‘Given the Whites our business class seats’: Kenyan woman accuses airline of racial bias
A Kenyan influencer and businesswoman has accused an airline of downgrading her to economy class while giving away her business class seat to “White” passengers
A Kenyan influencer and businesswoman has accused the country’s flag carrier of downgrading her to economy class while giving away her business class seat to “White” passengers. Cashmeer Sayyid shared a video of her confrontation with Kenya Airways staff, during which she accused the airline of overbooking the flight and discriminating against locals.
In the clip that has since gone viral, Sayyid claimed that she had booked, paid for and checked in for her flight well in advance. Despite this, she was made to wait in line for 30 minutes as the crew hemmed and hawed and offered excuses for the downgrading.
HT.com has reached out to Kenya Airways for a statement. This copy will be updated on receiving a response.
Kenyan woman accuses airline of discrimination
“So you took money from four different passengers. I want to know who is sitting on 4A and 4C. I booked, I paid, and I checked in last week. Are you going to give me my money right now?” she questioned.
The Kenyan woman demanded to know why she had been downgraded from business to economy class.
One Kenya Airways employee informed Sayyid that she could wait for the next flight. Another suggested that she opt for a refund, telling the influencer “We can always refund you through the agent where you booked.”
{{/usCountry}}One Kenya Airways employee informed Sayyid that she could wait for the next flight. Another suggested that she opt for a refund, telling the influencer “We can always refund you through the agent where you booked.”
{{/usCountry}}Sayyid refused both options. She accused the airline of discrimination and claimed that her seat had been given away to “Whites”.
{{/usCountry}}Sayyid refused both options. She accused the airline of discrimination and claimed that her seat had been given away to “Whites”.
{{/usCountry}}While sharing the video of her heated exchange on Instagram, she wrote: “That’s KQ for you. They have given the Whites our business class seats.”
In an Instagram Story, she called Kenya Airways the “worst airline” and claimed that her seat was downgraded because the airline could not find anyone else who would accept the downgrade.
Kenya Airways responds
Kenya Airways responded to the now-viral Instagram video. The airline accepted that Sayyid had been involuntarily downgraded but claimed it was not due to her skin colour. Instead, the aircraft was changed, which meant that the new aircraft had fewer business class seats and some passengers had to be moved to economy class.
“Hi Yasmin, we’re really sorry about how this experience felt. We understand how disappointing and frustrating this must have been,” said Kenya Airways in its Instagram comment.
“To clarify, the flight operated with a downgraded aircraft, which meant there were fewer Business Class seats available.
“As a result, not all passengers could be accommodated in Business Class. In such situations, the system automatically selects passengers for downgrade based on ticket class, and this process is not based on race, nationality, or skin colour. We do not condone discrimination of any kind,” the airline explained.
