In the recent viral video featuring former Big Brother Naija contestant Erica Nlewedim, there was a concerning incident involving a staff member of a Nigerian ground handling firm and her alleged downgrade from a business class to an economy seat on a British Airways flight.

Business Standard finding revealed that check-in staff do not have the authority to unilaterally upgrade or downgrade passengers without the airline’s directive.

The occurrence of such issues, particularly during peak travel seasons, can often be attributed to overbooking by multiple agents vying for limited seating.

Airlines typically prioritize passengers with premium advantages, such as frequent flier status, during peak periods, potentially resulting in discrepancies during the check-in process.

It is regrettable that Ms. Nlewedim faced this situation, but it underscores the complexities of airline operations during high-demand periods, where capacity constraints and prioritization policies can lead to challenges for passengers.

Also, some Passengers take advantage of the early check-in facility by checking in 48 hours before departure.

As regrettable as this incident is, Erica should have contacted her ticketing agent to find out what the problem was. There are numerous ways to solve this issue which include flight change, or even Airline change and she would have definitely been compensated for the inconveniences.

A ground handling staff represents the airline at the counter taking care of the check -in and Boarding process but do not have the authority to downgrade any Passenger. The video showed the check-in staff trying to pacify Erica to call her agent and to explain the options that was available to salvage the situation but she would have none of it.

It is worthy of note that events like these are not uncommon during Peak periods and as inconvenient as they are, there are solutions. Passengers should have been informed beforehand of any case of overbookings so as to avoid embarrassing situations like these.