopover in Dubai, and I get a visa. From Lusaka, I transit through Dubai with no visa. Bags are either transferred to the final destination or Marhaba if one ticket ends in Dubai. They transfer at a fee. Not once have I needed a visa through Dubai.”
“My friend was travelling to Seychelles from Qatar, through India. Guy was denied boarding because he had to have an Indian visa. Money was swallowed, and the guy had to use another airline. It’s total madness,” read another comment.
A third shared a similar ordeal: “This happened to my sister. She was going to New Zealand with an hour layover in Australia just for refuelling. She wasn’t going to disembark, didn’t need a transit visa, but the Check-in official at OR. Tambo refused to let her board. She had to come back to Zambia.”
Yet another individual echoed Kabwela’s sentiments, urging people not to fly with Qatar Airways. The person, who goes by Peter Nus online, added, “I had a SHOCKING experience with them on a business trip. Lost luggage, employees in Doha are absolutely clueless, and then it’s impossible to talk to anyone to sort it out. Have sent over 6 emails to them and zero response.”
