Did Mikel lie about the flight tickets to Rio?

[metalalloy]

Why was there a "Delta bill" to balance if the flight was free?

Mikel did not pay for the flight. He paid accommodation and feeding for some of the days they overstayed in Atlanta while waiting for the flights to be sorted out. And Yemi’s money was not picketed. They used it to balance some of Delta’s bill but it was not enough to cover all. And they refused to refund him his money.

You probably didn’t know that he initially paid for a chartered plane that Siasia and the team refused to board. Then the money was refunded and then used to settle some of Delta’s bill. Mikel never paid for any flight.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=318239

[metalalloy]

Quoting Bunmi Jinadu...

Next thing, I got a call from Delta Airline’s Leadership team stating they were looking for a plane but no promises yet. They then called back and said they found a plane that would leave at 8.00am and be in Manaus at 2.00 pm (five hours before their game) and that the plane would come in from Cincinnati, Ohio and there was a crew on standby.

I said, “Great, how much” they said, “Mr. Jinadu,normally this plane cost $250,000 but our objective is to get the team there in time for their game and we can deal with this later. I then made the decision and called coach Siasia and this was how the team got to Brazil.

So the Nigeria contingent didn’t pay for the trip to Rio from Atlanta?

Yes, Delta Airline conveyed the team free of charge to Rio without a single dime being paid by the Ministry of Sports or the NFF. It was Delta Airline’s valuable contribution to the team and the arrangement was facilitated by my relationship with the airline. No payment whatsoever was made either by the NFF or the Ministry of Sports as none was expected by the airline as far as I am concerned and these are verifiable.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/rio ... ic-eagles/

[Lolly]

Why was there a "Delta bill" to balance if the flight was free?

Mikel did not pay for the flight. He paid accommodation and feeding for some of the days they overstayed in Atlanta while waiting for the flights to be sorted out. And Yemi’s money was not picketed. They used it to balance some of Delta’s bill but it was not enough to cover all. And they refused to refund him his money.

You probably didn’t know that he initially paid for a chartered plane that Siasia and the team refused to board. Then the money was refunded and then used to settle some of Delta’s bill. Mikel never paid for any flight.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=318239

You probably missed my last post.

My job is done.

People are free to believe Siasia, Edafe and Jinadu on one side, or believe Mikel. This is from Mikel’s interview a few weeks after the event when his memory was fresh.

https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/mikel-a ... 4916ee4d46#

Mikel admits he paid his own money to save Nigeria's Olympics

Nizaar Kinsella
10 Sep 2016 20:23+01:00

The Chelsea midfielder has recently returned to London from a successful Rio 2016 campaign and was brutally honest about the extent of the problems...

John Obi Mikel has slammed the Nigeria Football Federation after he was forced to put up his own money to help his country achieve their remarkable bronze medal at Rio 2016.

The Nigeria captain organised travel, paid for meals and booked training pitches while trying to physically and tactically prepare for games.

The bronze medal, Mikel explained, was his country's only moment of glory during the Olympics amid the troubles he had in Brazil.

"I think if we talk about the money that I put into the team I think it was more than [£30,000]," Mikel told Goal. "But we just had to do it.

"I said to myself, 'I won’t let this happen. If I can help, I’ll try to help'. Sometimes there was no food, sometimes there was no pitch to train on, there was no bus to go to the training ground. So all of this was what me and the coach had to figure out, and get money together.

"I came to the camp. I sat down with the boys in Atlanta and I could see the frustration, the pain and the anger. Their aim was to play in the Olympics, their goal was to play in the Olympics.

"And for me being there and seeing what they are going through, they are young boys, they want to start their career and someone in the ministry is trying to crush that dream."

Mikel and his Nigeria team-mates' problems began in the United States as they trained in Atlanta, where Nigeria won a shock gold medal in 1996 after a thrilling 3-2 win over Argentina.

He had to work closely on off-the-pitch arrangements with the Nigeria coach Samson Siasia and told of how, after problems with funding for the flights to the tournament, his team arrived only hours before their first game, which they remarkably still won against Sweden.

"There was just no flight provided by the Nigerian ministry," he added. "We planned to leave three or four days before the tournament, but we ended up leaving the day of our first game. It was a difficult one. I don’t think I have ever seen something like that before, it was crazy.

"[After our last minute flight] we got to the hotel, dropped our bags, grabbed some sandwiches, something to eat. A little bit of food. Then headed straight back to the stadium because we hadn’t even done our accreditations then, so we had to go there and wait in the line, do our accreditation.

