Cancelled flight nosedives last respects
A young Johannesburg woman who could not attend her grandfather’s memorial service in Hartenbos last week because her flight to George was cancelled at the last minute, wants answers. Nicole van der Merwe was booked on a flight of CemAir last Thursday, 16 July, from Johannesburg to George. The flight was paid for, but while she was packing on Wednesday night, she received an e-mail informing her of the cancellation.
The e-mail stated: “Due to a delay in Government processes, the re-opening of George Airport did not take place on 21 July 2020 as announced by the Minister of Transport on 16 July 2020.” She told George Herald on Tuesday that she is devastated and will not leave the matter there. It is traumatic. “I was so surprised when I was informed. I wanted to go and support my family. I felt completely helpless that I could not be there.”
She had assistance from travel agencies, just to make sure that all procedures and protocols were followed to allow her to fly from Gauteng to George Airport. “After long processes we managed to get a flight for Thursday,” she said. They paid the R4 000 for the ticket straight away.
“I had to go to different police stations to get documents certified as half of them were closed due to positive Covid cases. After running around for almost a week to ensure we met all the regulations, we were ready to go say our final goodbyes.” The last time Johnnie van der Merwe was strong enough to speak to his granddaughter was when she phoned him on his 84th birthday in October last year. Just a month later, when she visited him in Hartenbos, he could no longer communicate verbally. He died on 15 July. “Due to this pandemic and government regulations I was unable to be by his side during his final moments … I felt in my heart and soul, I needed to say goodbye one last time. I knew the risks for Covid-19 and even though I have asthma, I was prepared to put my own life at risk to be at the service,” she said. Van der Merwe has no words to describe her feelings. “I was not going to travel for business. I wanted to pay my respects.” She is unhappy about being informed less than 24 hours before she was supposed to depart. “If I knew this was going to happen, I would have gotten into my car and driven 12 hours to hopefully be there in time,” she said.
By Tuesday morning, 28 July, she was still waiting for a response from CemAir.
The travel agency has already made a request for a refund on her behalf. She was told it will take seven to 10 working days.
‘Nobody’s fault’
Van der Merwe also wants the responsible party to apologise. “I want answers. Was it because of a governmental delay or was it because of a delay at CemAir?” At the booking centre of the specific airways company, a representative told Van der Merwe on Thursday that the flight had been cancelled because the George Airport didn’t have a clearance certificate for the aircraft to land. George Airport manger Brenda Vorster said she had heard about the incident. “It was not a problem from anybody’s side. There was no schedule lodged and therefore no clearance certificate could be given in time.” CemAir did not respond before going to print. If received, the comment will be published online.
The first plane to land at George Airport since the start of lockdown was a CemAir flight that flew in on Friday 24 July.
I felt in my heart and soul, I needed to say goodbye one last time.