Mrs. Rawlings Takes On British Airways and Demands Apology From The Top

Accra - American Immigration and Airlines officials got more than they bargained for when they crossed the path of Ghana's champion of feminist causes, Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings at New York a little over a week ago by asking her to go through security checks.

Chronicle has learnt that she refused to be subjected to such checks that passengers routinely go through while catching a British Airways (BA) flight en-route to London where she was expected to meet with her husband, en-route to Japan.

After anxious moments of restrained anger, her bodyguard was allowed to go through security search but the gutsy First Lady of Ghana asserted herself. She voluntarily allowed her baggage to be taken off the aircraft as the aircraft was delaying, ostensibly because of the row.

She later re-connected to London but reportedly missed her husband, President Rawlings, who was bound for Japan for a seminar on peace and development.

Mrs. Rawlings had to catch another flight to Tokyo from London, but not before she had let her wrath be known to bewildered staff of British Airways in the United Kingdom.

She was flying British Airways to London and so her flight and departure formalities were, as expected handled by the airline. Generally, diplomats are not subjected to searches.

Not unexpectedly, Mrs. Rawlings failed to fly British Airways when she completed her global tour, which included participating at a conference in New York which was highly publicised by Ghana Television. She connected instead at 11.30 pm Sunday night from London's Heathrow airport and arrived in Accra very early last Monday morning.

Passengers recalled rude murmurings in the Zongo Lane (economy class) when the pilots dutifully announced intermittently the presence of the august passenger.

Later on that very day, news of The First Lady's tiff with British Airways became an issue with the local office in Accra, and the whole week was consumed by petrified BA staff, huddling over how to handle the incident.

The First Lady's office was demanding an apology, and she was expecting it from the very top in the BA hierarchy in London.

Ms. Esi Annor Sackey, the dashing, but intensely press shy youngish first woman country Manager of the Airline was said by sources to be at her wits end on how to deal with the situation.

The First Lady's Office, Chronicle learnt, is insisting on an apology from the very top tier of BA management, like the Board Chairman or Chief Operating Officer, a tough call, but something that the airline with an eye for the Ghanaian market and fully conscious of competition may yield to.

Ms. Sackey was not in the best of moods when Chronicle called her to ask whether BA was going to capitulate. One could almost hear her choke on the words:

"I am not going to comment on that".

A long call to Gatwick Airport, Customer Relations, was not helpful either in providing more details.

Ms. Hanita, an official who appeared hesitant or unaware of the incident said that she was not going to speak to the press about any matter concerning a passenger, and promptly sought refuge on the data protection act of UK to decline information.

For British Airways, they run the risk of losing a lucrative account with one of the most travelled First Ladies on the continent.

The possibility of losing other Government accounts, including 31st December Women's Movement/National Council on Women and Development, cannot be discounted.

On more than one occasion, the First Lady has had cause to complain about treatment of her in the United States involving the use of sniffer dogs on her luggage and opening of her bags. The State Department around November 1994, ordered an inquiry which later reported that Mrs. Rawlings was given treatment reserved for Heads of State. Neither her baggage or her person was subjected to any demeaning search. She was taken directly to the aircraft on that occasion, the report said.

Then in 1997, SWISSAIR which used to be the airline of choice again fell on the wrong side of The First Lady when a passenger made more than a passing interest at her with an obtrusive attempt to smother the First Lady with a kiss on the hands.

Swissair paid dearly for that incident. The Country Manager, Mr.Karl Spirig, was moved out of the job and Ghana even though, as in the BA case, there was no evidence of official collusion to embarrass The First Lady. Mr. Spirig happened to be on the aircraft at the time and he is alleged to have done nothing to stop the predatory moves on Her Excellency.

Swissair has not enjoyed the kind of patronage they had from the DWM since.- KC reporting.