The senator representing Edo North Adams Oshiomhole has given his own side of the story about a confrontation involving him and officials of Air Peace at the Lagos Airport on Wednesday morning.
The management of the local airline had, in a statement it released earlier on Wednesday, accused the senator of unruly conduct and disruption of its operations for missing his scheduled flight.
However, in a reaction to the Airline’s accusation, the former Edo state governor countered the Airline, saying that some passengers, including himself, were prevented from boarding an Air Peace flight to Abuja despite having checked in online.
The incident was captured in a video that is now viral, showing the lawmaker in a heated verbal exchange with an official of the airline.
He said the commotion was triggered by the decision of the airline to prevent some passengers from boarding.
He alleged that officials of Air Peace were reselling seats on the same flight at inflated rates to other passengers there and then.
“I booked Air Peace. They delayed the flight for over five hours. In the end, they announced a cancellation. I had to get another ticket. Yesterday, I booked a flight for 6:30 a.m., which is their first flight today. I booked and asked them to check me online, which I did, along with two other Ghanaians who met me in Lagos. We checked in online just to avoid the last-minute issues I have had with them a couple of times.
“I got there at about 6:05am, but they told me the counter was closed. I told them I had already checked in. I showed them the evidence of my online check-in. Even before then, they had asked if I had checked in, and I told them yes and that I had no luggage. They looked at it but still said the gate had been closed. Meanwhile, I noticed they were still taking other people in.
“So I asked, ‘How can you close boarding for a 6:30 flight at 6:05? What is the purpose of online check-in, then?’ If I had to go through another check-in process, then what’s the point of checking in online?
“While speaking to them, I saw many men and women who had been there even before me, with similar experiences. Basically, they were selling tickets on the spot at higher prices. I’ll give you an example. A lady bought her ticket for N146,000 online. She arrived at the airport at 5:55 a.m. for the 6:30 a.m. flight, after the gatemen had delayed her.
“They told her she was late and that the counter had closed for check-in. She said that was impossible, as it wasn’t even 6:00 a.m. They told her she would be put on the next flight. She protested, saying, ‘Why? Put me on this flight.’ But they told her the flight was full and she would have to wait.
“Meanwhile, the airline was selling tickets on the spot for between N200,000 and N300,000. To take advantage of the situation, they discouraged those who had bought tickets online at lower rates and sold to people willing to pay more.
“By the time the DSS and Air Force personnel came to find out what happened, they intervened and offered to put the woman on the next flight—the same offer they had made to me earlier. But to board that next flight, they told her she would have to pay N109,100.
“This was in addition to the original N146,000 ticket, meaning she would spend about N256,000 for a one-hour flight to Abuja. There were many others in the same situation, and everyone was shouting at the airport.
“I said to the manager, ‘You must follow the rules.’ Many people were stranded, except those who could afford another ticket. I followed the woman to the counter and told her to do whatever they asked. Those of us who were also prevented from flying gathered there. Even when an officer offered me access to a lounge, people around said, ‘Comrade, please don’t leave—this is how they have been treating us.’
“I had to send that woman N500,000. That’s basically what happened. I told them this could not be allowed. I checked in online and arrived on time. The aircraft hadn’t taken off. I’m not supposed to check in twice. The rowdiness arose because many people were denied boarding while tickets were being sold on the spot to others.”
