A Nigerian female doctor, who is currently working in the UK and holds permanent residency in Canada, has shared her distress and outrage over what she believes was racist treatment she experienced during her travel from Winnipeg to Newcastle. The incident occurred when her flight was unexpectedly diverted to Paris due to unforeseen circumstances.
Upon their arrival in Paris, all passengers were informed that they would be provided with accommodation at a hotel due to the delay of the flight. However, the Nigerian doctor, who was traveling with a Nigerian passport, found herself being denied a room, while other passengers, some of whom did not have visas, were allowed to check in without issue. This situation led to a growing sense of frustration and disbelief on her part as she tried to understand why she was being treated differently.
The incident took a more troubling turn when the doctor overheard a customer service agent speaking to non-visa passengers. The agent appeared to be advising these individuals to lower their voices as they inquired about their hotel arrangements, seemingly in an effort to avoid the doctor hearing their conversation. This added to the doctor's sense of isolation and exclusion, further confirming her suspicions about the racially motivated nature of the treatment she was receiving.
It soon became clear to the doctor that her Nigerian passport was likely the primary reason for her exclusion from the hotel accommodation, a realization that deeply upset her. As a professional doctor working in the UK and a permanent resident in Canada, she found it unjust to be treated as if she were a refugee or undeserving of the same basic services afforded to other passengers.
Adding to her frustration, the doctor’s hand luggage had already been checked in, which meant she was left without any toiletries or personal supplies for the two-day wait in Paris, from Thursday until the rescheduled flight on Saturday. This left her unable to maintain even basic hygiene, further compounding her sense of unfairness and discomfort. In her view, the treatment she experienced was both discriminatory and unfair, driven by racial prejudice against her nationality and passport.
Her statement:
“I took a flight from Winnipeg to Newcastle. My flight got to Newcastle but was turned back to Paris. We were promised a hotel on getting there.”
“We got there and everyone was offered a hotel including those without visa except me because I carry a Nigerian passport passport.”
“I caught the customer service agent whispering to some passengers that were without visa whom she was escorting to their hotel to lower their voices when they were asking questions about going to their hotel so I wouldn’t hear the conversation.”
“On a whole flight, I was singled out because of my green passport. I am livid. I’m a doctor working in the UK and permanent resident of the Canada.”
“I am not refugee but I’m being treated as one. My hand luggage was checked in so I have no supplies and can’t clean myself for 2 days (the flight was rescheduled for Saturday and this is Thursday). This is unfair and racist.”
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