A furious passenger allegedly hurled her soiled sanitary pads at airport check-in staff when she was denied boarding her flight to the UK.
Gloria Omisore flew from her home town of Lagos, Nigeria, to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi for her long-haul trip to Manchester on Monday.
While checking in, however, Gloria was told by airline staff that she did not have the required Schengen visa to enter France, as she had booked a stop in Paris before the onward flight to Britain.
She was offered an alternative route landing in London but Gloria allegedly descended into ‘check-in rage’, shouting at the counter staff who tried to stay calm during the tirade.
The angry passenger eventually ended up being refused boarding and was deported back to Kenya, losing the cost of her tickets to France and Manchester as well as her hotel booking.
Footage shows the tense moment at the check-in desk as the passenger confronted airline staff.
After the heated argument, the passenger allegedly threw a bloodied menstrual pad, which landed on the counter then fell to the floor. It is seen lying on the ground at the end of the clip.
In the video, the passenger can be heard yelling: ‘You will provide me a sanitary towel. You cannot take my phone. You cannot take my phone.
‘I will speak with the Minister of Finance in Nigeria, you will see.’
However, the infuriated airline staffer shouts back at her, telling her to ‘call the president of Nigeria. Call the president of Nigeria.
‘You will not fly on the Kenya Airways. You will never enter our airline again. Call your president. Call the Nigerian president.
‘We are not going to give you anything. You are not going to fly on our airways again.’
Gloria stood her ground and again demanded a sanitary towel, fuming at the 17 hours added to the journey if she took up the airline’s offer to fly her to London instead.
Kenya Airways has defended their procedure and said in a statement that they offered Gloria a ‘generous alternative’ because she did not have a visa.
The flag carrier said: ‘Unhappy with this option, the guest demanded accommodation, which Kenya Airways does not provide in cases where boarding is denied due to visa requirements.
‘It is the responsibility of passengers to ensure they have the necessary documentation for their journey.
‘In a distressing turn of events, the guest resorted to inappropriate behaviour by removing and throwing three used sanitary pads at our employees.
‘We strongly condemn such conduct. While we remain committed to delivering exceptional service, we expect all interactions to be based on mutual respect. Our employees deserve to work in a safe and dignified environment, and we do not tolerate any abuse from our employees or guests.’
After the incident, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Michael Achimugu held a meeting with Kenya Airways representatives and agreed to deport Gloria back to Nigeria on February 3.
The spokesman said: ‘Per our discussion with the station manager, the passenger will be flown back to Nigeria tonight. This is agreeable on all sides’.
