On Saturday 14th February 2026, I learned something the hard way; sometimes, the flight itself isn’t the problem. it’s everything that happens around it.
My journey with UNITED NIGERIA flight UNO622, from Abuja to Ekiti, was supposed to be simple. Just a local flight. No connections. No long layovers. No complicated travel plans. Just Abuja to Ekiti, straight and direct.
I had originally been scheduled to fly by 2:00pm, and like any normal traveler, I had planned my trip around it. Then, I got the message, my flight had been rescheduled the same day, from 2:00pm to 7:00am.
I got to the airport very early, determined not to miss the flight. I checked in my box properly and kept only my laptop bag as my hand luggage. Everything else, every single item I needed for the trip was inside that box.
And that, as it turned out was the beginning of the real problem.
After waiting for almost 45 minutes, boarding was finally announced. I stood up, ready to enter the aircraft but something strange immediately caught my attention.
Instead of loading checked luggage through the cargo hold underneath the plane as is normal the airline staff were loading passengers’ checked-in luggage through the passenger entrance. Through the same door passengers were using.
I paused. I watched.
And what made it worse was no one asked passengers to identify their luggage. Years ago, this used to be the standard practice. You would see your bag. You would confirm it. There was at least some form of accountability. This time, nothing.
Just luggage moving like random boxes of chocolates Still, I tried not to overthink it.
The flight itself was smooth. No turbulence. No anxiety. No drama. In the air everything felt normal. But the moment we landed in Ekiti, the real trouble began.
I got to baggage collection and waited. People began picking up their bags. One after the other bags disappeared from the carousel into the hands of their owners.
Minutes passed. Then more minutes. And my box never came.
At first, I told myself maybe it was delayed. Maybe it was still being brought out.
After waiting for a while, I walked up to the airline officials and reported and expecting urgency at least a professional response.
Instead, I got something else.
One of them looked at me and asked, almost casually:
“Is it a school bag?” I was stunned.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, they began questioning whether I had even checked in the box at all. Even though I had done so clearly, correctly and with evidence.
I stood there tired and already frustrated trying to explain what should never have required explanation.
I waited for about an hour before they finally confirmed what had happened. My box had been wrongly taken to Enugu.
I stared at them, trying to process the information. How does luggage from a local flight, Abuja to Ekiti end up in Enugu?
This wasn’t an international trip. It wasn’t a connecting flight. There were no multiple destinations involved. Just one flight and One route.
And yet my box had somehow vanished into another state and that was when the reality of my situation hit me.
Normally, I only worry about baggage issues when I’m travelling outside the country especially when I have a connecting flight before my final destination. That’s why I usually pack essentials like toothbrush, toothpaste, and a few clothes in my hand luggage, just in case.
But this time everything I owned for the trip 100% of my belongings was inside that box. And I was supposed to stay in Ekiti for a full week.
I cannot properly describe the stress, the discomfort and the feeling of helplessness.
It wasn’t just an inconvenience. It felt like a complete disruption of my life for the week. And what did the airline staff do? They said one word.“Sorry.” No real support. No urgency. No empathy. No solution. Just “sorry.”
Then came the part that felt almost insulting. I was told I would have to wait three days before my box would be delivered to me.
As if it was normal for a passenger to arrive somewhere and be stranded without clothes, toiletries, or personal items for three days.
It felt like they didn’t care at all.
They didn’t care if I had important documents inside. They didn’t care if I had medications I couldn’t easily replace over the counter in Ekiti. They didn’t care what I would wear, how I would cope, or what this delay would cost me.
It was like my discomfort was simply my problem to manage despite the fact that it was caused entirely by their negligence.
Since I had no choice, I spent unbudgeted money to buy basic but necessary items: clothes, boxers, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, Vaseline and other essentials things I should never have had to spend extra money on if my luggage had been handled properly.
And in the end, what upset me the most wasn’t just the missing luggage. It was the careless handling of the situation. The unprofessional response. The lack of empathy. The lack of accountability.
A problem that seriously affected me as a passenger was treated like something minor like a small mistake that would just “sort itself out.”
Three days later, I am still yet to get my box back. And what stays with me is the complete lack of seriousness shown by UNITED NIGERIA airline when they disrupted my life and wellbeing due to their error.
I strongly believe UNITED NIGERIA airline can do better. They should be far more professional. Far more responsible. And far more human when responding to issues that affect passengers especially when the problem is caused by their own negligence.
Because “sorry” is not enough when a passenger is left stranded without their belongings.
Dr. Gad Peter