"Our ordeal with KLM"
"They bumped me and my daughter from a confirmed
flight; then flies out with 5 pieces of our luggage...." TONY IGWE in
exclusive interview tells USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu
of 5 hours of anguish and disappointments at the George Bush
International Airport in Houston, on Friday March 26,
2004
Tell us briefly about this incident
I
set out on a family trip to Nigeria with my 4-year old daughter,
Erinma, on March 26. On the other hand, I have the business component
to the trip. I bought a ticket from one the largest ticket services
corporation in Texas, EST International Travel, Inc., in southwest
Houston- fully paid to value of almost $2000. 
Upon getting to the George Bush Intercontinental airport, we checked in our luggages early enough for the KLM airlines/NWA (Northwest Airlines) flight 662Q (with confirmation #3YP8SD) and obtained two boarding passes/passenger verification card for a 4pm departure. We were checked in by Elysia Brown who told to proceed to Gate D9 for departure.
Then what happened?
Upon reaching there, we queued in line as other passengers were boarding, we were approached by a KLM staff person Mr. Danie DeSimone who asked for my last name. I gave it to him; and he our seats were not ready yet. I waited for about 10-15 minutes and told me "the flight was full."
I told him "I've a full ticket, I'm confirmed and I have a boarding pass, and wondered how the flight could have been full, suddenly?
What did he say?
He said that's all he had to tell me. I complained and he suggested to put me in another day's flight. I insisted that I have time-bound business and family commitments in Nigeria.
Where was your daughter at this time?
She was standing by me and was asking when we were going to board. She started crying when I told her the KLM airlines/NWA (Northwest Airlines) would not board us for the flight to Nigeria. She cried more and said she "I want to go see my grandma and aunties in Nigeria."
Did they tell you any other thing?
Danie came back to ask my daughter's age. I told him she's 4.
It's really that the same falsely accused me of coming in at 3 pm. Which is not true. Regardless, I was fully checked in, with boarding passes. I'm still wondering why they singled me out? Why were they so insensitive to my daughter's pain and cries? Why did they fully confirm us for the flight only to maliciously remove us form the scheduled flight? They didn't care a little girl was traveling with me.
Have you ever flown KLM?
Yes; in 2001 to Nigeria.
Why did refuse the offer another day's flight?
Because of the mistreatment, the utter disregard for professionalism, customer courtesy. Basically everything went out the window. They did offer me any good reason. The false claim about coming in late does not fly. How could I come in late and I still get 7 lugagges checked. There simply no reasonable explanation other than their being accusatory about coming late. That's why I told them, flatly, that I will never fly KLM again!
What transpired after you made that decision?
When it became obvious they will not let us travel, I asked for my luggage. Danie told in a very condescending tone that "you should go downstairs, your luggage will be there waiting for you." When I got downstairs, they had only 2 pieces when I requested for the remaining 5 they said they will bring them. I waited for about 20 minutes, and they were forthcoming with the luggage. Elysia came to me then to tell the other 5 luggage were on-flight to Nigeria.
She confirmed I came in on time, otherwise I would not have been checked in and confirmed and given a boarding pass.
Then she offered repeatedly, on behalf of the airlines, to pay $500 each if we agreed to fly with KLM another day.Which I refused. I went to the British Airways and she came over to me to make the same offer. The KLM people just won't quit. Yet, I must note that Elysia was very nice and polite.
Do other Nigerians passengers face similar if not exactly the same treatment of being pulled from their flights, sometimes?
Of course, yes. It's sad. Our people should not face such discrimination. I've wondered why did my daughter have to go through the anguish of being ready and okayed for a flight to see her grand parents and family and then suddenly told she cannot travel. Why should we pay for such reckless and insensitive.
Why Chinua
Achebe, the Eagle on
the Iroko, is Africa's writer of the century.
By Chido Nwangwu These views were
stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and
senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on
Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of
'Inside Politics 2000.'
"Obasanjo
has ruined this country...." An open letter to
Nigeria's President Obasanjo. By Prof. Niyi
Osundare:
Dear President, millions of Nigerians see you as the
source of their problems. Millions curse you under their
breadth. Millions more loudly pronounce their imprecations
at the slightest opportunity. You rule over a degraded
country, Mr. President; your every act has consistently
contributed to that degradation.
Osama
bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's
stability. By Chido Nwangwu, USAfricaonline.com Publisher.
NEWS
INVESTIGATION:
The
Marc
Rich Oil Deals in
Nigeria
OIL
in NIGERIA: Liquid
Gold or Petro-Dollars Curse?
Should Africa debates begin and end
at
The
New York Times and
The
Washington Post?
No
Why Bush should focus on dangers
facing Nigeria's return
to democracy
and Obasanjo's slipperyslide.
How Obasanjo's
self-succession
charade
at his Ota Farm has
turned Nigeria to an 'Animal
Farm.' By
USAfricaonline.com contributor Prof. Mobolaji
Aluko
Obasanjo's late wake to the Sharia crises,
Court's
decision and Nigeria's democracy. By Ken Okorie
Obasanjo's
own challenge is to imbibe "democratic spirit and
practice," By Prof. Ibiyinka Solarin
Johnnie Cochran
will soon learn that defending Abacha's
loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's
case.
