[ad_1]
There is fear, anxiety and panic among South Africans trapped in the United States as they rush to board the first SAA repatriation flight where they can be confirmed.
News24 has spoken to at least three citizens in a group of more than 20, hoping to board a flight to take them home.
The group was unsuccessful in securing previous flights, which departed from Washington DC on Saturday and Sunday night.
Catherine Berlein, 23, of Nelspruit, who had traveled to the United States in January for business purposes, told News24 that she had booked and paid R15 150 for the repatriation flight that left the country on Saturday.
This after receiving emails from the South African Embassy asking him to confirm his details, he said.
After receiving confirmation of his flight, he went to Dulles International Airport on Saturday, May 2, hoping to be on the flight. However, upon arrival, they informed him that his reservation was canceled and that his ticket was not issued, with no clear explanation as to why.
Berlein’s efforts to board the flight were unsuccessful and he had to return to his accommodation.
“The women behind the counter were only commissioned by SAA; they weren’t SAA staff, so unfortunately they couldn’t do much. If we weren’t in the system, they couldn’t issue tickets. The most they could do was check if you were in the system “, said.
Begging the flight to stop
When he returned on Sunday around 11:00, he was not on the confirmed list to board the flight.
But she said the SA embassy was also on the ground, helping those in a similar situation to herself.
Berlein praised the embassy for being available and staying with them throughout the process.
“They (the embassy) told us a list would come and we should wait for it. So we all waited. I think there was a group of about 40 of us who didn’t have tickets, but had paid.”
“The list came and I was not on it. Many of us were not on the list and were told to write our names on another piece of paper, along with our passport numbers.”
Berlein said he believed the embassy sent the list separately to SAA, to ask what was happening.
She said this, however, was also unsuccessful as they were also unable to board the Sunday night flight.
At some point before departure, Berlein said they had pleaded with those who had embarked to stop the plane, so that they could try to board the flight.
“At approximately 6:40 pm, we were sending messages to people we knew on the plane, asking them to please try to stop the plane. They managed to stop the plane for about 20 minutes. But unfortunately, due to federal regulations, The women behind the counter told us that legally they were not allowed to stay any longer and that they had to leave.
“But they mentioned that there were around 50 seats available on that plane. We were about 33 people standing there and we were not allowed to board the plane.”
READ | 275 South Africans repatriated from the US USA, Hundreds more to come this week
Berlein said she was frustrated; she wanted to go home because she had been away for a long time.
“I am desperate to get home. I haven’t been home in three months. And everything is very expensive here. We stay in other people’s houses; although it is comfortable and they have been great, nothing compares to home.”
“I’m also supposed to be taking chronic medications, which I can’t get here. So I really need to get home,” he told News24.
‘I am here, I am very young and I am here alone’
After not giving up and sending multiple emails to SAA, the consulate and his travel agent, Berlein said he finally received an email attached to his ticket on Monday night.
He is expected to be on the repatriation flight that leaves on Saturday, May 9.
But for 19-year-old Johannesburg students Khanyisile Mgquba and Shanell Hossack of Victoria Bay outside George are still waiting for their confirmation and tickets.
They were also among the group at the airport over the weekend, trying to board SA-bound flights. But it was the same story since their names did not appear on the list.
Mgquba said that after failing to board the flight, they were taken to a hotel on the embassy bill.
“They only had to pay five rooms because everyone else said they could pay for themselves. I’m sharing with my roommate because we traveled here together.”
Mgquba said she was frustrated that their hopes continued to rise, but they were never able to board any of the flights.
She said they had been receiving conflicting information from the airline and the embassy, and one blamed the other.
“It feels frustrating, the fact that I’m here, I’m so young and I’m here alone, it’s pretty scary,” said the 19-year-old.
Hossack, who traveled to Los Angeles in March to visit her daughter, said it was the same story for her as she struggled to get an SAA ticket.
Anxiety and devastation
The 58-year-old woman said she had paid for the flight but was also having difficulty getting on board. He said that he had been told that he was on the list, but that when he arrived at the airport his name did not appear.
Hossack also reiterated how they continually tried their luck, sliding their passports at the check-in counters to see if their tickets were processed on Sunday night.
She said, while others were having better luck and getting tickets, for others, including her, it was a different story.
At one point, Hossack said he was crying because he knew he would not be arriving on the plane, despite being told that there were vacant seats.
“It seemed like it was clearly an inefficiency on the SAA side because they didn’t get the tickets on time, and I don’t get this because I was on the list but I couldn’t get a ticket,” he said.
Hossack said events have left her devastated and traumatized.
She added that she was anxious because she still did not have a ticket for the flight that was leaving on Saturday, May 9, despite the fact that others had received their tickets.
“The anxiety and devastation of not being able to get on that plane has been incredible. I am still traumatized. It is such a bad experience,” she said.
Hossack said all she wanted was to go home to be with her husband. She said he is also devastated because she has been away for almost two months when she was destined to be gone for two weeks.
“It really changed me forever. It is a difficult experience to overcome,” he said.
Reasons for cancellation
In a response to News24, SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said there were several reasons for the flight cancellations, ranging from a lack of details received and payments not reaching the airline bank on time.
He said other reasons for the cancellations were that some passengers checked into the airline, rather than the embassy.
“A list of names approved by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) is sent to SAA with proof of payment. Subsequently, SAA will verify that payment has been received (in our bank account). Then we will issue a ticket only after that the payment has been confirmed, “said Tlali.
He said that although there was another repatriation flight planned for May 9 from Washington DC, he could not confirm how many passengers would be on the plane because they were waiting for a list from the embassy.
Tlali added that “it’s probably full flight capacity.”
The airline has urged passengers not to deposit money into their bank account when they have not followed the registration processes through Dirco; this was to ensure they were on the approved lists.
[ad_2]
