Passengers accuse Emirate Airline of extortion

Ghanaian passengers traveling to State of Qatar have expressed their ordeal over the attempt of Ghana Emirate Airline management of extorting them of their hard earned cash, after securing visa and successfully purchasing ticket that should enable them to take the flight to Qatar.

A passenger who pleaded anonymity expressed serious reservations about the way and manner in which the Dubai based airline always made innocent customers cough up $80 in other to re-schedule their flight.

“It is very disheartening that while going through the procedure of getting a visa to go to Qatar, no one informs us that we have to know someone resident in Doha, Qatar, who would in turn, call the airline to confirm that he/she knows us. It is only after one secures a visa, bought the ticket and get set to board the plane that a staff will be asked to confirm if someone resident in Doha had confirmed our trip to the country” a development which she said “always require that one have to rebook one’s flight at the cost of $80, minus unplanned hotel bills expenses and inconvenience,” the client lamented.

One of the victims who vent her anger to our reporter added:

“It will seem odd if one was to stop a person on the streets of any city in the world and asked him or her "do you know that you need a visa to visit another country"? That's because the answer is so obviously a yes!” “This sets the ball rolling for a Ghanaian en route to Qatar. After the issue of the visa, you choose your preferred airline carrier, in this case emirates airline.”

“The day of travel you proceed to the airport to check in, only to be told "we are sorry you cannot board this flight because you need an ok to board from Doha"(whatever that is) completely shocked, you ask how is that? I already have in my possession a visa, a ticket (which by the way I purchased from your offices)? You are then told to get someone in Doha to visit the local office to have that done. In the mean time it will cost you another 80 dollars to rebook the flight.”

“Could this be an administrative function that emirates staff in Ghana have slept on? Or just a deliberate attempt to rip un-suspecting Ghanaian travelers off?”

“Certainly, all a person needs is the visa and passport to travel. Why do those travelling on other airlines into Doha not need this..? What's going on Emirates airline?” she asked.

When our reporter put a call through to Ghana Emirates Airline, the largest airline in the Middle East, on their customer care line: 0302213131, to clarify the allegation, but no staff initiated a conversation for over ten minutes our reporter was on-line.