South African Airports
Travel agents should advise passengers at South African airports to be wary of and report incidents of extortion from trolley operators who demand large amounts of money for pushing passengers’ luggage. Acsa told eTNWthat incidents should be reported at the nearest iHelp desk or police station.
Gellé Ritchie, Africa safari expert at Live 4 Africa.com, says that recently two separate client groups, fell victim to the operators and paid between $70 (R980) and $100 (R1 400) to OR Tambo International Airport’s trolley staff for pushing their luggage. Both groups had to connect with domestic flights immediately after their international flight had landed and were approached by the trolley staff as soon as they had cleared customs. Gellé’s clients told her that the staff became “quite aggressive” when clients offered them anything less than the amount stipulated.
The Airport Security teams are co-operating fully with the airport-based government agencies entrusted with the management and/or removal of criminal elements, says Acsa.
Passengers are encouraged to use only airport-accredited porters when they require assistance. They are identifiable by the bright orange uniform that clearly states the porter’s name and operating number.
