Posted by The Guardian on
FOR alleged breach of contract, the Managing Director of Tanus Communications Limited, Chief Yemi Ogunbiyi, has taken Virgin Atlantic Airways to court.
FOR alleged breach of contract, the Managing Director of Tanus Communications Limited, Chief Yemi Ogunbiyi, has taken Virgin Atlantic Airways to court.
In a writ of summons dated June 7, deposed at the Federal High Court Lagos by Babalakin and Co., lawyers to the former Managing Director of the Daily Times, Ogunbiyi is demanding, among other things, the sum of N10 million as damages for the humiliation and trauma he suffered at the hands of officials of the airline in at the Heathrow Airport, in December 4, 2004.
According to the statement of claims, made available to The Guardian, the plaintiff alleged that on the said date, Virgin Atlantic Airways subjected him to certain inconveniences following its refusal to honour the returned ticket issued him in Nigeria by the airline.
It alleged that the officials of the company stopped Ogunbiyi from boarding their Lagos-bound flight on the excuse that the period was a " high season for revenue passengers."
But in a letter, dated December 8, 2004, and addressed to Mr. Peter Barry, the general manager of the airline in Lagos, Ogunbiyi stated that he was formally invited by Virgin Atlantic Airways for emerging " lucky winner" of a Virgin Raffle Draw Ticket, held earlier in the year at the Elephant Cement Golf Course, Sagamu.
"After a series of seemingly interminable negotiation, involving some eight separate visits to your offices, firm bookings were made by your ticketing staff, following which I travelled on Monday, November 22."
He said his efforts to return to Nigeria, using the airline, was rebuffed by a staff at the Heathrow Airport in London, "despite the fact that I had a confirmed return ticket of the airline with me. I was herded with some 30 other passengers with unconfirmed tickets, in a little corner of the checking-in area and made to wait, before being told, half hour later, that I could not go on the flight."
An attempt to reach the general manager failed, but an official of the airline insisted that efforts were being made to resolve "whichever difference that might have been at issue."
Though no date has been fixed for the hearing, The Guardian learnt that all papers in support of the claims were all receipted at the court registrar's office.