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Comfort and convenience were the two things Kingsley Anunobi, a Dubai-based Nigerian, had in mind when he booked three business class flight tickets with United Airlines, a major American airline, in August.

In an interview with FIJ, Anunobi, who recently lost his wife, said he booked the Manchester-Columbus flight tickets because he believed he and his two children needed a vacation and all the comfort they could get during the period.

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Anunobi added that he also felt his children needed to fly business class to avoid getting jet-lagged from the long flight journeys they would have to endure between the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

More importantly, the children were expected to start school a day after they returned from the journey, and he felt flying business class was the only way they could remain fresh and fit for school when they eventually returned to their base.

The first part of their trip was eventless, as the wedding ceremony they flew to Ohio to attend went well. While returning home, however, an incident occurred inside the United Airline plane they boarded. It was not a pleasant experience.

THE DOWNGRADE FROM BUSINESS CLASS TO ECONOMY

While returning to their base, a United Airlines plane flew them from Columbus to Washington for the first leg of their journey. Things went smoothly until they were already inside a second United Airlines plane that was supposed to fly them from Washington to Manchester.

When Anunobi and his children arrived Washington from Ohio, they boarded a second United Airlines plane that was to take them to Manchester.

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They were already seated in the business class section of the plane when it was suddenly announced through the aircraft’s public address system that the entire aircraft was filled up and that the airline still needed to accommodate one more passenger in business class.

For this to happen, a passenger or some passengers would have to be downgraded to the economy class.

“They requested for passengers to volunteer, but no one did,” said Anunobi. “All of a sudden, the airline announced my name and the names of my kids, saying we had been downgraded to economy class.

“I tried to argue with them and refused to leave. The airline officials then began to persuade me with offers, saying they would give me $2,000 vouchers.

“They also said they could alternatively get a hotel for me so that the kids and I could fly the next business class flight the following day. I told them no because my kids ought to start school a day after we returned to Dubai, and that we needed to fly on the same plane that day.

“When it seemed to them that I was not responding to their offers, they threatened to call their security officials. All the while, they never gave me reasons my children and I had to be the passengers to leave business class.”

Anunobi told FIJ that while the exchange lasted, he surveyed the section and realised that he and his children were the only black passengers in that section of the plane.

“I later had to go to the economy class when it seemed they never would change their minds on the decision they had made. My children unfortunately had to miss their first day in school because they suffered jet lag from not being able to stretch their bodies and sleep well in the economy section of the plane. This was the exact scenario I wanted to avoid when I booked business class for the three of us,” Anunobi said.

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“Till the plane departed Washington for Manchester, no United Airlines official was able to tell me the mechanism or procedure they used in selecting my children and I for the downgrade.”

THE QUEST TO KNOW

Days after Anunobi and his children returned to Dubai from the US trip, he sent several mails to United Airlines, demanding to know the reason and procedure behind the selection.

“I started mailing the airline about the terrible experience my children and I had while travelling onboard its plane,” said Anunobi.

“I asked them why my kids and I were the passengers they selected for downgrading among all the people that were on board the business class area of the flight.

“Despite sending the airline several emails, and since the incident happened in August, none of the airlines’ officials have deemed it fit to offer me a convincing explanation.

“Rather than furnish me with answers, the airline sent me a United Airlines voucher. You did not even reach out to me to offer an explanation on why you treated me and my children with disrespect and disregard. What am I to do with the voucher you have sent to me?

“I told them I did not need the voucher.”

After further complaints by Anunobi, another United Airlines official sent him a $1,000 voucher.

“I again told them I didn’t need a voucher. I simply need an explanation on why I and my children were the passengers the airline selected for a downgrade,” said Anunobi.

“A single father travelling with two kids? I basically lost my wife recently. So, I need an explanation on why we were downgraded to economy class.

“It wasn’t until the first week in December that one of the airline’s officials called me on the matter.

“I then told her that, first of all, I don’t live in the US and therefore do not have any need for a voucher. For me, it is useless. The fact that I and the children travelled to Columbus was just a case of a one-off trip.

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“If you are saying you are sorry and you are giving me a voucher that is useless to me, then you are really not sorry.”

THE EXPLANATION UNITED AIRLINES EVENTUALLY OFFERED

When Anunobi kept demanding for an explanation from the airline, Heather Holmes, an official at United Airlines’ global customer solutions desk, eventually reached out to the Nigerian via a telephone call.

“When Heather called, she offered a not-so-believable explanation that we were downgraded based on a random selection made by the airline’s computer system,” Anunobi said.

“I told her I did not believe and refuse to accept the explanation she offered. If the computer had indeed done that, the airline officials who were trying to forcefully remove me and my kids from the business class section would have been swift in telling me that.

“Why did it take the airline four months before one of its officials now deemed it fit to tell me this? They even threatened to call the security on me and my children. The tickets I intentionally booked so we could experience luxury and comfort?

“If they had offered this kind of information during the downgrade, perhaps, things would not have got to this stage.

“I told her (Holmes) that I needed to see evidence that could back up her claim on how the system randomly picked my children and I for the downgrade.

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“I told her I needed to know how the computer generated my name and those of my children. If I get to see evidence and it sounds reasonable and convincing, it will help me in deciding whether I would still love to fly with United Airlines in my future travels.”

RACISM?

Anunobi took no prisoners when United Airlines failed to give him a convincing explanation.

“Already, I have made it clear to United Airlines officials that my children and I were deliberately targeted. It was a classical case of racism,” Anunobi said.

“It is like seeing names that sound strange to you and choosing them for downgrade. Even if the selection had indeed been computer-induced, computers are machines and machines are programmed based on certain things.

