Kenyan Woman Alleges Racial Bias After Airline Downgrades Her: "Given Whites Our Business Class Seats"

Kenyan influencer and businesswoman Cashmeer Sayyid accused Kenya Airways (KQ) of racial bias after she was downgraded from business class to economy on a flight. Sayyid posted a video of her confrontation with airline staff on her Instagram account, claiming she had booked, paid for, and checked in for her business class seat a week in advance. She alleged that the airline overbooked the flight and specifically chose to downgrade local passengers while giving their business class seats to "Whites" (European tourists).

"So you took money from four different passengers. I want to know who is sitting on 4A and 4C. I booked, I paid, and I checked in last week. Are you going to give me my money right now?" she asked the staff. 

Watch the video here:

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During the confrontation, staff reportedly suggested she could either wait for the next flight or accept a refund, both of which she refused. 

Kenya Airways' Response

On December 31, Kenya Airways issued a statement addressing the viral video and the allegations. The airline clarified that the flight operated with a different aircraft than originally scheduled, which had significantly fewer business class seats.

KQ claimed the downgrade process was involuntary and managed by an automated system that selects passengers based on ticket class and other technical criteria, rather than race, nationality, or skin colour. While the airline denied any intentional discrimination, they expressed regret for the "frustrating" experience. 

"Hi Yasmin, we're really sorry about how this experience felt. We understand how disappointing and frustrating this must have been. To clarify, the flight operated with a downgraded aircraft, which meant there were fewer business class seats available. As a result, not all passengers could be accommodated in business class. In such situations, the system automatically selects passengers for downgrade based on ticket class, and this process is not based on race, nationality, or skin colour. We do not condone discrimination of any kind. An involuntary downgrade form was issued at check-in, which can be used to request a fare difference refund or an upgrade on the same sector," their response read.