Farrel: Precisely! Which is why I don't write; I go in person. Particularly when dealing with/in the Middle East. It's a whole different ball game.
Gulfstreamaviator is right. Those who aren't familiar with how things work in GCC can't fathom how CC are powerless in many circumstances to do anything. Do you remember the Alitalia flight from Rome to London that was delayed (if I recall) for 5 hours and at the end some of the Qatari passengers were removed? That sort of thing is unheard of here. This was a very different situation as we're dealing with a Type 1 diabetic 5-year old, etc. which I've already mentioned. I had done everything right from booking online a month in advance and paying and checking-in online, to prescribed luggage and carry-on, etc. I had chosen QR and paid a pretty sum due to my past experience with them and their professing to be "The World's 5-Star Airline." Their processes on the other hand, was in a state of complete melt-down on that day. And as Gulfstream mentioned many people are powerless to deal with it. On the flight from Denmark I mentioned above, we paid $1200 for excess cargo baggage alone but didn't bring it into the cabin. I expect that other pax do the same. When logic is on my side and I'm right, I'm not going to let it go. Unfortunately, logic is often in short supply in this neck of the woods, hmmm, sands.