Why I’ll Never Fly Out of Douala (Cameroon) Again

I’ve travelled across Africa and well beyond, and I’ve had my share of chaotic airports (shout-out to Mozambique story). Nothing prepared me for leaving Douala. By the time I reached my gate, I had been ignored, separated from my phone, threatened with being refused a boarding pass, and reduced to tears at a check-in desk.

I still don’t know why it happened. Here is how it unfolded.

A queue that wasn’t a queue

I was flying Ethiopian Airlines and arrived two hours early. The airline recommends arriving four hours before departure, and now I think I know why. I went to the business class desk to ask about a paid upgrade. There were only a few people ahead of me, so I expected a short wait.

Instead, people kept walking up from the sides and going straight to the desk. Some seemed to know the staff and were waved through. Others simply pushed in, and nobody stopped them. When I pointed out to one woman that she was skipping the line, she brushed me off. The man who had let her through blocked my way, and one person laughed at me.

A queue of three people took a very long time.

The first kindness, and the first warning sign

I was sent to another desk to have my documents checked. They asked for my UK visa. I explained that I hold UK residency and use a share code, the standard way to prove UK immigration status. My mistake was that I had completely forgotten to screenshot the code, and my mobile data had run out.

The airport Wi-Fi didn’t work, and neither did any network I tried. After more than 10 minutes of desperately trying to connect to anything, including the Turkish Airlines Wi-Fi, which seemed the most promising, I gave in. I asked a member of staff if he would be kind enough to share his data with me for a minute. He didn’t look like he would, but to my surprise, he let me use his phone’s internet to get the code. He didn’t say a word, but it mattered. It was the only genuinely helpful moment of the day, and I was very grateful.

Where is my phone going?

Back at check-in, I asked about the upgrade. The agent looked confused and uninterested in my question. He told me to go to the office if I had questions. Then I asked, politely, for a window seat. He gave me a middle seat.

After that, he asked for my visa again. I showed him the share code. He clearly didn’t know what it was. Without asking, he took my unlocked phone and my passport and walked off.

For about 15 minutes he wandered in different directions. I tried to follow him within the passenger areas. When he noticed, he waved me back to the desk with an irritated flick of the hand. I told him I wanted my phone back. He ignored me.

If you’ve never had a stranger walk away with your unlocked phone, it’s hard to describe how exposed it feels. Everything is on it: banking, email, photos, documents.

“You won’t get your boarding pass”

Eventually he handed my phone and passport to an older woman with glasses at the next desk. I don’t know her role, perhaps a supervisor. What I do know is how she spoke to me. She was rude, and at one point she threatened that I would not receive a boarding pass. There was no reason for her to behave like that. I was polite the whole time, and my only question was about what was happening.

She demanded a UK document on my phone showing my photo and residency. I explained that the share code exists precisely so that she, as a member of staff, can check my status herself. That’s how it works for anyone with UK residency. She insisted the code wasn’t enough and sent me away to wait.

My flight was now leaving in an hour. I watched her shout at several other passengers too. They answered her quietly in French: “Madame, s’il vous plaît.”

I stayed polite the entire time. But eventually the panic won. I was exhausted by the way they looked at me and by being left ignored, with no idea what was happening. I started crying desperately at the desk, something I have never done at an airport. I felt like I might collapse. The idea that I might miss my flight and be stuck in Cameroon terrified me.

Only then did she tell me to stop crying and hand back my passport and boarding pass.

Checkpoint after checkpoint

It didn’t end at check-in. Between the entrance and the gate, my passport was checked again and again. At several points I was asked for my share code. Two officers told me flatly that the code was not enough and I needed a file showing my residency. On the positive side, the rest of the staff were polite and friendly. They asked me why I was crying and tried to make me feel better.

Some staff also photographed my passport on their phones without explaining why. I still don’t know where those photos went or how they’ll be used.

At security, they tried to confiscate an item I’ve carried through airports all over the world, saying it was dangerous. In the end they let me keep it, I think because I looked so miserable.

Looking back

Written down, maybe this doesn’t sound so dramatic. Living through it was frightening. I’ve been through a few difficult borders, and none left me feeling as powerless as Douala.

The contrast with my arrival makes it stranger. Coming into Cameroon, I got my e-visa sticker and crossed the border in minutes.

I don’t plan to go back. And I think Ethiopian Airlines should look closely at how its check-in staff at Douala treat passengers. They are the first face of the airline, and that face left me in tears.

If you’re flying out of Douala

• Download proof of your UK (or other) residency status before you go. Wi-Fi and mobile data may not work. Save your share code and a screenshot or PDF of your status page offline.

• Arrive early. Expect queue-jumping and multiple document checks.

• Keep your phone locked. If staff need to see something, show it to them rather than handing it over unlocked.

• Stay calm and try to note names. It helps if you want to complain afterwards. Strange as it may seem, though, if someone is giving you a hard time before you have your boarding pass and passport back, don’t argue and don’t ask for names. It might annoy them, and you could end up not flying.

• Get an eSIM. You get $3 off Airalo eSIM with my code ANICA2332. (This is a referral link. If you use it, I get a small reward)

• Make sure you have travel insurance, just in case. I use SafetyWing (referral LINK). Sometimes it gives you a discount, and I get a small reward too. I like SafetyWing because you can buy cover by the day, and they always reply to me very quickly.

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