How I was treated like trash by Kenya airways staff for being a short black girl.

When my travel agent asked me to choose an airline to fly to England, I looked through the list they had sent me and chose Kenya Airways. It was East African, it was affordable, it was close to home. Little did I know that I would pay dearly for this.

After my scheduled stay, I couldn't wait to return home. But Kenya Airways staff had other plans for me. The lady who checked my bags in said my backpack was too bulgy and asked me to lose a few things so it didn't look too big. Otherwise I'd have to pay for it as baggage. This was distressing because I had called the previous day and had been told that as long as my total dimensions added up, my backpack would not be a problem as carry-on luggage.
But I still had a lot of time so I went and got rid of a few things that were not very heavy but were large. It was painful, but I obliged. I just wanted to go home. The bag could not exceed 12kgs, and after removing a few things, my weight was now below 10kgs.

I put it through the cages used to measure carry-on bags at Heathrow and it went right through. I went back to the Kenya Airways ladies to get it tagged.

However, when I arrived, there was a new lady at the desk, and she told me she couldn't tag it, that I needed to pay for it as extra baggage. 200 pounds she said, casually. I couldn't believe her. I told her it was just a backpack and that even the lady before her had said I should just lose a few things and that it should be fine. I had just thrown away prized possessions! Besides, the bag was below the 12kgs limit noted on their website.

The lady didn't seem interested. She chatted with her colleagues like I was an unwanted distraction, not worth her time. I called her to attention and asked what she wanted me to do. She laughed. "Just pay the 200 pounds," she said. "But I don't have 200 pounds," I said. "Well, I didn't pack the bags," she replied.

I didn't understand what was going on. I told her I had checked their website. I had even called them the previous day and had been told that as long as a bag was below 12kgs and fit the total dimensions - which mine clearly did - I could carry it. She didn't wanna know. She said I just needed to pay for the bag as extra baggage. I was enraged. I hated the way she looked down on me, weighed me up and down like I'm incapable of doing anything to challenge her to adhere to her own employer's policies. I was short, I was black, I was female. I didn't matter. It was written all over her face. I almost raised my voice, but I thought the better of it. I needed to keep calm. I needed to just get on the plane and go home.

Meanwhile, the stares from other colleagues didn't make matters any better. One of the men whose job seemed to be making snarky comments at Kenya Airways customers shouted from nearby that I should take accountability for my actions, that I shouldn't bother them with more issues. But why would he talk to me like that, I wondered? Had I not paid for the flight? Was it not true that my bag was a carry-on and they just wanted me to pay for it? Didn't they even have a recorded conversation of my inquiry the previous day? Why were they being so mean?

I collected myself. It was becoming clear that none of these people cared about customer care, professionalism, or even following their own rules. But where would I get cash like that just out of the blue? Where I come from that's a whole month's salary. Most people earn less than half of that. That's about a million Uganda shillings. But what these people were saying was that people who mattered to them were people who have such amounts as pocket change - not customers who dutifully buy fairly priced economy tickets. Throughout the course of the day they had mentioned numerous times that since I was flying economy, I did not have many privileges. But isn't more than half the plane filled up by economy flying customers? Why was I being treated like trash because I was flying economy? Because I was poor and black and short? If it was about the size of my bag, why had the first person said it was fine, that I needed to reduce a few things?  She had said it was a squashable bag and would be OK. Why was no one listening to me when I reminded them? Why did nobody care that it wasn't even 12kgs?

To get me out of their face, one of the ladies asked me to put my bag in the cage, horizontally. I had been measuring it vertically because that's what everybody else before me did. When I put it horizontally, a bit of it stayed out. I tried to push it in and the lady shouted at me not to. It was a bit too long. But it was narrow! Isn't the point about total dimensions, as my earlier phone call with their customer relations desk - as well as their website - assured me? Besides, it was almost empty now, containing only a few things I really love - like my favorite dress and a book collection I had bought while traveling. It made no sense that this would be considered checked baggage. They were simply extorting money and exerting power over me.

I asked the lady if she really intended to take my bag because it was now practically empty. She matter-of-factly replied that I should either pay for it or throw it away. My heart sank. I was so angry. I had been tossed around like garbage and told to throw my things away one by one untill they finally decided even my backpack wasn't fit enough for their plane. She insisted that only my laptop bag was a size small enough for carry-on and yet even on their website, a laptop bag is listed as an accessory, in addition to a carry-on. I reminded her of all this. She was disinterested.

At this point I was so tired of being tossed around that I just threw everything away. I came back to give her my complaint as to the impersonal treatment I had got, and she and her colleagues looked at me like I was crazy. She crossed her arms and sarcastically snarked "uh-huh?" I was furious. I was humiliated. They held their smirks a second longer as I explained. I felt a surge of hot tears down my cheeks. I turned and left. They laughed. I kept wondering why I had paid for that flight. Why had I supported an East African company staffed by classist racists? Why did people we paid to give us a memorable journey treat us like trash?

Up to now I still endure nightmares about Kenya Airways. I was traumatized by the journey. If I'd been taller or white, or richer, perhaps I would have been treated with respect. Kenya Airways staff were bullies. I hope you'll join me in never again boarding their planes.