Thursday, 17 May 2012
Flight Nightmares In Nigeria
By Athene Oveh
People sighing. People muttering. People hissing.
Some others are doing a combination of these and more under their breaths. A few, pushed to their limits, are on their seats venting their frustrations out loud - fists in the air, veins jutting out, saliva flying in all directions.
It is a typical day in any airport in Nigeria. The delays are inexplicable to the passengers and by the airlines, which charge exorbitant fees for the hour-long flights between Lagos, Abuja, or Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, Owerri or Calabar. Wherever you are going, you can rest assured you will get there later than planned.
Passengers sit in uncomfortable and choked lobbies of cramped terminal buildings exchanging horror stories of their different experiences. Chijoke, who entered the MM2 terminal building in Lagos for an Arik Airline flight to Abuja at 10:30am, landed in Abuja at 10:30pm. Safiya was at Abuja International until 10pm before the announcement came that her mini vacation to Accra had been cancelled, due to the unavailability of a flight. The following day, just to get her refund, she was on another queue.
Similarly, Emma made two long trips to the airport before finally boarding his Abuja-bound flight from Lagos. He got home at midnight, but counted himself lucky: “I would have missed my engagement party if the flight was on the same day,” he said.
Or is it Charles, a senior citizen from Washington DC, who insisted on a refund from the airline after a 6-hour wait from Akwa Ibom to Abuja? When the airline wouldn't comply, he threatened to 'kill' somebody to prove he meant business. Whether his threat was serious or not is irrelevant; what is relevant is that airlines frustrate passengers without remorse.
Passengers end up missing appointments, delaying meetings, arriving late, and not to mention the added stress they suffer. Air travel in Nigeria simply ruins your day mostly because the airline staff are rude and ill informed, and not in the least manner helpful.
These experiences are not in any way tied to any specific airlines. Some may be worse than others in their time keeping, but the frustration they inflict on the traveling public cuts across the board with all domestic carriers in Nigeria.
Worse still, the conditions at the nation’s capital have to be the most pathetic and hazardous: passengers are made to 'trek' to and from terminal building and aircraft. Men, women, children, old, handicapped and all, it does not matter. Walk they must, as they inhale noxious aviation fumes, suffer deafening engines, and wait for taxiing aircraft to pass by.
This story is from a TOTALLY frustrated passenger who after only 2 hours of sleep, arrived at Abuja airport at 6:00am for an 8:00am Air Nigeria flight to Lagos; checked in 6 pieces of luggage and paid N20,000 for the excess, waited on the cue again as counter staff hand-counted bundles of Naira notes; waited with no explanations from the airline, until eventually called up, then driven by bus from the international wing to the domestic (lucky us), where the planes were packed; waited a bit more before boarding and finally taking to the skies at (not a joke) 11:11am on May 11 2011.
Needless to say, after settling down to the mundane 'circumstances beyond our control' apologies, one could hear the snores going up like loud whistles of varied pitches, from one end of the plane to the other. Who could blame them?
In a country with officials and decision-makers who make foreign trips and enjoy working amenities and infrastructures in other countries, the big question remains: Why can't we just get it right in Nigeria?
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Wishful Thinking!!!
Submitted by Ahmadu (not verified) on May 21, 2011 - 12:10.
As Nigerians, we spend all our time planting thorn and then hope, Insha Allah or By The Grace of God, to reap cocoa yam in abundance? Wake up. That is never going to happen.
Making things work require hard work and loads and loads of effort.
Why should I work hard, as a Nigerian, when some id1ots sits in what you call "National Assembly" and collect more than $1million per annum as salary, for doing absolutely nothing productive?
When last year, GEJ was
Submitted by opc (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 18:40.
When last year, GEJ was boasting of some remote certification Nigeria's Airports got, I was so excited thinking infrastructures in those airports must have been overhauled before they merited the certification. Alas, in December 2010, I headed home after 6 years of sojourn at the other side of the Atlantic. My experience in the best Nigerian airport, MMIA, was an abysmal disgraceful.Even war-torn countries boast of better, well furnished, glittering airports. Ours was like an overused, aged, dilapidated bus station. I left the airport a sad man thinking, whether any Nigeria leader ever traveled using that airport.
Flight Nightmares In Nigeria
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 17:46.
This is not news. I mean not new and it is amazing that no body is doing any thing about it. flight delay is part of air travelling if you fly regularly. am a professional IT engineer and manage support issues in my firm.
so I have to travel alot. guys the air line are finished, we can not plan trip. you begin your plan after you arrive. there explanations; now fuel, operational reason, the pilot say he can not come. delay is normal. the interesting thing is that it is most with the so-called big air line. I sleep Abuja airport on my way back to Lagos, last Friday after I have had 5 hours delay with the air arik and the another 7 hours before we were air born.
that is just of the experiences we face on a daily bases.
It is a wonderful thing... God will help us
All signs of a failed state and sorry leadership
Submitted by Nzeman (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 17:35.
All of these: violence in the north because of rigged elections; Armed robbery, Kidnappings and bombblast and general insecurity; lack of infrastructure, power, water and poor hospitals are all signs of a failed state. The irony is that Ngr is making too much money in the last 12 years compared to the prior 38 years, and we cannot just use the money to better the lives of the people. Instead PDP and people in power steal and allocate fabulous wages to themselves in National Assembly and across the states and LG, whilst poverty, disease and ignorance is unleashed on the people.
and idiots like Osi will come and justify why PDP won millions of phamtom votes across Nigeria, and tells me stories about big brother from SS and SE zones!
