GIA Passengers still stranded

Published in the Daily Graphic on 31/05/2010, pg 36

Story: Matilda Attram & Collette Brown
DISAPPOINTED passengers of the Ghana International Airlines (GIA) are still stranded in Accra after their flights were cancelled by the national airline about a week ago.
On a visit to the offices of the airline on Monday, the Daily Graphic observed that angry passengers were still waiting for alternative means of travelling to their destinations.
Worried passengers who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they would lose their jobs if the management of the airline kept delaying their trips.
Others complained of wasting money on transport to and from the office on a regular basis to check on their flights.
Officials of the GIA, who refused to comment on the situation, only said some passengers had already been given alternate flights and that they were doing their best to transfer the remaining people.
The Daily Graphic, on May 15, this year, published a report on the stranded passengers who stormed the offices of the national carrier to vent their frustration on the management, only to be disappointed because the management failed to make alternative arrangements to fly them to their destinations.
The management staff of the airline virtually abandoned their offices, leaving behind a notice to inform passengers of the cancellation of GIA Flight G0 101 of Friday, May 14, 2010.
The notice read: “Ghana International Airlines regrets to announce the cancellation of Flight G0 101 of today, May 14, 2010. Passengers are, therefore, requested not to go to the airport tonight. GIA will contact passengers as soon as arrangements are completed to fly them out of Accra. We thank you for your custom.”
The disappointed passengers, who claimed to have bought their tickets about two months ago, poured vituperations on the management, saying its operations smacked of incompetence and mismanagement.
They were unhappy that the management of the airline kept using the ash clouds caused by the volcanic eruptions in Iceland, which had interrupted flights across Europe, as an excuse.