Nigerian actor, television and radio presenter Simi Drey has accused TAAG Airlines of gross incompetence and mistreatment after she was stranded in South Africa for more than 24 hours despite holding a confirmed business class ticket.
In a strongly worded Instagram post on Tuesday night, Drey said the incident began on January 5 when she was denied boarding on her 11:05am flight, despite having a fully paid and confirmed business class ticket booked via Travelstart.
“This is how Nigerians are being treated by TAAG Airlines in South Africa and it demands urgent intervention!!!” she wrote.
According to Drey, the Johannesburg leg of her journey was operated by South African Airways, which told her that her name was not on their manifest, even though TAAG Airlines could see her confirmed ticket in its system.
“There explanation, there was no solution. Just denial,” she said.
She explained that she was placed on a waitlist for a later 3:30pm TAAG flight, which was overbooked, and she was unable to travel. She was then rebooked on a midnight flight on January 6, only to be informed at the airport that she had again been placed on standby for a fully booked flight.
“Standby means I only fly if someone else does not show up,” Drey wrote, adding, “I am a breastfeeding mother trying to get back to my baby.”
She described the experience as unacceptable, saying, “Being stranded repeatedly without accountability, transparency or care is unacceptable. This goes beyond inconvenience. It is distressing, exhausting and deeply unfair.”
In an update posted two hours later, Drey said TAAG Airlines informed her of a single available seat on its next flight, but only in economy class and on the condition that she accepted a voluntary downgrade and waived any right to compensation.
“Let me get this straight: I paid for business class. I’ve been stranded in South Africa for over 24 hours because of THEIR error. And now I’m being forced to waive my rights just to get home?” she wrote.
She added, “This is not an upgrade issue. This is coercion and its unacceptable.”
Drey tagged the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, calling for urgent intervention and accountability over the matter.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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