Passenger sues Northwest

A man yesterday sued Northwest Airlines in connection with his aborted trips to Tokyo and Seattle as a result of the airline agent’s “misleading statements” concerning Japan’s immigration requirements.

Iosefatu Tuigamala filed the civil action in the Superior Court against Northwest for alleged violation of the Consumer Protection Act.

The case, represented by lawyer Gregory J. Koebel, stemmed from the airline employee’s statement that Iosefatu, who holds a Samoan passport, did not need a visa to enter Tokyo.

Iosefatu bought two sets of plane tickets for himself and his wife, a US passport holder from American Samoa, last March. The tickets covered their flights from Saipan to Tokyo, and from Tokyo to Seattle.

The couple were traveling to Japan to obtain a US. visa for Iosefatu at the US embassy in Tokyo.

On the day of the couple’s departure to Tokyo, Iosefatu learned from a Northwest check-in attendant at Saipan International Airport that their reservation had been changed to allow only an overnight stopover in Tokyo.

According to the complaint, the Northwest agent told Iosefatu that he did not need a visa to get into Japan, and that he could obtain a US visa at Narita Airport in one day, and leave for Seattle the next day.

The airline agent then issued him a boarding pass.

However, upon arriving at the Narita Airport, Iosefatu was stopped by Japanese immigration and denied entry into Japan.

He and his wife were allowed only to go to the airport hotel to wait for the flight to Seattle the next day.

But because Iosefatu did not have a US visa, he was not allowed to board the Seattle-bound plane the following day.

Upon inquiry, Iosefatu was told by a Japanese immigration officer that he could not obtain a US visa at Narita Airport.

His wife went on to fly to Seattle, while Iosefatu was told to fly back to Saipan. He was made to pay for his return ticket to Saipan.

Iosefatu wanted to return to Saipan right away, but was not allowed to board the plane on a scheduled flight that day. Instead, he was made to stay one more night at the airport hotel.

While paying for his Saipan flight, Northwest confiscated the coupon for Iosefatu’s Tokyo-Seattle flight segment without refunding him the difference.

“Airlines, as a matter of policy, almost universally refund the full amount of a ticket purchased by a passenger when the airline mistakenly allows the passenger to board without proper documentation,” the complaint stated.

Iosefatu is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, aside from attorney’s fee, liquidated damages and punitive damages of no less than $50,000. (MCM)