It’s no secret, I hate Delta airlines. They are notorious for flight delays and if they possess an iota of customer service, they don’t extend it to their Ghanaian clients.  I have tried to understand why a company that makes substantial profits off the Ghanaian market treats this loyal base so poorly. The answer came in the form of a tweet after the Ghana vs USA soccer match.

See they believe we are animals - giraffes to be precise.

Once you overlook the fact that giraffes are not found in Ghana, you may be pressed to understand why a multinational company would resort to a gob-smacking stereotype to describe an African country. The answer. once again, lies in the notorious tweet:  When the media gurus at Delta think of the USA, they automatically link it to the awe-inspiring statue of Liberty.  However, when they think of Ghana - the West African country which treats them with unparalleled hospitality; whose unwavering patronage during the recession generated outstanding revenues to the fledging company - it  conjures an image of an animal in the wild.

After several years of feeling the brunt of Delta’s erratic service, I boycotted the airlines 2 years ago. Others who still succumb to the lure of direct flights from the US to Accra are not short of complaints. On May 24th for instance,  a Delta flight that was supposed to  depart New York to Accra, was delayed for over 12 hours. The passengers were told that the delay was due to a kerfuffle with their pilots,  no, it was due to fuel shortage… the story kept changing.  Instead of providing all the passengers with hotel vouchers or meal tickets,  a select few were given taxi chits. Most of the passengers slept on the airport floor or had to find creative means to fend for themselves.

Since 2009, Delta has consistently demonstrated that they do not respect the Ghanaian passenger. So although the giraffe tweet was offensive, it pales in comparison to how Delta treats its Ghanaian customers.