Aid worker: Airline tried to charge me £800 for suitcase of underwear for orphans

An aid worker’s dreams of helping orphans in Africa were dealt a bitter blow after she was told she can’t take extra clothes for the children without paying an extra £800.

Brenda Johnson, 68, had planned to make the 5,000 mile trip in May to help severely disabled children in a remote village in Zambia.

But her plans hit a stumbling block after she claimed airline Emirates told her should couldn’t take a second suitcase packed with underwear for the children without paying an excess baggage charge of £800.

The retired teacher said: “It’s a real shame, in this day and age, that people can’t find it in their hearts to help.

“They are a well-renowned airline and they can’t take this one little suitcase – it doesn’t cost them anything.”

Brenda, from Swindon, Wiltshire, had planned to take a suitcase filled with things for the children as well as just enough clothes to see her through her two month stay that would take up her 30kg luggage allowance.

She also hoped to take an extra case filled with underwear that the orphanage desperately needs – adding an extra 20kg.

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But when she asked the airline about breaching the weight limit, she claims she was told it would cost an extra £40 per kilogram and they could not make an exception.

“I can’t possibly spend all that money just paying for a suitcase,” she said. “Every time I spoke to them, they just kept saying they wouldn’t make exceptions. I was very angry.”

If the airline refuses to budge, Brenda will use her own baggage allowance for the underwear for the children and take no spare clothing for herself.

Her planned trip will be the second time she has visited the home in Zambia, which cares for severely disabled children between the ages of three to 14.

Explaining the reason for the desperate need for underwear, she said: “The ones who have no legs spend a lot of time on their bottoms and their underwear gets worn out very quickly.

”Last time I went I took pencils and educational things, but this time they wanted lots of underwear too.

“Doctors fit the children with prosthetics and it’s my job to help with physiotherapy afterwards.”

An Emirates spokesman said: “We were surprised to hear about Ms Johnson’s story as Emirates offers one of the industry’s most generous baggage allowance.

“The weight of each passenger’s baggage can have a significant impact on the overall load of the aircraft and fuel consumption.

“For such cases we normally recommend looking at other shipping solutions which are better suited for customers looking to ship large volumes.

“Emirates, through The Emirates Airline Foundation, supports a number of philanthropic initiatives in Africa and around the world; something the company is passionate about.”