It was always my understanding that a key role for the media, print, electronic or new media on the web, was to investigate, ask questions and find answers, especially when, like in the case of an airline, public interest is at stake.
Therefore, when initially innocent questions are asked and the response immediately termed those questions ‘accusations’ then I, throughout my academic and professional career either got the meaning of a question wrong, or more likely did those who were asked react in panic and shot off their mouths, or in this case fingers without thinking much of the consequences, nor the availability of screenshots.
Communication from the airline, while claiming it was off the record, on the other side threatened a legal case against my first article published on the 29th not long after midnight, again letting contradictions rule as was already amply demonstrated in the initial post.
One of the greatest expressions of freedom in the United States, is the freedom of the media and unless it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, that one has acted maliciously, for instance with the intent to defame, no case brought against a media house was ever won by a plaintiff. It is called the freedom of speech and my speech, going by the comments received from readers, appears to have been remarkable restrained.
What the airline’s response however did accomplish was a close up monitoring of their Facebook page and the collection of various clients’ postings, expressing their indignation, disappointment and worse.
The question must be asked, as hardly any of those posts received any response, leave alone a substantive one, what is going on at Fly Africa in Zimbabwe, and for that matter also in Namibia where clients seem to have been stranded.
It is for readers to make up their own mind when they have studied the following collection and conclude how wisely, or unwisely, Fly Africa has acted when ignoring those posts and claiming that they were operating again as of the 29th, when to the best knowledge of this correspondent no flight took off from Zimbabwe on that day or since:
Elaine Tapson Rich Can I ask why you do this CONSTANTLY?! Cancel or change flights willy nilly as if people haven't got important appointments, meetings, connection flights etc. already booked to tie in with the flights they have booked with you? I recently booked a flight with you, took out insurance on the understanding that if you cancelled the flight you would get me onto the next flight out of Harare (at your expense) because I had a vital oncology appointment with treatment later that day, and what happened? You cancelled, your staff told us to book the next available flight and we were guaranteed reimbursement. The change of flight cost us $485 one way but did we get reimbursed? No way! We were told that the goal posts had changed and the insurance didn't really mean what we were lead to believe. We were treated with contempt by all your staff with no apology or empathy. I ignored, at my peril, everybody's warning about your unreliable and non-existent service! DON'T Fly Africa is what I say! You pretend to have your passengers welfare at heart - sadly you are not going to have any passengers left to "care" about soon. Wake up and start providing some sort of service because at this point, nobody is really very impressed.
Marietjie Coetzee
Today at 8:11am
So while you are fighting with Zimbabwe, a group of passengers were stranded in Windhoek yesterday without explanation. Only put on the next flight out to Lanseria on Friday. One lady had to get to Jhb urgently due to a death in the family. A young man had job interviews lined up. What did you do? Nothing!!! Most of us had to fork out thousands to purchase tickets on Air Namibia or BA. We need answers, please..
Mandi Mitchell to flyafrica.com
15 mins ·
The letter sent out to clients to the cancellation and subsequent refund to let down customers clearly stated we must be patient for 24 hours. This period has come and gone and not one of my emails has been answered, and the Byo Flyafrica office is not giving us any answers either! Can someone please give out an updated statement, or better yet, answer the emails sent on your feedback call center
Cee Cee Capwell to flyafrica.com
1 hr ·
So what about this siphoning and externalisation of funds? Any comment on that by any chance?
Peter Dorgan to flyafrica.com
1 hr ·
will fly Africa fly today ?
Duwayne Goddard to flyafrica.com
2 hrs ·
Good Morning flyafrica.com Please may we kindly have a status on flights.
Many Thanks.
Tony Gibson to flyafrica.com
2 hrs · Boksburg, South Africa ·
I think a public statement confirming the resumption of flight schedules would answer a lot of questions right now. Are you flying from today or not?
Melisa Mel Gambara They are not even answering phones!!!! May you please tell us what is going on.
Michael Taylor to flyafrica.com
2 hrs ·
Rumours start when you stop communicating to you pax, what the .... is going on, conflicting info here, please reply., I'm meant to fly, do I book saa or BA now? Let me know before it's too late !
Fungie Pfachi i JUST BOOKED SAA. NO ANSWERS AND THE PEOPLE AT OR TAMBO WER POLITE BUT HAD NO ANSWERS.
Melisa Mel Gambara to flyafrica.com
2 hrs ·
Have flights resumed or not?? I've noticed that you guys have stopped responding to this question and you deleted your post about things being back to normal. We want answers you guys, you have our money.
Jens La Barré to flyafrica.com
2 hrs ·
It is very sad to see so many complaints from many people on all social media platforms. Just a heads up - your venture will fail unless you start being on time with your flights. I certainly won't use your services until customer feedback improves.
Judy Breedt Micillo to flyafrica.com
3 hrs ·
Is the flights on for JHB today and what time as we believe the times has been changed
Kashan Krawitz-Irmak Sitting at Whk airport the lady at fly Africa office not very assuring
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Fungie Pfachi to flyafrica.com
5 hrs ·
Yet again a cancellation after all those confirmations that your schedules are back to normal... what a fraud... so disappointed..
Carolyn Sole to flyafrica.com
12 hrs ·
Hi there - can you confirm if normal flights have resumed as of this afternoon as promised? We await your confirmation before booking with other carriers to replace existing Fly Africa flights - Thanks
What does one call such an operation if I may ask the question, emphasis on question, not making a statement? Shambolic? Unprofessional? Deceptive perhaps even? The client posts above seem to give plenty of answers towards that end and it would only be appropriate if the airline could at last respond to each and every one of them with a substantive answer, not one which is aimed to pacify them or fob them off.
Notably have local Zimbabwean media also now taken up the story and the Zimbabwe Chronicle has under the following link just shed more light on to the sad affair, notably exposing that promises that operations would resume on the 29th were clearly premature at best and willfully misleading at worst, quoting the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Hon. Joram Gumbo. http://www.chronicle.co.zw/aviation-authority-grounds-fly-africa/
NewsDay, another Zimbabwean publication, equally came out strongly and their take on the affair is available via https://www.newsday.co.zw/2015/10/29/low-cost-airline-fly-africa-hits-the-skids/
What is one to make of a corporate entity, which is confronted with the question of owing money to their local Civial Aviation Authority and spits venom by talking of accusations when the Minister responsible for the sector two days later in public confirms that indeed CAAZ is owed money. Again, that question most readers will be able to answer themselves, as none has been forthcoming from the airline directly.
Another Zimbabwean publication, www.zimeye.com uses language this correspondent has deliberated avoided, as their article shows: http://www.zimeye.com/fly-africa-crashes-down-grounded/
Affairs of this nature, especially when involving airlines, naturally have an impact on the credibility of the entire industry with the one causing such issues to spill over into the public domain of course most affected. Time will no doubt tell how this will pan out, how the purported legal case of Fly Africa against their local Zimbabwean shareholders goes, but for now, it is wait and see and keeping an eye on this site for updates as and when available. Should the airline respond will that response, needless to say, of course also be published here.
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