Ibom Air: Passenger Who Sat Close to Comfort Emmanson Shares Detailed Account of What Happened
- A man who was a passenger on the Ibom Air flight that departed Uyo for Lagos on Sunday shared his view of what happened
- The passenger said he was sitting close to Comfort Emmanson, the passenger who had a serious altercation with an air hostess
- According to his account, Comfort Emmanson did not refuse to switch off her phone as claimed by Ibom Air
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A man who flew alongside Comfort Emmanson has given an account of what happened on the flight.
There was an uproar on social media after videos showed Ibom Air staff dragging a passenger named Comfort Emmanson out of an aircraft.
Source: UGC
Due to the intensity of the altercation, Ms Emmanson's dress was ripped off and her privacy exposed.
According to Ibom Air, Ms Emmanson had refused to switch off her phone when the flight was about to take off in Uyo.
But a new eyewitness account disputed the claim that Ms Emmanson refused to switch off her phone.
Emmanson never refuse to switch off phone
The eyewitness, who said he occupied seat number 14B, and he heard the conversation between the air hostess and Emmanson.
He said:
"So, I was on the now infamous Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on 10 August 20225 at 1:20pm. I sat on seat 14B, the aisle seat on the left side of the emergency exit row of the Plane.
"Miss. Emmanson sat across the aisle immediately to my right on the corresponding emergency exit row aisle seat (that should be seat 14C or D depending on how the seats were numbered).
"Considering it was a small aircraft, it could be said that we sat about two feet apart, so I was privy, first hand, to all that transpired prior to take off, and upon landing until I exited the plane before the entire drama began.
"I will detail hereunder what transpired, suffice to say, at no time did Miss. Emmanson refuse to switch off her phone for take off."
The eyewitness said there were two air hostesses on the flight and that the first one was polite.
"There were only two air hostesses on the plane which I presume to be as a result of the size of the plane. One of the hostesses approached us and gave us the regular briefing for passengers sitting on the emergency exit.
"This hostess was exceptionally kind, polite and amiable. I will refer to her henceforth as hostess 1. After the briefing she asked Miss. Emmanson politely twice to switch off her phone. I noticed thereafter that Miss. Emmanson was fiddling with her phone with some uncertainty."
Eyewitness blames Ibom Air hostess for escalation
The eyewitness blamed the second air hostess, noting that she was arrogant and contributed to escalating the issue to a crisis level.
He said:
"After hostess 1 left to continue her duties, hostess 2 came with an almighty huff and told Miss. Emmanson to switch off her phone with a very high voice.
"Miss. Emmanson in a low voice tried to explain to hostess 2 that the buttons on her phone for switch off were not working so she did not know how to switch off the phone. Hostess 2 rebuffed her and kept insisting that she switches off the phone.
"Hostess 2 then told her that the phone she was holding was an iPhone which did not require buttons to switch off. The lady now asked the hostess to assist her switch off the phone and hostess 2 replied “I am not touching your phone”.
"Hostess 2 now told her to go to settings and from there click on general. The lady now responded in an even lower voice saying “please I cannot read and don’t know what you said I should do. Can you just help me?”
"Hostess 2 now retorted “Please I don’t have time for your nonsense. Better switch off that phone immediately”."
The eyewitness concluded that the situation would not have escalated if the air hostess had been a little more polite.
His words:
"Miss. Emmanson never at any time refused to switch off her phone for take-off. Hostess 2 acted very poorly and inflamed a rather simple and small matter. And this is putting it mildly.
"Hostess 1 was exceptional and if she were the one that handled the entire episode, this would not have happened. Ibom Air needs to do better in training their staff to learn to be sensitive and empathetic where necessary.
"Miss. Emmanson’s reactions, though founded on grave unwarranted humiliation and provocation, has no place in any sane society and should not be encouraged."
The eyewitness account was posted on X by Egi Nupe.
Source: UGC
See the post below:
Ibom Air: Reactions as eyewitness gives account
@thewahalaboy said:
"Someone that graduated from a supposed polytechnic can’t read?"
@olaogundele said:
"In a case like this, it's important we excuse sentiment and be objective. Having read the reports from eyes witnesses, Comfort had hidden plan. A lady of her status uses an iPhone saying she doesn't know how to switch off the phone she's using and that she can't read."
Lawyer speaks on Ibom Air passenger altercation
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a lawyer said the Ibom Air passenger could sue the airline.
The lawyer who shared a legal perspective on the issue said the passenger could get millions in damages if she sues.
He said the passenger could sue for breach of contract, assault and battery.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