“So, I need to know how the names were generated by the computer. Was it randomly? Does it check passengers’ data before it does it selection?

“For instance, someone at the airport in Washington said we were selected because I paid the cheapest amount while booking tickets for the flight.

“For me, that is very irrational. If I paid the cheapest amount, it means I was probably the first person to buy tickets for the journey on that particular flight. This also means I had given you money well in advance.

“If I had done that, it simply means among other airlines I could have flown with, I was one of the first passengers who overlooked all other options and decided to fly with them. They then should not have used my choice prioritising them against me and my children. So, I needed to understand why we were downgraded.

“Offering me a $1,000 voucher without first giving me an explanation is very rude and disrespectful. I didn’t buy the tickets because of profit; I bought them to experience comfort. In the end, you still could not provide me with the comfort I paid for.

“And the kids also had to suffer that because they could not start school the day they were supposed to.

“And all you are doing is to send me a voucher for a problem I did not start? I paid for my tickets, you checked me in and then eventually humiliated me by downgrading me to economy class.”

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In an email, Holmes responded told Anunobi that United Airlines had done its best by offering him a £300 refund, being the difference in the business class tickets he bought and the economy class tickets he and his children were eventually downgraded to while onboard the Washington-Dublin flight.

“The difference was about £300, and that was what was refunded to me. Nothing was ever said about the trauma and inconvenience that they made me and my children suffer,” said Anunobi.

FIJ obtained the email Holmes had sent to Anunobi while trying to give an explanation on the computer selection process and the last two sentences in the third paragraph of her email reads:

“I have provided the reason as to why you were downgraded. At this time, we’ll consider this issue closed.”

THE QUESTIONS FIJ ASKED UNITED AIRLINES

On December 7, FIJ sent an email to United Airlines’ customer care desk for comments on the incident involving Anunobi and his children.

The airline was also asked why it took its officials four months before the passenger was finally offered an explanation on why he and his children had to be downgraded from business class to economy class.

The airline was also asked to shed light on how the computer selection process worked, especially when there was a need for a passenger or passengers to be downgraded.

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The email had, however, not been responded to at press time. The email address FIJ sent the inquiry to was the same address Holmes had used while responding to Anunobi.

WHAT FIJ FOUND ON UNITED AIRLINES’ DOWNGRADE POLICY

FIJ reviewed United Airlines’ policies and found that in the event of a downgrade, affected passengers are entitled to forms of compensations.

On the right to compensation in the event of a downgrade, the airline stated the following:

“In the event that we are unable to accommodate you in the cabin class for which your ticket was purchased, and are only able to offer you a seat in the cabin class lower than the class for which your ticket was purchased, we will pay you the following compensation:

“Transfer from First Class to Business Class – we will refund you
60 percent of the affected portion of the ticket.

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“Transfer from First or Business Class to Economy Class – we will
refund you 100 percent of the affected portion of the ticket.

“The affected portion of the ticket shall be determined based on the
total price of the ticket multiplied by the ratio that the flight distance
of the portion of your trip for which your ticket has been downgraded
bears to the total distance for which your ticket was purchased.”

Under the last section of the policy page titled ‘Other Rights Not Prejudiced’, the airline stated the following:

“The foregoing rights apply without prejudice to any additional rights
that you may have to further compensation. Compensation described
in this notice may be deducted from such additional compensation.”

Interestingly, it was not stated anywhere on the policy page that passengers are selected for downgrade via a computer selection process. FIJ also checked the airlines contract of carriage page and could not find where it was stated that passengers are selected for downgrade via a computer selection process.

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THE ANUNOBIS WERE NOT UNITED AIRLINES’ FIRST

In April 2018, a man’s refusal to give up his seat on an overbooked United Airlines flight led to his forceful removal at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

The passenger continued to resist after he was removed and ran back to the airplane with his face bloodied from the encounter. While his scuffle with the airline’s security officials continued, the passenger continued to yell that he was a doctor and that he was being profiled for being Chinese.

The incident resulted in the suspension of one security officer and also created a publicity nightmare for the airline.

However, the US Department of Transportation, while quoting its US Department of Transportation’s Fly-Rights, said the airline can select passengers for removal based on criteria such as check-in time or the cost of a ticket.

My team and i have arranged new personal flights home outside of using @united tonight. Horrible Company.

— Taylor Caniff (@taylorcaniff) April 10, 2017

United CEO response to United Express Flight 3411. pic.twitter.com/rF5gNIvVd0

— United Airlines (@united) April 10, 2017

ANOTHER INCIDENT

In May, Danielle Schwab, a United Airline passenger, claimed via TikTok that United Airlines forced her fiancé to give up his spot in first class and move to economy so that a crew member could have his seat.

Schwab said she and her partner were travelling from London’s Heathrow Airport to Chicago when he was “bumped” from his seat.

Schwab’s message was met with outrage on the couple’s behalf, with many encouraging the TikToker to ask the airline for compensation.

Responding to the incident, United Airlines released a statement saying:

“To provide the required room for crew members to rest during the flight, we had to reassign two customers who were originally ticketed in Polaris to Premium Plus seats instead. We understand this is frustrating for our customers, and we refunded the price difference for the seats and offered each customer a $1,500 certificate for future travel.”

The airline’s statement was later faulted by the 1.7 million people who had initially seen Schwab’s TikTok video.

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Most of them pointed out that United Airlines failed to address Schwab’s claims that the airline never mentioned compensation or refunds at the time of the downgrade, that nobody at the airport would help her with her complaint and that the customer service representative in Chicago had dishonestly claimed their bags were overweight.

They also pointed out that real issues were United Airlines’ poor communication surrounding the downgrade, how hard the couple had to fight for recompense and the couple’s poor treatment.