Tochukwu Umezulike, a Lagos State-based artiste and talent development manager, has narrated how an error on Ethiopian Airlines’ part made him pay an extra $589 for a flight while travelling from the United States to Nigeria.
Umezulike told FIJ that the incident happened on September 8, 2023.
“Originally, I was supposed to travel with Ethiopian Airlines From San Francisco in the US to Nigeria in August 2023,” Umezulike told FIJ.
“However, a few developments forced me to move my travel plans forward and I had to contact the airline so my itinerary could be changed to a later date.
“In the end, Ethiopian Airlines charged me $160 for the change I requested, and September 8, 2023, became my new travel date.”
Umezulike told FIJ that when he got to the San Francisco airport on September 8, 2023, a drama ensued.
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“My flight was supposed to be from San Francisco airport to IAD airport in Washington; and from Washington to Lome, Togo; and then from Togo to Lagos,” said Umezulike.
“In the new itinerary Ethiopian Airlines had arranged, I was meant to first travel via a United Airlines plane from San Francisco to Washington for the first leg of the journey.
“When I got to the airport in San Francisco, however, the United Airlines official I met at the counter told me they had no itinerary for me and that my name wasn’t listed for the flight.
“I told them that wasn’t possible and showed them my ticket. This made the official turn the airline’s check-in counter screen in my direction so I could see for myself.
“When I checked, I saw that, in truth, I had not been listed for the San Francisco-Washington flight. Interestingly, Ethiopian Airlines had erroneously only arranged for the Washington-Lome and the Lome-Lagos flights.
“The United Airlines officials then told me that the error must have been from Ethiopian Airlines’ end, and I was advised to immediately contact them.”
AN HOUR OF BACK AND FORTH
Umezulike subsequently spent an hour on the phone with Ethiopian Airlines. According to the artiste manager, the airlines’ officials insisted they had not made any mistake.
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“The Ethiopian Airlines officials even tried pushing the error to United Airlines. They went as far as suggesting a theory to me, saying it could be United Airlines’ way of bumping me off an over-sold flight,” Umezulike said.
“What then followed was another hour of back and forth between the airlines till it dawned on me that the development could lead to me missing that particular leg of the journey.
“In the end, I was permitted to take a screenshot of United Airlines’ check-in counter screen, and then I had to pay $589 out of my own pocket for a seat on that particular flight to avoid missing it.
“This also clearly showed that United Airlines officials were not trying to bump me. They were still a few empty seats on the plane till the flight took off.”
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES KEEPS MUM
When the artist manager got to Lagos, he sent an email to Ethiopian Airlines, attaching the screenshots he made at United Airlines’ San Francisco stand to it.
“I also attached the flight ticket I had to personally pay for to the mail, but surprisingly, Ethiopian Airlines would not respond to the mail,” said Umezulike.
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“I have since sent four additional emails to them, but they still would not make a refund of $589 back to me. At one point, they sent me a response saying a ticket ID had been created for my complaint. Since that time, nothing has been heard so far from them.
“Apart from the refund I am seeking, the airlines’ act of negligence also caused me a great deal of emotional trauma.
“What if I did not have that kind of money on me to book another flight on my own? That simply means I would have been stranded.
“I have also noticed something about Ethiopian Airlines. Whenever you call them to lodge a complaint from abroad, they always make toll-free lines available. However, if you get to call them from Nigeria, it is not free.
“Their officials will also make sure they keep you on hold for hours before they eventually attend to you. When you also send mails to them from any part of Nigeria or Africa, they don’t respond to you the same way they respond to people living outside Africa.
“They do that because they know that people living outside Africa are always quick to hold institutions and establishments to account anytime they infringe on their rights. Here in Africa, however, they always act as if no one can call them to order.
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“From September to this day, they have refused to refund the $589 to me. It has been seven months and they have continued to ignore me. I have also witnessed several people complain about the way they treat customers. It is quite unfair.”
FIJ sent an email to Ethiopian Airlines for comments on the matter on Friday morning, but it had not been responded to at press time.
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