Jamaican-born UK citizen detained in Trinidad after Caribbean Airlines mix-up Jamaican-born UK citizen detained in Trinidad over Caribbean Airlines mix-up

BY JEDIAEL CARTER Staff reporter carterj@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, October 23, 2016

When Dudley Smith boarded his Caribbean Airlines flight to Barbados at the Norman Manley International Airport on August 26 he never dreamt that it would lead to his first arrest and detention.

He told the Jamaica Observer that he was wrongly arrested and charged for disruptive behaviour on the flight after he refused to relinquish his seat which appeared to have been mistakenly assigned to another passenger.

Smith said that the night before his flight he used the airline’ Web check-in feature and selected seat 11F. Immediately after, he said he received a confirmation e-mail with the corresponding boarding pass, which he printed the day of the flight.

Having had everything checked and verified at the airline counter, Smith then proceeded to board the aircraft and take his seat. As he settled, he said the problem began. “I was in my seat for about 10 minutes when I was rudely interrupted by a woman who demanded that I vacate the seat. I showed her my boarding pass and she said she had 11F. I told her that she should sort that out with the crew,” Smith recalled, noting that the woman left.

Dudley Smith says he was arrested, charged,
 detained and tried in Trinidad & Tobago because
he refused to vacate his seat on a Caribbean Airlines flight.

“An air stewardess came and told me to hand over my boarding pass, which I did. She told me that I should vacate the seat and move to 5F. I asked her to give me one cogent reason why I should remove from my seat and also tell me what my rights were. She took the boarding pass, went out of my sight and returned with 11F crossed out in ink and again repeated that I should remove. I told her I believe she has no right to go and do that change. She called in the airport police authority,” Smith stated.

When the police personnel arrived, he said, they asked about the problem and he told them the same thing that he told the flight attendant. The security personnel, according to Smith, conferred amongst themselves and requested that he place his bag in the overhead hatch as he was seated at an emergency exit.

He said they questioned his willingness to aide passengers should there be an emergency and left the aircraft when he affirmed his willingness.

The aircraft then left for Trinidad & Tobago, Smith being of the view that the seat matter had been laid to rest. more