"It was absolutely hectic. I don’t know how we managed to go onto the pitch and win that game, it was absolutely mind blowing."

The Chelsea midfielder appeared relaxed and happy after returning home to join up with Antonio Conte's squad this week as they prepare to face Swansea City on Sunday.

He was bursting with pride as he reflected on a successful tournament which culminated with a 3-2 bronze-medal match win over Honduras.

"Sometimes I wear my medal around the house, it gets my missus jealous," he joked as he showed off his medal. "The kids love playing with the medal. I am sure one day they will know what this really means.

"We had lots of problems outside the pitch, but I always told the boys that you shouldn’t let that affect what we came here to do. We still want to achieve what we came here to do. We still have to represent our country and play for ourselves and our family and the people of Nigeria.

"So if the ministry don’t want to take responsibility, we have to make sure we play for ourselves and our country. The boys understand that and we made sure they went along with my message that I kept putting across to them every single day and we managed to achieve what we did achieve."

[metalalloy]

You probably missed my last post.

I didn't. I am asking whether the Delta flight was free or not. Whether Mikel paid, or NFF paid is a separate issue.

See my post above your from a quote from Bunmi where Delta indicates that payment would be handled later.

[Lolly]

Quoting Bunmi Jinadu...

So the Nigeria contingent didn’t pay for the trip to Rio from Atlanta?

Yes, Delta Airline conveyed the team free of charge to Rio without a single dime being paid by the Ministry of Sports or the NFF. It was Delta Airline’s valuable contribution to the team and the arrangement was facilitated by my relationship with the airline. No payment whatsoever was made either by the NFF or the Ministry of Sports as none was expected by the airline as far as I am concerned and these are verifiable.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/rio ... ic-eagles/

The answer is in black and white.

Meanwhile, Delta also included one night’s hotel stay in the package including the FREE flight. But I guess there were additional bills at the hotel not covered by Delta. The usual extras.

[Lolly]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

[gochino]

[Lolly]

It’s unfortunate that Mikel has handed this guy the chance to vilify him and he is milking it. Damage already done and it is a stain that won’t go away easily.

[deanotito]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

[Lolly]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

The trip sponsors were responsible for covering accommodation and meals for a set period, but due to poor travel planning to Brazil, the team overstayed. This was when individuals like Mikel stepped in to assist with the additional costs for food and lodging. Eventually, Delta Airlines provided the flight to Brazil.

However, questions remain about the funds Yemi Idowu gave someone for the small charter plane that was rejected. Siasia still needs to clarify how that money was used, especially since - as his own statements suggest - Yemi Idowu was never reimbursed.

The Elegbete chap now needs to focus the camera on Siasia if he is neutral in all this.

[deanotito]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

The trip sponsors were responsible for covering accommodation and meals for a set period, but due to poor travel planning to Brazil, the team overstayed. This was when individuals like Mikel stepped in to assist with the additional costs for food and lodging. Eventually, Delta Airlines provided the flight to Brazil.

However, questions remain about the funds Yemi Idowu gave someone for the small charter plane that was rejected. Siasia still needs to clarify how that money was used, especially since - as his own statements suggest - Yemi Idowu was never reimbursed.

The trip was still unsanctioned. There were flights arranged to leave for Brazil from Nigeria. Siasia then organized the team to go for a friendly tournament in America, and just expected the ministry to agree to take care of the team after the tournament??

Nah, that’s sackable. He had no right to do that.

Post the friendly tournament, he didn’t know who was going to feed them, where they would stay or how they would get to Brazil. He just left and expected to hustle these pretty BIG details. I can do that with myself. I cannot do that with a whole team. Siasia embarrassed Nigeria with that one.

In the Nigerian context, when people do incredulous things like that, it’s generally assumed that there must be some secret financial gain to be made. And when juxtaposed with his later run-ins with FIFA, it’s not that much of a stretch.

[Dammy]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

The trip sponsors were responsible for covering accommodation and meals for a set period, but due to poor travel planning to Brazil, the team overstayed. This was when individuals like Mikel stepped in to assist with the additional costs for food and lodging. Eventually, Delta Airlines provided the flight to Brazil.

However, questions remain about the funds Yemi Idowu gave someone for the small charter plane that was rejected. Siasia still needs to clarify how that money was used, especially since - as his own statements suggest - Yemi Idowu was never reimbursed.

