Have you ever been in a situation at an airport where you are unable to fly out for the reasons not in your control? Weather, for instance? Or just you reaching late to the gate to find your flight has already taken off. 

What would you do to get out of such a situation? Contact airline, of course. But what if you run into the airline CEO itself? 

A chance event like that took place with an American citizen in Doha. 

The person, sister of an American entrepreneur, bagged a business ticket out of Doha after running into the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Airways at the airport. 

In a post shared on the social media platform X, Paul-Bernard Jaroslawski said his sister was unsuccessfully trying to fly out of the Qatari capital Doha and reach the United States with a standby ticket.

A standby ticket is an airline ticket that does not guarantee a seat on a specific flight but allows the traveller to wait at the airport and board a flight if there is a seat available after all confirmed passengers have boarded.

Also watch | Turbulence in the skies: Are our flights safe?

Jawoslawski said that even though there were seats open on a flight from Doha to Chicago, the airline was refusing to take any more passengers by citing weight management issues.

Jaroslawski’s sister stood under the departure screens wondering how she could reach the US.

“A man walked up to her and asked her why she is so sad. My sister told him everything about the situation,” wrote Jaroslawski on X. 

The man told her to wait at the business class lounge and assured that things would work out.

Turns out the stranger was none other than Badr Mohammed Al Meer, the CEO of Qatar Airways.

Jaroslawski’s sister then got a business class ticket to New York City.

“Incredible the power some people hold in this world. With a snap of a finger everything went from sour to super sweet,” Jaroslawski wrote on X on June 19.

(With inputs from agencies)