“Don't forget anything at home. Make sure you pack all your belongings including your ticket, except if you are not ready to go by air”, Ini dad echoed to the hearing of his daughter.
It's the season of exams although, Ini has been given a two-week holiday and the first day of their resumption would be to write an exam. Ini must not miss the exam, being the final year exams. She started packing her things a day before the day she was going to travel to Abuja from Lagos. Travelling from Lagos to Abuja would take roughly 10 hours, if one should go by bus.
“How many hours can a flight take to reach Abuja from Lagos, dad?” Ini asked as she was packing her things that evening.
“I can't say. I have not been calculating it and do not have an idea”, I will go by flight, if possible", Ini said calmly.
Her dad quickly rushed to the airport and booked a flight schedule to board 7 am the next day. He was given a ticket, which he handed over to Ini.
“That's your flight ticket. Put it in your bag and don't misplace it”, her dad said as he handed the ticket to Ini.
“I will not misplace it dad, and thanks a lot”, she added.
Image of using meta AI
The next morning, Ini packed her bag and off to the airport. She got to the airport some minutes past six in the morning. She sat quietly waiting for her flight, which was scheduled to board by 7 am. A few minutes later, she was tasty and decided to buy herself a bottle of Fanta and snacks just to keep her until she gets to her destination.
At exactly 6:50 Am, the announcer put in the mic and announced the flight number that was about to leave. “Please, check your ticket number and come over to verify your tickets before leaving”.
“The flight to Abuja is about to leave, come along with your ticket to verify before leaving its 7 am or else, you will be left behind”, the attendant repeated.
Ini smiled and started searching for her bag for her ticket. She searched all her bags and even her pocket, but could not find her ticket. She went straight to the flight attendant and complained. She was told that the ticket was the only access to confirm her identity. She brought out her phone and tried her daddy's phone number. At some point, it was switched off. She tried his dad's three lines and were all switched off. She lost hope of going to school that morning. But her exams will be starting the next day as early as possible. Missing the flight would put her into a big mess as this was her final exam.
She went again to meet the attendant with tears on her face. “Please, Madam, I have exams very early tomorrow morning and don't want to miss this flight. What should I do to retain my seat?” She asked with a sad face. She was not herself and does not have the ability to think normally without her ticket with her.
“Please, report this to our customer service right there”, the flight attendant pointed her finger to the right as she directed Ini.
She was still trying her dad's phone numbers just to tell him about the missing ticket, but were still switched off.
“Please, Sir, my flight is about to board and I have missed my ticket. What step do I have to take?” Ini asked.
“Why can't you keep your ticket safely?” One of the customer service members said as he threw his face away from Ini. He was feeling reluctant to attend to her just because of her situation.
Tears were rolling down her face, but suddenly, she remembered her father's words: don't let anyone take advantage of you, be bold enough to claim your right. This statement kept ringing within her, and she stood up again as the time was about 7:07 am. She walked back to the customer service and said to that same person she had met before, “please, attend to me now, or I will report you to the flight manager”, immediately, the customer service heard that statement, he comported himself and gave Ini a listening ear.
“Please, I apologize for not attending to you earlier. What is your complaint?” He asked again, pretending to have forgotten Ini's case. Ini picked up her phone as she wanted to copy the manager's phone number just to report the customer service statement and their deeds to him. “Please, you need to provide the details of your ticket to track it", he said as Ini dropped her calls.
“I have nothing to prove the ticket ownership except my name”, Ini said.
“Seat number 5 is missing out. Please, if you are here, just report yourself now as the flight will leave in the next 10 minutes”, the flight attendant repeated this statement twice and was waiting for the seat number to show his or her face for ticket verification.
A message was passed to the attendant to keep the flight on hold until an issue is resolved. The customer service searched through their data through Ini's name and phone number.
“Did you book the flight yourself?” The customer service asked.
“No, my dad did”, Ini answered.
He searched and saw Ini's name booked for seat number 5. Another ticket was printed out for her. She was relieved as some smiles emerge from her face.
