Oshiomhole Responds, Accuses Air Peace of Reselling Tickets at Inflated Prices

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District has publicly accused Air Peace of denying pre-booked passengers boarding while allegedly reselling their seats at inflated prices after a video showed him in a heated exchange with airline officials after he and several others were denied boarding on an early morning flight to Abuja.

Speaking, Oshiomhole said he had checked in online for the 6:30 a.m. flight and arrived at the airport at approximately 6:05 a.m., only to be told that the boarding gate had closed. He claimed that despite showing proof of online check-in and carrying no luggage, he was still denied access, while others were allowed to board after purchasing tickets on the spot for higher amounts.

“What is the purpose of online check-in if you still get shut out despite being on time?” Oshiomhole asked. “They were clearly reselling seats for N200,000 to N300,000 while denying entry to passengers who had booked earlier at lower fares.”

He cited the case of a woman with a six-month-old baby who had booked her ticket for N146,000 and arrived before 6:00 a.m., only to be told the flight was full. According to Oshiomhole, the woman was offered a seat on the next flight on the condition she paid an additional N109,100, bringing her total cost for the short domestic trip to over N250,000.

“This is sheer exploitation,” Oshiomhole said. “There were regulatory agencies there, but no one did anything. People were stranded while tickets were being sold at outrageous prices. That’s why there was an uproar.”

The senator revealed he ended up giving the stranded woman N500,000 to help cover the unexpected travel expenses and said the public outcry at the terminal reflected a larger problem with airline operations in Nigeria.

“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. Yesterday, I booked a flight for 6:30 a.m., which is their first flight today. 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. 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 them 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 tickets were being sold on the spot to others.”

Vanguard