Dear Qatar Airways Customer Relations Team,
I am writing a Spanish resident based in Barcelona, holder of booking reference 9W7DPV for flights Barcelona–Doha and Doha–Kuala Lumpur. My initial complaint was submitted via your feedback form on 13 December 2025 and was acknowledged under case reference CAS-571949-D2P0Y7 (CRM: 0830000542785).
Facts of the Case
I paid extra to select specific seats on my outbound journey (2 passengers)
— based on the configuration shown in your seat map at the time of selection.
Barcelona-Doha QR142 14A, 14B
Doha-Kuala Lumpur QR4993 21A, 21B
Kuala Lumpur-Doha QR4990 15F, 15G
Doha-Barcelona QR137 14C, 14B
These were not free seats but required an additional payment, which I chose because the seat map suggested these rows offered more space or a more favourable position than standard seats.
On the seat map, row 21 appeared in a position indicating significantly more open space in front of the seats (at or just behind a bulkhead/galley area), reasonably suggesting added comfort compared to standard rows. On the day of travel, however, snce the plane was changed to one operated by Malaysia Airlines, there was no such practical advantage: the usable space was effectively the same as ordinary economy seats.
The seats in the rest of legs also appeared, from the seat map, as a more favourable row in the forward cabin, but once on board it offered no meaningful difference in space or comfort versus free standard seats. In practice, the value of the paid seat selection on both flights was equivalent to that of regular, non‑paid seats.
Despite my complaint on 13 December 2025, (case reference:CAS-571949-D2P0Y7) CRM:0830000542785
) I have not received any response, beyond the automated acknowledgment.
I kindly request that you:
Given the operational alteration resulting in a materially different seat position/space Qatar Airways will proactively refund the corresponding seat selection fees for the affected sectors. The total of all seats paid would be €307,59)
Legal and Contractual Arguments
Although these seats were not explicitly marketed as “extra legroom”, they were sold as paid, preferential seat selections in specific rows presented on your seat map as more favourable positions in the cabin. A reasonable consumer paying a surcharge to secure those rows is entitled to expect a real, tangible advantage over not paying for seats.
In reality, there was no such advantage, particularly in row 21, where the actual configuration did not match the expectation created by the seat map position. This represents a failure to deliver the additional value for which the seat selection surcharge was paid and creates a misleading impression regarding the benefit of paid seat selection on those flights.
Please processthis refund within 14 calendar days of this letter and provide written confirmation of your decision. Failing that, I will consider escalating the matter through the relevant Spanish consumer authorities and through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms available to EU residents.
I expect your written confirmation on these points together with your response to my refund request. Should the configuration or quality of the paid seats on the return flights again fail to match what is reasonably indicated on your seat map, I will seek a refund of all seat selection fees (outbound and inbound) and consider further action through Spanish consumer authorities and other available EU mechanisms.
Yours sincerely,
M. A.
