My name is Makambe Simamba. I am seeking funds to buy my mother a round-trip ticket from Toronto to Lusaka as possible. On Monday, July 31st 2024 my mother, Mwangala Simamba was wrongfully denied check-in and boarding of Delta Flight 4990. The agent claimed she did not have the correct Visa to enter Zambia (her final destination). The trouble is, my mother is a Canadian passport holder and does not need a visa in order to enter Zambia, which she explained to the travel agent to no avail. She was therefore not able to board her flight, and since then we have spent every single day (the past 6 days to be exact) on the phone with Delta Airlines, Hop2 Travel Agency (the 3rd party website that made the booking), and Kenya Airways (who was responsible for the majority of the booking from New York to the final destination of Lusaka). I even have proof from the High Commissioner of Zambia at the Zambian embassy saying that Canadians do not need a visa. We continue to be bounced around in circles with no resolution, and my mom only has a finite amount of leave-days, yet the urgency of this issue seems not to be understood by any of the responsible parties involved, especially Hop2 who is responsible for creating the original booking. As a last resort, I am humbly asking for those in my community to please support us by helping to buy her a new round-trip ticket. I cannot stress how important this trip is. We live in Canada and don’t get the opportunity to travel back nearly as often as we would like because traveling is so expensive. My mother's original ticket came to $3123. It is not only important that she go to connect with family. There are other factors as well: Firstly, we had a very unfortunate death of my Auntie Inonge at the end of July. Mom was unable to make the funeral, but for her own peace it is imperative that she go to say her last goodbye her final goodbye and to pay her respects to my Auntie's immediate family. Secondly, there are important legal and cultural matters that need to be sorted out in regards to our ancestral land. Our family is entitled to a certain amount of traditional land, but the process of securing that land requires us physically going there and going through the traditional process of making ourselves known as a family, making an offering, and speaking with the Makulukuse (the title of the person who represents the King of our tribe and deals with the land in that area). This trip requires a 10 hour trip outside of the capital city of Lusaka, several people to go as a group. This is the main reason for our travel. We have already gone as far as making the travel arrangements for our group of 15+ people, folks have already taken the appropriate time off of work, and made the possible arrangements for supplies and vehicles so it would be very challenging to postpone this trip (that my immediate family is shouldering the majority of the financial cost of). Thirdly, my sister Ngela and I have already bought tickets to travel to Zambia to join my mom in all these intentions on August 15th. If our Mom is unable to travel, then it puts the intention and practicality of me and Ngela’s travels in jeopardy because we were specifically travelling to support her and do these things with her. And this trip was already at the top of our budget. We each paid $3214.55 for our tickets so financially, we are tapped. The airlines are claiming that my mother was a no show, and therefore, forfeits the right to be rebooked without fees, and also forfeits the right to use the return leg of the ticket which was scheduled for August 29th. So I am now desperate to purchase her a ticket to leave Toronto as soon as possible, but I need help. I am asking for $4092.12. My intention is to get her on a flight as soon as possible. We have to take matter into our own hands because it is clear that neither the airlines nor the booking agent cares about my mother, or getting this issue resolved in a timely manner. The $4092.12 will cover: A United Flight from Toronto to Lusaka departing Sunday August 6th - $1770.46 Baggage Fees: $267.67 A Hotel room for one night for the 15 hour layover in Johannesburg: $100 An Ethiopian Airlines Flight From Lusaka to Toronto on Tuesday August 29th - $2235.04 I have chosen these particular airlines because they will allow me to book the flight through their actual websites directly, and not a 3rd party that will not be helpful god forbid anything were to go wrong. These are the current prices I have at my disposal and I would like to lock them in as soon as possible. I will pursue refunds and compensation from Delta Airlines/Kenya Airways/Hop2 after I can safely get Mom on a flight, because for so many reasons, it is a non negotiable and she needs to travel. Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out at this time to offer support and try and help me find solutions to this unbelievable issue. If donating is not an option at this time, please consider supporting my family by sharing my recent post on this matter on Instagram and Twitter, tagging the following: IG: @artingwithmakambe - Please tag: @hop2.com_, @delta, @offialkenyaairways Twitter: @artingwmakambe - Please Tag: @hop2_travel, @delta, @kenyaairways Thank you so much. - Makambe
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