Qatar Airways Scraps Crew Social Media Restrictions

A change in CEO, particularly if it follows one who has been running the airline for a long time, often brings unexpected changes as the new regime seeks to put its own stamp on things. Such a change is happening at Qatar Airways, where the new CEO, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, is introducing his own vision for the airline and its staff, which differs markedly from that of his predecessor, Akbar Al Baker.

Change is in the air at Qatar

After 27 years running Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker handed over the controls to Al Meer on November 5, 2023, who came to the role after a decade as Chief Operations Officer at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, which is part of the Qatar Airways Group. On assuming the CEO role Al Meer was lavish in his praise of Al Baker, saying, “It has been an honor to serve under his guidance, and I pay tribute to him as he heads into a new chapter.”

In his new role, Al Meer promised a new era at the airline where a culture of trust and empowerment will be the building blocks of shared success. While some were skeptical that meaningful change would happen, he has delivered, starting with a decision late last year to end the nighttime curfew for cabin crew, and now he has updated the social media policy.

Qatar Airways has been known for some of the industry’s most demanding cabin crew rules, including not being allowed to post pictures of themselves in uniform on social media sites, such as Instagram and Facebook, under threat of termination. According to paddelyourownkanoo.com, Qatar Airways (Qatar) has relaxed its position and now allows cabin crews to post pictures of themselves in uniform on social media.

Photo: M101Studio | Shutterstock

The news went out to cabin crew on Friday, who were told they would be allowed to post photos of themselves on social media immediately without the risk of disciplinary action. The report said this is not the first time Qatar has relaxed these restrictions, as a similar change was introduced in 2016, although that was rescinded within weeks.

That happened because a male crew member posted a picture from a flight to Europe of two abayas that had been abandoned, causing a backlash on social media. The crew member was suspended and then terminated for allegedly mocking the local culture, and the ban on posting photos was reinstated.

For those of you who have seen photos of Qatar Airways cabin crew on social media, these almost always came from ex-cabin crew or pictures taken by the public and posted without consent. Interestingly, there was no rule against taking the photos, but posting them on social media was banned.

The no-post rule was in contrast to procedures at neighboring Emirates and Etihad Airlines, which encourage employees to post pictures on social media as free marketing, always within the airline’s guidelines. Al Meer has made some significant social changes in a short time, and now it is up to the cabin crew to work within the guidelines to ensure those changes remain in place.

What do you think of these changes? Let us know in the comments.