Passenger misses flight over name confusion

KARACHI: A Few days after a Karachi-bound passenger was erroneously flown to Jeddah due to negligence of a private airline, a passenger was mistakenly boarded for the wrong flight, ARY News reported.

According to Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), the incident occurred due to two individuals with the same name. Arif Ali, scheduled to travel to Dubai on a private airline, inadvertently approached the check-in counter of a foreign airline at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

Without verifying his ticket, the staff of the foreign airline issued him a boarding pass for a Sharjah-bound flight. Arif Ali then proceeded to the departure lounge with the incorrect boarding pass.

Shortly after, when the foreign airline’s legitimate passenger, also named Arif Ali, arrived at the counter, the staff realised their error.

The foreign airline retrieved the boarding pass from the private airline’s passenger, Arif Ali, and sent him back.

In the meantime, the private airline’s Dubai-bound flight had completed boarding, closed its gates, and departed. The PAA confirmed that the mix-up occurred due to oversight of the foreign airline’s staff.

The affected passenger, Arif Ali, is financially disadvantaged and lacks the means to purchase another ticket.