Taking flight: Boarding passes and boarding failures
Gulf Air confiscates couples’ boarding passes while children fly off.
DERA GHAZI KHAN:
A couple of Gulf Air passengers have filed a law suit against the airliner after their tickets were given to someone else and their children were transported to Jeddah two weeks ago.
According to officials, Gulf Airlines replaced the original passengers who were set to travel to Jeddah from Lahore with another couple. “We were left at the Lahore airport and our children were given boarding passes and left on the flight,” Muhammad Ismail said.
Dera Ghazi Khan resident Muhammad Ismail and his wife Rehmat Mai had purchased 6 tickets for his family. The family was travelling to Jeddah and their tickets were confirmed for December 26, 2011. On December 26, the family reached Allam Iqbal international Lahore air port and were all given boarding cards. “My wife and I were stopped at customs for clearance purposes but they seized our boarding passes,” Ismail told reporters.
Ismail’s four children had been given the boarding cards and began moving towards the plane. Ismail said that the airlines confiscated their boarding cards at the last minute before the final time departure and their children left on the flight while they were held back. “At the last minute they handed over our boarding passes to another couple and let them board while they held us back claiming we needed to submit some documents,” he added.
“My children were on their way to Jeddah by that time,” he said.
Airport authorities arrested the people who travelled on the boarding passes of Ismail and his wife in Jeddah. “Airport authorities in Jeddah initially took my children into custody but after we called them they were sent to stay with our relatives in Jeddah. I still blame the airlines for taking out boarding passes in the first place,” he added.
Ismail has appealed to the government to cancel the license of Gulf Airlines in Pakistan.
“The fact that they didn’t even apologise for their error and insisted we missed our flight is the most troubling aspect,” he added. “I am travelling by another airline in the next two days via Karachi to Jeddah to get my children back,” he added. I have filed a legal notice to the airlines and we will proceed with the case after I return to Pakistan with my children.
The online confirmation of the ticket from the gulf airlines website shows that Ismail had travelled to Jeddah on December 26 and ticket has been used but Ismail provided proof with an original ticket and passport still in his custody.
When contacted, representatives with the Gulf Airlines refused to comment on the situation and kept switching the call from one department to another. “My children are young and aged between seven to ten years and I am really worried about them,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2012.
A couple of Gulf Air passengers have filed a law suit against the airliner after their tickets were given to someone else and their children were transported to Jeddah two weeks ago.
According to officials, Gulf Airlines replaced the original passengers who were set to travel to Jeddah from Lahore with another couple. “We were left at the Lahore airport and our children were given boarding passes and left on the flight,” Muhammad Ismail said.
Dera Ghazi Khan resident Muhammad Ismail and his wife Rehmat Mai had purchased 6 tickets for his family. The family was travelling to Jeddah and their tickets were confirmed for December 26, 2011. On December 26, the family reached Allam Iqbal international Lahore air port and were all given boarding cards. “My wife and I were stopped at customs for clearance purposes but they seized our boarding passes,” Ismail told reporters.
Ismail’s four children had been given the boarding cards and began moving towards the plane. Ismail said that the airlines confiscated their boarding cards at the last minute before the final time departure and their children left on the flight while they were held back. “At the last minute they handed over our boarding passes to another couple and let them board while they held us back claiming we needed to submit some documents,” he added.
“My children were on their way to Jeddah by that time,” he said.
Airport authorities arrested the people who travelled on the boarding passes of Ismail and his wife in Jeddah. “Airport authorities in Jeddah initially took my children into custody but after we called them they were sent to stay with our relatives in Jeddah. I still blame the airlines for taking out boarding passes in the first place,” he added.
Ismail has appealed to the government to cancel the license of Gulf Airlines in Pakistan.
“The fact that they didn’t even apologise for their error and insisted we missed our flight is the most troubling aspect,” he added. “I am travelling by another airline in the next two days via Karachi to Jeddah to get my children back,” he added. I have filed a legal notice to the airlines and we will proceed with the case after I return to Pakistan with my children.
The online confirmation of the ticket from the gulf airlines website shows that Ismail had travelled to Jeddah on December 26 and ticket has been used but Ismail provided proof with an original ticket and passport still in his custody.
When contacted, representatives with the Gulf Airlines refused to comment on the situation and kept switching the call from one department to another. “My children are young and aged between seven to ten years and I am really worried about them,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2012.