The trip was still unsanctioned. There were flights arranged to leave for Brazil from Nigeria. Siasia then organized the team to go for a friendly tournament in America, and just expected the ministry to agree to take care of the team after the tournament??

Nah, that’s sackable. He had no right to do that.

Post the friendly tournament, he didn’t know who was going to feed them, where they would stay or how they would get to Brazil. He just left and expected to hustle these pretty BIG details. I can do that with myself. I cannot do that with a whole team. Siasia embarrassed Nigeria with that one.

In the Nigerian context, when people do incredulous things like that, it’s generally assumed that there must be some secret financial gain to be made. And when juxtaposed with his later run-ins with FIFA, it’s not that much of a stretch.

We discussed this issue on the forum way back. Siasia singlehandedly took the team to Atalanta to prepare for the Olympics without getting any clearance from the NFF, NOC or the Sports Ministry.
I remember we had photos of the team training in their different training kits because they didn’t have national team training kits. It was a few days before departure to Brazil when the official kits were made available to the squad.
Siasia treated the Olympic team like his personal property and had a fall-out with the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick. He had a lot to do with the debacle that happened and has not opened up truthfully

[Lolly]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

The trip sponsors were responsible for covering accommodation and meals for a set period, but due to poor travel planning to Brazil, the team overstayed. This was when individuals like Mikel stepped in to assist with the additional costs for food and lodging. Eventually, Delta Airlines provided the flight to Brazil.

However, questions remain about the funds Yemi Idowu gave someone for the small charter plane that was rejected. Siasia still needs to clarify how that money was used, especially since - as his own statements suggest - Yemi Idowu was never reimbursed.

The trip was still unsanctioned. There were flights arranged to leave for Brazil from Nigeria. Siasia then organized the team to go for a friendly tournament in America, and just expected the ministry to agree to take care of the team after the tournament??

Nah, that’s sackable. He had no right to do that.

Post the friendly tournament, he didn’t know who was going to feed them, where they would stay or how they would get to Brazil. He just left and expected to hustle these pretty BIG details. I can do that with myself. I cannot do that with a whole team. Siasia embarrassed Nigeria with that one.

In the Nigerian context, when people do incredulous things like that, it’s generally assumed that there must be some secret financial gain to be made. And when juxtaposed to his later run-ins with FIFA, it’s not that much of a stretch.

I agree. Siasia made some mistakes either due to bad judgment or for selfish reasons.

But he has successfully shifted blame onto the government while now directing his energy toward attacking Mikel who also erred with the claim that he paid for the plane that took them to Brazil.

As I’ve said, the real focus now should be on what happened to the funds Siasia raised and received - where did that money go?

[deanotito]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

The trip sponsors were responsible for covering accommodation and meals for a set period, but due to poor travel planning to Brazil, the team overstayed. This was when individuals like Mikel stepped in to assist with the additional costs for food and lodging. Eventually, Delta Airlines provided the flight to Brazil.

However, questions remain about the funds Yemi Idowu gave someone for the small charter plane that was rejected. Siasia still needs to clarify how that money was used, especially since - as his own statements suggest - Yemi Idowu was never reimbursed.

The trip was still unsanctioned. There were flights arranged to leave for Brazil from Nigeria. Siasia then organized the team to go for a friendly tournament in America, and just expected the ministry to agree to take care of the team after the tournament??

Nah, that’s sackable. He had no right to do that.

Post the friendly tournament, he didn’t know who was going to feed them, where they would stay or how they would get to Brazil. He just left and expected to hustle these pretty BIG details. I can do that with myself. I cannot do that with a whole team. Siasia embarrassed Nigeria with that one.

In the Nigerian context, when people do incredulous things like that, it’s generally assumed that there must be some secret financial gain to be made. And when juxtaposed to his later run-ins with FIFA, it’s not that much of a stretch.

I agree. Siasia made some mistakes either due to bad judgment or for selfish reasons.

But he has successfully shifted blame onto the government while now directing his energy toward attacking Mikel who also erred with the claim that he paid for the plane that took them to Brazil.

As I’ve said, the real focus now should be on what happened to the funds Siasia raised and received - where did that money go?

Yes. I’ve read your posts and listened to the Elegbete interview. A clearer picture is emerging, even though you have to sometimes read between the lines.

The Nigerian government/minister are getting too much of the blame for this. Yes, they have their own yeye-isms, but Siasia should spell out what happened to the funds.

