To mark World Teachers’ Day, Qatar Airways is giving away 21,000 complimentary Economy Class tickets to teachers around the world. In addition, teachers will receive a promo code for 50% off a future booking, which they can use for themselves, a friend, or a family member.
The free tickets will be distributed from 5-7 October 2020, with the daily quota reset at 9 a.m Singapore time each day.
Qatar Airways Thank You Teachers
Free Qatar Airways tickets for teachers
From 5-7 October 2020, eligible passengers can visit this page to register for a promo code. I’m assuming an equal number of codes are released each day (7,000 daily), and according to the landing page, each country has a sub-quota of its own. Registration opens at 9 a.m Singapore time each day.
Successful registrants will receive a promo code via email within 48 hours. This promo code can be used to book a single adult Economy Class return ticket to anywhere in the Qatar Airways network, with the following booking and travel periods:
- Booking period: 7 October 2020 to 1 November 2020 (all bookings must be made at least 14 days before departure)
- Travel period: 20 October 2020 to 30 September 2021 (all travel must be completed by 30 September 2021)
The promo code does not cover codeshare and interline partnerships; in other words, your flight must be marketed and operated by Qatar Airways. You’ll need to enter the promo code in the booking widget at the time of flight search.
Under this promotion, all fares and fuel surcharges will be waived; however, you’ll still need to pay the airport taxes. This will cost you S$41.50 flying out of Singapore, and anywhere from <S$10 to S$200+ flying on the return leg (tip: avoid London, because the APD is a killer)
Qatar Airways is limiting complimentary tickets to the “W” booking class in the Economy Class Promo fare family. I’m not sure how generous they are with releasing seats for that particular fare bucket, so we’ll have to see.
50% off future travel on Qatar Airways (kind of)
Teachers who register for the free flight will also be eligible to receive a promo code for 50% off a future flight with Qatar Airways. This code can be used for themselves, a friend, or a family member (in other words, no real restrictions, which isn’t surprising given how mediocre the discount really is).
The same booking and travel periods apply as above, i.e:
- Booking period: 7 October 2020 to 1 November 2020 (all bookings must be made at least 14 days before departure)
- Travel period: 20 October 2020 to 30 September 2021 (all travel must be completed by 30 September 2021)
This future travel promo code is valid for a single adult Economy Class booking, in the ‘N,S,V,L,M,K,H,B,Y’ booking classes in the Economy Saver, Economy Value and Economy Flexi selections in the flight selection page.
Do note that your savings will be less fantastic than originally envisioned, given that the 50% off applies only to the “fare”, not the fuel surcharges or airport taxes. Qatar Airways is pretty notorious for imposing hefty fuel surcharges on its tickets. Look at the example below from Singapore to Paris, where the fuel surcharges alone (YQ+YR) add up to S$455.40!
With the 50% promo code, this customer would end up paying S$828.70 instead of S$1,041.70. Still a discount, but hardly 50% off.
Who is defined as a teacher?
Qatar Airways defines teachers as:
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It’s interesting that “tutors” are also considered as teachers, but casual tutors may not be able to take advantage of this promotion thanks to the documentary requirements.
To confirm eligibility, passengers will be requested to present the following documents at the time of departure:
- An official stamped and signed letter from the Institution or School of current employment, which must clearly state the occupation, country of employment, Staff ID or Reference Number matching the information submitted on the campaign registration form. Copies or photographs of this letter will not be accepted
- An Employment ID or a Reference Number Certificate
A ‘Reference Number’ relates to a Professional Teacher Registration Number assigned by a Board of Education or Ministry Register. Boarding will be denied if the passenger is unable to present these documents.
Conclusion
While I’m sure these promo codes will be snapped up at lightning speed, it’s still a nice gesture for teachers who must surely need a vacation by now (they tell me that watching the US Presidential Debates brought flashbacks of trying to control unruly kids).
I understand that teachers in Singapore have restricted travel periods, so hopefully leisure travel will be possible by September 2021 next year.
I am one of thousands of teachers who are stranded due to the coronavirus. It seemed a very kind gesture when Qatar Airways “handed out” 21000 tickets to teachers. I registered in time, but for some reason I did not receive my ticket. The response from Qatar was frankly pathetic and no one looked into the problem, not reading my complaint thoroughly and plainly assuming that I registered too late. (When I registered for the promotion, my application was accepted) but due to a glitch in their system I did not receive the code for my ticket. When I wrote… Read more »