Emirates discount air fare scammer gets sentence reduced

Kenyan gets sentenced reduced from three years to six months but female accomplice did not appeal so must still serve three years.

DUBAI // An Emirates Airline employee who abused an air fare discount he got had his sentence reduced from three years to six months at Dubai Court of Appeal.

SA, a 28-year-old Kenyan, was taking air tickets at his discounted staff rate and then selling them on at the normal rate.

The court did, however, uphold his deportation and ordered him to repay the embezzled amounts. He is also to pay a fine equivalent to the embezzled amount.

Emirates Airline gives employees a 50 per cent discount on tickets to family members, though SA was selling them on to strangers.

He was also found guilty of forgery and with embezzling Dh5,720 from five tickets, most of which were for flights to the United States.

Court records stated that, in November 2011, the airline company came to know of the incident after security officers noticed a large number of discounted tickets were being booked within two months by the Kenyan and a female employee.

The woman also got sentenced to three years but she did not appeal the verdict.

AR, 37, an Iranian security officer at the airline, testified that SA had his colleague make bookings for a number of tickets for unknown people in return for money.

The woman, who will also be deported after completing her three-year term, told the security officer that she complied with the Kenyan because she needed the money.