For that plane that was chartered and then rejected by Mikel/Siasia (or both), did the charterer get his money back or was it lost? Why did said charterer believe that the Nigerian government would pay him back? Did Siasia tell him that?? Cause that is quite an assumption to make without a concrete commitment

[Lolly]

Mikel should just apologise and move on.

Siasia still has some questions to answer on the money he collected from Yemi Idowu. What was it used for? Who is responsible for his refund?

Yeah, it’s obvious Mikel lied.

On the Atlanta debacle, Siasia was to blame. He gambled with his team and expected the sports ministry to fold. Why did he take the team on an unsanctioned trip with no plans in place for what they would eat after the tournament, where they will stay, and how they would get to Brazil?
Nah, no wonder the minister said he used it to make money. It makes no sense. An adult shouldn’t do things like that

The trip sponsors were responsible for covering accommodation and meals for a set period, but due to poor travel planning to Brazil, the team overstayed. This was when individuals like Mikel stepped in to assist with the additional costs for food and lodging. Eventually, Delta Airlines provided the flight to Brazil.

However, questions remain about the funds Yemi Idowu gave someone for the small charter plane that was rejected. Siasia still needs to clarify how that money was used, especially since - as his own statements suggest - Yemi Idowu was never reimbursed.

The trip was still unsanctioned. There were flights arranged to leave for Brazil from Nigeria. Siasia then organized the team to go for a friendly tournament in America, and just expected the ministry to agree to take care of the team after the tournament??

Nah, that’s sackable. He had no right to do that.

Post the friendly tournament, he didn’t know who was going to feed them, where they would stay or how they would get to Brazil. He just left and expected to hustle these pretty BIG details. I can do that with myself. I cannot do that with a whole team. Siasia embarrassed Nigeria with that one.

In the Nigerian context, when people do incredulous things like that, it’s generally assumed that there must be some secret financial gain to be made. And when juxtaposed with his later run-ins with FIFA, it’s not that much of a stretch.

We discussed this issue on the forum way back. Siasia singlehandedly took the team to Atalanta to prepare for the Olympics without getting any clearance from the NFF, NOC or the Sports Ministry.
I remember we had photos of the team training in their different training kits because they didn’t have national team training kits. It was a few days before departure to Brazil when the official kits were made available to the squad.
Siasia treated the Olympic team like his personal property and had a fall-out with the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick. He had a lot to do with the debacle that happened and has not opened up truthfully

I guess by winning a medal, he can claim the end justifies the means. But I suspect he won’t be doing it again if the opportunity arises.

[Orion]

I agree. Siasia made some mistakes either due to bad judgment or for selfish reasons.

But he has successfully shifted blame onto the government while now directing his energy toward attacking Mikel who also erred with the claim that he paid for the plane that took them to Brazil.

As I’ve said, the real focus now should be on what happened to the funds Siasia raised and received - where did that money go?

I'm assuming the $250K was used to pay for the plane that was rejected by the team. I doubt they would've received a full refund, if any refund was given. We don't know what kind of contract it was. Most high-risk contracts are non-refundable as it's costly for the owner to provide the jet, even if it was not used.

If any refund was paid, I doubt it would have gone to Siasia. According to the accounts, Siasia wasn't involved in the travel arrangements. There was an "agent" doing that. So, any refund would have gone to that person.

Things like this can be easily investigated. Just follow the digital money trail. However, nearly everyone involved in this saga shares some blame, so I think they all prefer to keep it murky and hope it goes away.

[Lolly]

I agree. Siasia made some mistakes either due to bad judgment or for selfish reasons.

But he has successfully shifted blame onto the government while now directing his energy toward attacking Mikel who also erred with the claim that he paid for the plane that took them to Brazil.

As I’ve said, the real focus now should be on what happened to the funds Siasia raised and received - where did that money go?

I'm assuming the $250K was used to pay for the plane that was rejected by the team. I doubt they would've received a full refund, if any refund was given. We don't know what kind of contract it was. Most high-risk contracts are non-refundable as it's costly for the owner to provide the jet, even if it was not used.

If any refund was paid, I doubt it would have gone to Siasia. According to the accounts, Siasia wasn't involved in the travel arrangements. There was an "agent" doing that. So, any refund would have gone to that person.

Things like this can be easily investigated. Just follow the digital money trail. However, nearly everyone involved in this saga shares some blame, so I think they all prefer to keep it murky and hope it goes away.

Yes, the money was supposedly used for the plane that was rejected but I want to believe a reasonable sum would have been refunded. Siasia owes his “friend” an explanation. He can’t just say the government didn’t refund the guy. We need to hear more about this from him.

