Travellers have called out Uganda Airlines in a bit to get it to address the growing pattern of flight delays.
Uganda Airlines’ flight delays have been so rampant that some travellers have started gradually losing trust in the national carrier.
“I am all for patriotism but I have had enough of the Uganda Airlines delays,” said Ian Ortega, a regular Ugandan traveller.
“Enough is enough. Last time the flight was delayed from 10am to 3pm. This time round, delayed from 8pm to 6am. Issue always: ‘Technical Issue.’”
Media Reports recall that on Thursday night, passengers were left stranded in Kenya after Uganda Airlines cancelled a flight to Entebbe.
Contacted for comment, Uganda Airlines spokesperson, Shakira Rahim Lamar said yesterday’s flight disruption was caused by “an operational glitch”, adding, “But the passengers came (to Entebbe) this morning.”
Asked why Uganda Airlines is registering increased flight delays which was not the case when the national carrier launched commercial flights in 2019, Shakira responded: “It is complicated. There are many reasons. It can be weather or a bird strike or maintenance of an aircraft.”
She said the Airlines usually books hotels or buys lunches for passengers whenever Uganda Airlines faces flight delays.
“People with emergencies are put on other flights,” said Shakira.
While Uganda Airlines has won public admiration and support for its top-notch customer care, there is fear that the high flight delay rate could damage both the airline’s market reputation and passengers’ loyalty.
Moreso, the flight delays increase the Airlines’ operational costs.
Dan Atuhaire, a passenger, said a recent flight delay with Uganda Airlines saw him lose 15 hours of precious time.
“On June 12, 2023, I had a scheduled trip to a neighbouring Metropolis. The available flight options were Kenya Airways and Uganda (National) Airlines. I opted for the latter, thanks to the patriotic side of me choosing to go BUBU. Little did I know that I had successfully set myself up for the grandmother of distress,” recalled Atuhaire.
“10 hours before the travel time, the good old fellows at Uganda Airline decided to cancel — or rather reschedule — the flight from 10:00 to 21:30 hours, all of 09 hours later. The news came via a casual email, on a Sunday evening,” he added.
Atuhaire said the return journey — several days later — panned out no differently.
He said a flight earlier scheduled for 10:00 hours seemingly seemed on course until another last-minute change.
“At the Airport, we went through the normal check-in process and proceeded to our designated boarding gate. At 9:45 hours, 15 minutes before the planned departure time, there were no signs of the Aircraft. Nobody knew what was happening. Perhaps the Aircraft’s engine stalled. Maybe the entire cabin crew went on strike. Or the morning alarms simply didn’t go off. Our repeated inquiries at the boarding gate returned blank stares. The boarding agent looked as bewildered as we were,” he added.
“15 minutes later, the dreaded announcement was finally made. We would have to wait for another 1 hour and 30 minutes, they said. 11:30 hours. Cometh the hour, and our suspect timekeeping still abounded in all its glory. We finally departed a few minutes past noon. And that’s how a full journey that should have lasted 90 minutes ended up wasting 15+ hours of my precious time.”
Ian Ortega did not mince his words: “And not to say that delays will never happen, but how they are handled. An Airline without a proper communication plan. It is total confusion. No single point of contact. And how shall we be competitive in this style? Uganda Airlines reeks of incompetence.”
On X, Ortega said Uganda Airlines finally delivered him to his destination 12 hours later.
“They housed us in the Grand Imperial hotel… But I must say their staff and onboard service is still incredible. But the delays, Hapana (no way)!”
Uganda Airlines flies to Bujumbura, Dar-es-Salaam, Dubai, Johannesburg, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa, Lagos, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Mumbai, Nairobi and Zanzibar.
