Former governor of Edo State and now Senator representing Edo North in the National Assembly, Adams Oshiomhole, has denied allegations of disrupting Air Peace operations following a drama that played out on Wednesday morning where he was caught on video shutting down a terminal at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos after missing an early morning flight to Abuja.
The former governor who addressed the issue in an interview with journalists in Abuja late Wednesday, however, accused the airline of extorting passengers and engaging in boarding pass scam which he kicked against.
He insisted that he rejected his preferential treatment and took a stand against what he described as systemic extortion and poor customer service by the airline.
He further criticised Air Peace over what he termed the deliberate exploitation of passengers at the Airport Terminal.
Air Peace had earlier accused Oshiomhole of disrupting airport operations after allegedly missing a scheduled flight, claiming that the lawmaker had arrived late for the Flight P47120, scheduled to depart Abuja at 6:30am.
But while speaking on the incident that had drawn condemnation from Nigerians, Oshiomhole said Air Peace prevented him and other passengers from boarding from Lagos to Abuja despite doing online check-in, while accusing an official of Air Peace of selling air tickets on the spot at inflated prices to willing buyers, noting that it was a case of Air Peace frustrating passengers, including himself.
“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,” the former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), I booked a flight for 6:30 a.m., which is their first flight today (Wednesday). I booked and asked them to check me in 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’ve had with them a couple of times. I got there at about five minutes past six. They told me the counter was closed. I told them, ‘No, I’ve 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.
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“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.
“I asked the manager, ‘What is this woman’s crime? She has a baby that’s no more than six months old. How can you refuse to board her when the aircraft is still on the ground and more people are buying tickets?’
“You cannot continue like this. Tomorrow, everyone will blame the government. You have regulatory agencies, and they are all compromising. You cannot board people buying tickets on the spot and deny those who booked days ago or checked in online.
“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’ve been treating us.’
‘I had to send that woman N500,000. That’s basically what happened. I told them this cannot 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 ickets were being sold on the spot to others,” he narrated.
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