Precious Mensah

Precious Mensah better known by her stage name PM, is a Ghanaian market woman who won the 2019 edition of Di Asa, a reality show that features selected plus-sized market women from the 16 regions of Ghana. These women (also called queens in the competition) compete in a dancing competition and are subsequently rewarded at the end of the competition.

Dubai controversy As part of her rewards for winning the competition, PM together with the first and second runners up were expected to go on an all expense paid trip to Dubai through the airline Emirates.

This trip was supposed to be PM's first trip in a plane and she had already made plans on things to do once she got to Dubai, which included pre-Christmas shopping and a tour of interesting places she had heard of. When asked about her expectations she said: "I've heard of the tallest building and an exceptional fountain. I want to see and learn about them. I also want to go and study the culture of Dubai and a host of others."

PM was unable to board the flight due to her size and the likely situation of her inconveniencing other passengers, which might result in a lawsuit against the airline. The two other runners up were able to make the trip.

On Sunday 17 November 2019, Ama Gyenfa Ofosu Darkwa, popularly known as Embosuohemaa stated that the Atinka Media Village offered to pay for an extra seat for PM, however, the airline reported that two seats were not enough for her due to her size. The media house offered to buy a third seat but the airline company informed the media house that it was not going to be possible. The two other women proceeded with the trip while PM was left behind. She (Embosuohemaa) used the opportunity to call on travelling services to make arrangements to be able to accommodate people of all sizes. She also added that the media house had resolved to provide a Dubai-like experience for her in Ghana.

In an interview, PM claimed she did not know how much she weighed but always knew her size could be a hindrance for her in situations as these.

In response to the situation, Emirates released a statement as follows; "We respect our customers' privacy and cannot discuss specific customer details or cases. Emirates places the highest standards on in-flight safety and as part of this, it is a requirement that all passengers are safely and comfortably seated with their seatbelt fastened. An industry practise for passengers who cannot be accommodated in a single seat due to their size is for them to purchase an extra seat for their own safety and comfort, should a seat be available."