[Orion]

I agree. Siasia made some mistakes either due to bad judgment or for selfish reasons.

But he has successfully shifted blame onto the government while now directing his energy toward attacking Mikel who also erred with the claim that he paid for the plane that took them to Brazil.

As I’ve said, the real focus now should be on what happened to the funds Siasia raised and received - where did that money go?

I'm assuming the $250K was used to pay for the plane that was rejected by the team. I doubt they would've received a full refund, if any refund was given. We don't know what kind of contract it was. Most high-risk contracts are non-refundable as it's costly for the owner to provide the jet, even if it was not used.

If any refund was paid, I doubt it would have gone to Siasia. According to the accounts, Siasia wasn't involved in the travel arrangements. There was an "agent" doing that. So, any refund would have gone to that person.

Things like this can be easily investigated. Just follow the digital money trail. However, nearly everyone involved in this saga shares some blame, so I think they all prefer to keep it murky and hope it goes away.

Yes, the money was supposedly used for the plane that was rejected but I want to believe a reasonable sum would have been refunded. Siasia owes his “friend” an explanation. He can’t just say the government didn’t refund the guy. We need to hear more about this from him.

He is unlikely to share the full details online, especially while a dispute is still ongoing. The parties involved likely know the full details. It doesn't mean Yemi Idowu would accept or be happy with what he was told.

And you're making an assumption that there was actually a refund. If they didn't sign a good contract that included a refund clause, they probably got none. If you rent something and decide not to use it, it's not the seller's fault.

[YemiBrazil]

There were too many stories on CE at the time for us to not be able to figure this out by just using our own research.

It’s pretty obvious to me that Mikel isn’t telling the truth. Or maybe he was duped to pay for a flight that was free

Mikel was telling the truth.
He has no reason to lie.
The people who conspired and connived to relieve some unsuspecting Naijarians of their money are known.

Chief, you can check with Mr Dolly if you want to hear the full gist. Mikel is not telling the truth.

Oga Lolly, do you know how many times that flight was paid for by different parties?

By being vague, you're adding to the confusion.

What I'm getting from what has been posted is that when the news broke that they were stranded, Delta Airlines offered to fly them for free to Brazil. It appears that before that flight was arranged, Yemi Idowu provided $250,000, which was then used to charter the plane. Where did Mikel come into this?

If you have a fuller account that differs from what those involved have stated, please share it. The insinuations without explanations don't help.

Correction. Yemi Idowu paid for a smaller plane which Mikel and some others rejected because it was too small. Then Delta got involved and gave them a bigger plane for free.

So the trip Atlanta was arranged and “sponsored” by a guy named Bunmi Jinadu. He hoped to make money from a friendly match against an Atlanta football club and some sponsors but the match was cancelled. The NFF and NOC did not support the trip but Siasia forced it through. Hence why they didn’t want to bail him out. Yemi Osinabjo even got involved but the NOC wee playing him.

Eventually, Delta who happened to be one of the got to know about their woes and another Nigerian guy brokered a deal with Delta to carry the team to Brazil.

I already told Cellular to speak to another CE member who also knows what happened. But Cellular just wants to continue the false narrative that Mikel paid for “the plane” that took them to Brazil. That was just Mikel boasting on the show.

Oga Lolly, I don't need to ask Oga MD about natin.
I too knew what went down when it was happening.
They 'obtained' from Mikel and others.

Again, I ask you, how many times was that flight paid for?


BTW, Delta did NOT donate the flight. PERIOD!

Pa Cellular, at the age of 80 you still never stop this your MC Oluomo style of argument over matters wey you sabi nothing.

[Bigpokey24]

Instead of you daft CE folks to focus on your incompetent FAs, nah if mikel lie or siasia...smh no wonder Nigeria is a $#% country

[maceo4]

My thing is why didn’t Siasia reimburse Idowu from the Billionaires money…

[Lolly]

My thing is why didn’t Siasia reimburse Idowu from the Billionaires money…

They needed to share money nau.

Meanwhile, the Edafe guy and Siasia are intentionally avoiding the discussion about Idowu’s money.

[felarey]

Interesting read, a lot of claims, but the most incredulous one is Delta offered their plane for free as contribution to the team. Did the team wear Delta training kits or put Delta logo on the roof of their dugout? Even when an airline offers free tickets like they do for staff, you still have to pay taxes, airport fees etc.