By Chido Nwangwu
Is Obasanjo
really up to
Nigeria's
challenge and crises?
By USAfrica
The Newspaper editorial board member, attorney Ken
Okorie.
Obasanjo's late wake to the Sharia crises,
Court's
decision and Nigeria's democracy. By Ken Okorie
Sharia-related
killings and carnage in Kaduna reenact deadly prologue to
Nigeria-Biafra
war
of 1967. By
Chido Nwangwu.
Jonas Savimbi, UNITA are
"terrorists"
in Africans' eyes
despite Washington's "freedom fighter" toga for him. By
SHANA WILLS
Nelson
Mandela, Tribute to the
world's political superstar and Lion of
Africa
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's
burden
mounts with murder charges, trials
DIPLOMACY
Walter
Carrington:
African-American diplomat who put principles above self for
Nigeria 
(USAfrica's
founder Chido Nwangwu with Ambassador Carrington at the U.S.
embassy, Nigeria)
DEMOCRACY'S
WARRIOR
Out of
Africa.
…The
cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but
his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua
Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on
his crusade against public corruption and press
censorship
in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By
John Suval.
ARINZE: Will he be
the FIRST
BLACK AFRICAN
POPE?
By Chido
Nwangwu
HUMAN
RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
How far, how deep will Nigeria's human rights
commission go?
Rtd. Gen. Babangida trip as
emissary for Nigeria's Obasanjo to Sudan raises curiosity,
questions about what next in power
play?
110 minutes
with Hakeem Olajuwon
Nigerian
stabbed
to death
in his bathroom in Houston.
Cheryl
Mills' first class defense of Clinton and her detractors'
game
It's wrong
to stereotype Nigerians as Drug
Dealers
Private initiative,
free
market forces, and more
democratization
are Keys to prosperity in Africa
Steve Jobs extends
digital
magic
Apple announces Titanium,
"killer
apps" and other
ground-breaking products
USAfrica The
Newspaper voted the "Best Community
Newspaper"
in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in
the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors
and readers of the Houston
Press,
reflecting their poll and annual rankings.
CLASS
is the leading social events and style magazine for Africans
in north America.
APPRECIATION
A young
father writes his One
year old son:
"If only
my heart had a voice...."
TRIBUTE
A KING FOR
ALL TIMES:
Why Martin Luther King's
legacy
and vision are relevant into 21st century.
Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a standard
of artistic excellence,
and more. By Douglas Killam
DEMOCRACY
DEBATE
CNN
International debate on Nigeria's democracy livecast on CNN.
It involved Nigeria's Information Minister Prof. Jerry
Gana, Prof. Salih Booker and USAfricaonline.com Publisher
Chido Nwangwu. Transcripts
are available on
the CNN International site.
USAfrica The
Newspaper voted the "Best Community
Newspaper"
in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in
the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors
and readers of the Houston
Press,
reflecting their poll and annual rankings.
Tragedy of Ige's murder
is its déjà vu for the Yoruba
southwest and rest of
Nigeria. By Ken Okorie
What has Africa
to do with September 11 terror? By Chido Nwangwu
Should Africa debates begin and
end at
The
New York Times and
The
Washington Post?
No
NEWS INSIGHT
CNN,
Obasanjo and Nigeria's struggles with democracy.
Why Obasanjo's government should respect
CNN
and Freedom of the press
in Nigeria.
Jonas Savimbi, UNITA are
"terrorists"
in Africans' eyes
despite Washington's "freedom fighter" toga for him. By
SHANA WILLS
Lifestyle
Sex,
Women and (Hu)Woman
Rights. By Chika Unigwe
Africa
suffers the scourge of the virus.
This life and pain of Kgomotso Mahlangu, a
five-month-old AIDS patient (above) in a hospital in the
Kalafong township near Pretoria, South Africa, on October
26, 1999, brings a certain, frightening reality to the
sweeping and devastating destruction of human beings who
form the core of any definition of a country's future, its
national security, actual and potential economic development
and internal markets.
22 million Africans HIV-infected, ill
with AIDS
while African leaders
ignore disaster-in-waiting
What
has Africa
to do with September 11 terror? By Chido
Nwangwu
Africans
reported
dead
in terrorist
attack at
WTC
September
11
terror and
the ghost of things to
come....
Will
religious conflicts be the time-bomb
for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule?
Bola
Ige's murder another danger signal for
Nigeria's nascent democracy.
In a special report a few hours after the
history-making nomination, USAfricaonline.com
Founder and Publisher Chido Nwangwu places Powell within the
trajectory of history and into his unfolding clout and
relevance in an essay titled 'Why Colin
Powell
brings gravitas, credibility and star power to Bush
presidency.'
AFRICA
AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS
Beyond U.S.
electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic
republic hold
lessons
for
African politics.
CONTINENTAL
AGENDA
Bush's position on
Africa
is "ill-advised."
The position
stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of
Texas, George Bush where he said that "Africa will not be an
area of priority" in his presidency has been
questioned by USAfricaonline.com Publisher
Chido Nwangwu. He
added that Bush's "pre-election position was neither
validated by the economic exchanges nor geo-strategic
interests of our two continents."
Nwangwu,
adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the
U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued
further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35
million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of
oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the
horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for
Governor Bush's ill-advised
position which
removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be
elected president.
By Al Johnson