National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) was on Friday forced to respond following claims of poor customer service after over 50 Kenyans were left stranded at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, USA, since Sunday, February 14.
Lanji Ouko Awori claimed, in a tweet on Thursday, that the airline had been cancelling flights from Sunday, with no communication to the passengers.
“Fly directly from Newyork with KQ at your own peril! Customer Service is non-existent, on day 3 arguing with a wall because there is no customer service,” Awori tweeted.
Awori claimed that the passengers’ Covid-19 certificates had expired hence frustrating efforts to switch flights.
Fly directly from New York with KQ at your own peril!!! Customer service is nonexistent. On day 3 arguing with the wall because where is customer service @KenyaAirways
— Lanji Ouko-Awori (@TheLanji) February 18, 2021
In their response, KQ said its flight that had been scheduled for February 16 had been rescheduled “due to a technical hitch & snowstorm”.
Read: KQ Scales Down New York Flights To One Weekly
However, the airline said, affected passengers were either “re-routed or accommodated until the next flight or -ve PCR test”.
Indeed, our flight on 16/02 was regrettably rescheduled due to a technical hitch & snowstorm. All our passengers were either re-routed or accommodated until the next flight or -ve PCR test. Kindly get in touch via DM if you still have concerns. We are sorry & committed to helping
— Kenya Airways (@KenyaAirways) February 18, 2021
Awori dismissed the airline’s claims as “lies” saying the flight was cancelled without any communication.
https://twitter.com/LanjiLanji0/status/1362533238082789390?s=20
The developments come at a time, thousands of flights continue to be cancelled in the US over brutal winter storms.
Read Also: Over 50 Passengers Left Stranded By Kenya Airways In New York Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport tweeted Monday morning that all of its scheduled flights had been cancelled due to “historic” weather that hit the area over the weekend.
#AUSAlert: All flights today (2/15) have been cancelled due to ice & snow. If you have a flight in the coming days, contact your airline directly for the latest info before traveling to the airport.
❄️ Our teams remain on site, mitigating the impacts of this historic weather. pic.twitter.com/449YHxgmYC
— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport) February 15, 2021
The nation’s four largest airlines — American, United, Delta and Southwest — cancelled 2,220 flights on Wednesday, after cancelling 2,450 flights Tuesday.
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