Nigerian Passenger De-boarded Over Complaint.
By Emegwoako C Paschal
Taylor Alfred Oladotun, a passenger from Nigeria, was allegedly de-boarded from a United Airlines flight on Sunday, October 2nd after he complained about the plane’s malfunctioning restroom.
The flight’s pilot gave the go-ahead for him to disembark while threatening to bar him from ever traveling with the company again unless United Airlines management reviewed the incident and gave their approval.
Oladotun, who has the passenger name record (PNR) number G5JWCK and seat number 48L, claims that after complaining about the airplane’s restroom, he was asked to disembark instead of receiving an apology.
Furthermore, he added, “There were no blankets, and no decent crew member to convey the message of this egregious failure. I suppose the crew members’ only choice is to throw out passages that criticize the poor services.
“A crew member told me to stop griping about the wait because a “fellow passenger” ruined the restroom. Sorry. I don’t consider anyone I haven’t flown with a “fellow passenger.”
“The word fellow is ‘profiling,’ which is derogatory and sweeping. I only required a restroom. He also didn’t need to tell me that when he arrived in Nigeria, there were no engineers available to fix his clogged toilet, so I had no cause for complaint.”
In response to the allegation, United Airlines wrote to Oladokun with the following statement: “United Airlines’ number one priority has always been a commitment to safety.
They said, “As much as we appreciate your business, United’s policy, in accordance with our contract of carriage and our legal obligations as a common carrier, is to delay or refuse to carry any passenger whose behavior or condition jeopardizes the safety of our employees or other passengers.”
“Due to the nature of the reported incident that occurred during boarding for flight 613 on Sunday, October 2, 2022, you are not permitted to fly on United Airlines or any regional carrier operating as United Express until this incident is reviewed by United’s Passenger Incident Review Committee (PIRC).”
“Please be advised that no single United employee has the authority to change your status.” Only the PIRC has the authority to investigate the incident and reconsider your ability to fly on United or United Express in the future.
“In making its determination, the PIRC would like to consider your version of what happened in this incident.” To ensure that this information is taken into account, a written report must be submitted within 96 hours of receiving this notice. Please include the following information: Your name, address, email and phone contact information, flight number, date and seat assignment of the incident, incident summary, and witness names.”
“Please submit your report by responding to this e-mail,” the airline stated further in the letter. You will be notified of the Committee’s decision once all information has been received by the PIRC and the Committee has had the opportunity to investigate this incident.
“Please do not book any future travel.” You may request a refund if you currently have travel reservations for a future date.”
The Passenger Incident Review Committee signed the letter (PIRC)
