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Airport bribery was last straw
Shelina Begum19/12/2003
A Hyde man has won compensation against Bangladeshi Biman
airlines has called on other passengers to take a stand against
bribery.
Zakaria Khan has received £180 compensation after taking the
airline to court claiming Bangladeshi Biman misrepresented its
service.
He said the direct flight he booked from Heathrow Airport to Sylhet
was not in fact direct and made several stops on his journey to and
from Bangladesh.
He said the flight was delayed by five hours going to Bangladesh
and 20 hours back to the UK.
To add insult to injury when he landed airport staff, who are not
employed by Biman, pestered him and other passengers for
bribes.
On his return Mr Khan put his complaints to Biman and decided to
take them to court.
Said Mr Khan: "I took my father to Bangladesh with me on what I was
told was a direct flight but instead it stopped at Dubai, Dhaka
then Sylhet causing a five-hour delay and when I got there things
just seemed to get worst.
"At the airport the baggage control staff wanted money in exchange
for the luggage and they wanted pounds and not the Bangladeshi
taka.
"I declined to give any money and started to walk away this caused
them to back down and they gave me my cases.
"I don't understand why people don't say no when they are asked for
bribes. If they did the airport staff will get the message and it
would make all our lives easier.
"On my return journey things were just as bad as our flight was
late by 15 hours. We were kept in a non-airconditioned hotel in the
sweltering heat and during the flight more stops were made causing
a further five-hour delay.
"It was ridiculous. I had to get back in time so I could go to
work. I was not impressed.
"It was a nightmare journey and the worst experience I have
had."
After returning to Hyde Mr Khan said he made contact with Biman
staff in London and was offered a "measly" compensation in the form
of a discount rate in business class the next time he travels with
the airline.
But Mr Khan declined the offer saying he had no intention to travel
with them again and decided to take his case to court and
won.
He added: "My father and a friend who was also on the same flight
will be taking up their complaints and I would urge more people to
do this as it may change the way the airline runs in the
future."
No-one was available for comment at Binman's London
headquarters.
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