ZIMBABWE — On behalf of the airline I would like to express concern over a major inaccuracy in the on-line article, which, for us as business, is of utmost importance.

 

Your article claims that Air Zimbabwe left 100 passengers stranded at Gatwick Airport, because it had to accommodate the Presidential delegation in Cairo.

 

 

 

It is not true that we left any full fare paying passengers stranded at Gatwick airport on the 28th to accommodate the Presidential delegation.

The facts are that we had 124 passengers booked and confirmed to fly from London Gatwick to Harare in addition to the Presidential delegation which indeed was to board in Cairo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These 124 passengers checked in at Gatwick, with an additional five staff who were on standby, also checked in at Gatwick.

 

Three passengers who came for check-in late could not be taken. No passenger who arrived on time was left stranded at Gatwick as the article claims.

 

It is quite easy to verify this kind of information as we are checked in by independent agents who could have confirmed to ZimDaily if you felt we might not give you correct information or might not be forthcoming with the information. 

 

The figures we have given as having been booked and then checked in can also be verified from Worldspan records, which themselves cannot be tempered with by any airline that uses that system.

 

Worldspan is an internationally certified reservations system used by many airlines worldwide and controlled from Atlanta in the USA. We are more than ready to give ZimDaily access to these figures.

We do not wish to comment on the rest of the article, especially ZimDaily's comments about the Presidential delegation as we believe we are not qualified to respond to them.

 

We believe our clients and your readership require to be told the above facts, as we have given them, so that they can form opinions on correct facts. Your airline will accept criticism any day, but at the same time believes that facts, especially those that may negatively exaggerate people's opinions or views, should be as accurate as possible.

 

(As an online news agency, we took every care to consult with all stakeholders. Our story relied mostly on passengers account. We however feel it is right to publish the Airline's account of the sad Sunday 28th September 2008 events)

 

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