Different strokes for
Submitted by Chukwuma (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 13:24.
Different strokes for different folks at different times. Sometimes, the story is cheering while it is disgusting at other times. That is life.
I have had to board an Arik Air scheduled 12.00 noon flight at 5.00pm from Sokoto to Abuja on 25th February, 2011, after the National Council on Education (NCE)meeting. Another scenario was the prompt take-off of Arik Air flight from Calabar to Abuja on Saturday, 23rd April, 2011 (Easter Saturday)and Abuja to Benin City on 2nd May, 2011.
No doubt, Arik Air has done well in accessing Benin City, Calabar, Gombe, Ilorin, Katsina, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Uyo, Warri, Yola, etc, by air.
However, the airlines still have much room for improvement.
Flight Nightmares in Nigeria
Submitted by OO (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 11:53.
Every now and then, I get the very short end of the stick with the Nigerian airlines. Pointless regaling readers with my experiences in the last three weeks. I have always believed that being a Nigerian is wonderful but living in Nigeria is very very frustrating. Very frustrating especially for Nigerians. We never as a country seem to be able to get anything right. And most times, we are almost powerless to do anything about our situation. I have asked several times "Is there a law that says we cannot sue airlines? Do they have some form of immunity like our governors? Please, let us not wait for any minister. Am afraid nothing will change.
Re-Fight Nightmares
Submitted by Aloma (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 10:52.
Many Nigerians don't want to accept the fact that Nigeria is already a failed state. They argue that people still go about their normal duties daily and 'there's no war anyway'. But the streets of a failed state does not have to be totally deserted; for even in time of war, people must venture out for survival. Nigerians need to know that the current state of things cannot be sustained for long. Daily life in Nigeria is totally chaotic! Banking is challenging, negotiating simple business deals are mostly cumbersome and fraudulent, politics is ever, ever so deadly, security is lacking, electricity supply is abysmally dysfunctional. The aviation industry cannot thrive under this type of environment. The major airports as they are today is a big disgrace. Baring in mind the funds rolling into government coffers daily, Nigerians truly deserve better than what they are getting.
We need to re-negotiate what constitutes the sovereign Nigerian state before its too late!
Fuel shortage
Submitted by Eniyan (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 10:01.
I was in Nigeria recently and had a similar experience, but the fact is that planes don't fly on empty tanks without the aviation fuel the planes can't take to the sky.
The problem is not limited to local airlines alone one time I was on Virgin Atlantic and we couldn't get fuel in Nigeria we had to go to Ghana to get some.
This present mess lies with the NNPC and the fuel marketers they need to tell us why aviation fuel is not readily available.
Better and alternative transport system is required.
Submitted by Tunde Atoyebi (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 09:18.
A good transport policy is what we need. Other safe and secure form of transportation will help. What about a good rail network for Nigeria. An efficient rail network will help our economy grow and improve our health. Why cannt I board a train at 5pm in Lagos and reach Ilorin or Owerri at 10pm? If need be, borrow the mnoey and divert it to a good course. It is an investment that will enable us compete with the rest of the world. A lot of our boys and girls are trnasport experts helping the other parts of the world improve. Invite them home and resolve our transport system.
@Jumsmama, if she was so good
Submitted by opc (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 08:34.
@Jumsmama, if she was so good as you said why are the airports still as old as they were in 1976? I mean, what we call airports in Nigeria are like bus stations. I am ashamed a country like Nigeria cannot boast of a single African class, let alone world class airport.
AERO IS LAWLESS
Submitted by simeon Okoro (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 07:16.
Can you believe that I checked into an Aero Lagos-Enugu Aircraft, paid excess luggage of over N10k only to be informrd that. The FLIGHT IS FULL. And because we already had Boarding passes, there was no refund till s day. How then can we get it right where there is no customer protection. And whn I get out of the country, I easily heave a sigh of relief. Its a shame!!
Air Flight
Submitted by Bayo Fasheun (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 06:06.
One of the things those of us who live abroad dread most when visiting home is the arrival at MMA. Last february, we spent an hour inside the plane awaiting the stepping board to be moved in. A year before we spent 30 mins waiting to gain access to the immigration sectionin because the fellow who had the keys could not be found. We sweated. The next huddle is outside the terminal where all sorts of characters pester you. If you are able to navigate your way to the car park without being mugged you thank your God. Our outbound journey is as stressful. What a disgrace!
We can get it right
Submitted by Jumsmama (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 01:40.
....in fact, we got it right during Kema chikwe's stint as aviation minister. Since her exit all her successors have bn useless, lazy and grossly incompetent!
Whither another kema ? Over to GEJ's new cabinet list.....will he do d right thing?
You wait on a 'queue' and
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 20, 2011 - 00:18.
You wait on a 'queue' and planes are 'parked'. Why can't we just get it right etc. etc.
Why we cant get it right
Submitted by Ibrahim Saad (not verified) on May 19, 2011 - 23:42.
We pretend always not to know our problems. It is impossible to have visionless leaders in Abuja and expect things to work in our country. Every fabric of our society is linked to Abuja if we dont fix it we must expect to remain where we are. It is not north or south, christian or muslim. It is simply those who can and those who cant. May we meet again in a Nigeria free of corruption!
