Fake Airline tickets sold to Air Tanzania passengers travelling from China. Dubious agents suspected
Fake Airline tickets?
Despite the world being in the digital era where airlines sell e-tickets, more than 30 passengers of Tanzania’s national carrier found themselves with counterfeit travel vouchers.
A total of 32 passengers were stranded at the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China, after the plane tickets they bought for their journey to Tanzania discovered to be fake.
The 32 passengers, mostly traders operating at Kariakoo in Dar-es-salaam and who had gone to purchase ​their stock merchandise in the Guangzhou City of China, ended up being stranded after it became clear that the air tickets sold to them through an agent known as Space Travel, were forgery.
The person behind the travel agency was identified as Yasmin Landa who, according to the statement from Air Tanzania, was discovered to run business in the busy Kariakoo location of Dar-es-salaam city.
As it happens, the affected passengers had lodged complaints to Air Tanzania regarding their return trip to Dar, as they were barred from flying back to Tanzania.
And that was after contacting the agent who sold them the tickets who kept claiming that all the Air Tanzania planes were fully overbooked, that’s why.
But upon cross-checking, Air Tanzania found out that names of the 32 affected passengers were not in their travel manifest.
According to the communication department of Air Tanzania, the agent, Space Travel, had indeed sold the traders what was described to be return tickets from Dar-es-salaam to Guangzhou.
From pleasant flight to unpleasant fright!
However it turned out that the tickets were just for one way trips, despite the fact that the gullible passengers had paid for return journeys.
In the end, the furious Kariakoo traders were compelled to pay for new tickets that allowed them to travel back to Dar-es-salaam, incurring loss in the process.
Air Tanzania has denounced ‘Space Travel,’ saying the agent was not recognized by the airline and anybody who deals with the firm, does so at their own risk.
The airline management explained that Space Travel had previously used the Global Distribution System (GDS) portal which was accredited to Satguru Travel and Tour Services (JMD) to sell the first batch of genuine tickets but later forged the return documents.
Air Tanzania reports that their management have already filed the issue with the Global Distribution System (GDS) and Satguru Travel to halt whichever dealings they had including air ticket distributions through ‘Space Travel,’ the agent which the airline says it does not recognize.