A popular YouTuber has been banned from Qatar Airlines after ripping into the airline in a recent review.
YouTuber Josh Cahill, who has more than 650,000 subscribers, posted a flight review over the summer after flying economy from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to London, calling the airline “outdated,” “dirty” and “unfriendly” and complaining about everything from the amount of space in the cabin, to the entertainment options and more.
“Hearing about Qatar’s treatment of you brought me to this video, and I just want to applaud you for standing behind your review and not being bullied by the airline,” one viewer commented. “I’ll be looking forward to watching your videos from now on and using them to make travel decisions.”
Related: The 10 Best Airlines in the World
According to documents viewed by Insider, after posting the review, Cahill received an email from the airline asking him to remove it in exchange for a free flight — which he refused. This month, he found out while trying to board a flight he booked through Qatar Airlines that his reservation had been canceled because he was banned by the airline.
Cahill confirmed the story in a December 16 follow-up to his initial review entitled “Banned and Bribed by Qatar Airways — Shocking Move!”
“In 10 years of reviewing airlines I have never been banned from any airline, nor has any of them ever offered me a free flight in return to delete the negative review,” he told Insider. “That was indeed a first-timer.”
Cahill stands by the fact that his review was “negative but still balanced” despite the harsh reaction from Qatar Airlines.
Related: Airline Employee Tosses Passenger’s Wheelchair Down Tarmac
“I’m surprised by Qatar’s drastic response,” he said.
Qatar Airlines did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur‘s request for comment or confirmation.
