We heard, read and also lived through many violations by Kuwait Airways, and we will mention an incident that shows some of them, and we would like to state that there is no generalization in this issue. During a flight from New York to Kuwait, when we were about to hand over the luggage to the NY airport employee, we saw a group of passengers who were told their names were not on the business and first class list, and were told to check with the economy class desk, but once onboard, they were taken from the economy class seats to the business class.

When we asked about the reason for the shift, the chief flight attendant told us he has nothing to do with it, and that the move was ordered by the crew. One of the crewmembers said they are not required to explain what happened, and that they are free to do what they want onboard the aircraft, and if we have any objection, we should submit a complaint upon arrival in Kuwait. But the worst thing was that the crewmember said if a complaint is submitted to KAC administration, it will not have any effect, and that they have their own ways to overcome the complaint, so there is no use of complaining, "and this is a testimony from one within".

This latest answer shows one of the reasons of the spread of such behaviors at KAC, as complaints of all types that are submitted may be of no importance and are left in drawers, so that the status quo remains. If you are a KAC passenger or employee and see violations, keep silent and do not talk, because there will not be any justice over the complaint, and no one will hold the mistaken to account.

Do the employment duties of the crew include transferring passengers from economy to other classes, according to friendship or family affiliation, for example? Are complaints by passengers and employees looked into objectively or are they under the control of friendships and kept in the drawers due to personal interests and influence?

Do passengers not have the right to object to such actions? And is there anyone to blame if other passengers demand the same thing that is presented to these passengers? When the crew and passengers behave in such a fashion in front of other passengers, wouldn't they feel they are less respected? Also, all the business seats during that flight were occupied except for one, so were they all real passengers, or were there other violators too?

And if matters continue in this fashion, does this not bring up doubts about some employees making bogus reservations of seats to keep real passengers from reserving them, in order to keep them for friends for free on travel day? Who bears the financial losses? Who is responsible for them? Did KAC become a property of some of those with profiteering mindsets? If what is going in this establishment takes place in the rest of governmental institutions, then who knows where we may reach in the future! A wise man said: We do not suffer from lack of money, but from the abundance of the corrupt! - Al-Qabas

By Safaa Al-Qabandi