Editor's Review
KAA responded to a viral video clip of a passenger confronting an airport staff member who recovered her lost phone.
On Tuesday, September 15, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) set the record straight about air travel passengers accessing misplaced items during flights or at airports.
In a statement, KAA responded to a viral video clip of a passenger confronting an airport staff member who recovered her lost phone.
The Authority sympathised with the passenger and said that the frustration brought upon her was uncalled for. It clarified that the staff member was not a KAA employee.
"We wish to clarify that the interaction captured in the video involved airline personnel and not KAA staff.
"However, KAA recognises that passengers experience the airport as one journey and, together with our aviation partners, we remain committed to ensuring that such interactions are handled professionally and with due consideration to the customer experience," the statement read.
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Nonetheless, KAA stated that those seeking to recover items left onboard aircraft must follow the procedures put in place. It explained that they are meant to ensure that recovered property is handed over to its rightful owner.
"For security and accountability, passengers collecting items left onboard aircraft may be required to provide identification and complete the relevant documentation before an item can be released," the organisation explained.
The Authority confirmed that it had engaged the concerned airline and, together with relevant aviation stakeholders, is strengthening passenger awareness of the procedures to follow when belongings are left onboard an aircraft or within the airport.
The organisation's Corporate Communications and Public Affairs department called on passengers to cooperate with the applicable verification procedures and to seek assistance from airline or airport customer service teams whenever clarification is required.
KAA reaffirmed its commitment to working with all airport stakeholders to provide a safe, secure and customer-focused travel experience.
In the viral video, the lady accused the airport staff of allegedly demanding a bribe before releasing her phone to her.
She further accused him of withholding her phone and demanding that she present a physical ID, which she had left in the taxi, despite her accurately describing the misplaced phone. The incident happened at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)
