Both of you are probably right. And saying Museveni cannot harm KQ in some way is probably wrong. Kikwete shut down the East African paper, didn't he? Precedent.
I still think flatly refusing Museveni was ill-advised. Thinking like an Operations Manager at KQ I would see here some options, for instance, call CS Amina of Foreign Affairs, something like....Good evening Ms, we have here his excellency, who is making outrageous demands, you will kindly pick up the tab on the costs accomodating him will sandbag us, and if you don't we will not be able to accomodate, embarrassment to you, the ministry and statehouse....she probably sends an IOU or something. And yes, you downgrade those first class passengers and delay them or put them on another flight and comp them a free ticket,..they will bitch and moan and then forget about it. Haven't we all been disenchfranchised by KQ, and indeed other airlines and we still fly with them?
And about the chartered flight, yes Museveni could have done that. Hehehe...pretending the rich and powerful will always be reasonable is naive. The order of events was the request was made, the politically incorrect but pragmatic decision would have been to ferry Museveni by charter flight from his home to where the Embraer was making its regular flight.
Do not needlessly make powerful enemies· Seems sensible and pragmatic enough, doesn't it? On the balance of outcomes, the cost and inconviniences that would have been suffered by KQ are much less than having Museveni as an enemy. Not only is KQ in bad books with the Ugandan president, but also with bureacrats in very high places in the Kenyan establishment who have been embarrassed by KQs actions. They are hissing in anger cause a dressdown has come or will be coming, and they will seek to put KQ (or one of its high managers) in its place for its haughtiness using petty, non-conventional ways......grudges are bad for business.
Not to mention KQ let slip an opportunity to 'oil' the diplomacy and foreign trade machinery, shine Kenya's good name some more; Some Ugandans may be slighted - 'KQ, the airline that snubbed our president'