Thursday, 17 May 2012
My Arik Airways Flight Nightmare
Flight Ticket
By Mr. Akaninyene Inyang
Dear Mr. Brunner: First of all, I want to thank Mr. Dele (Supervisor in Arik Airways New York office) who took my call on 09 August 2010 . Per our conversation, I am following up that phone call with a formal letter of complaint regarding my recent experience on Arik Airways.
I have included with this letter a copy of my ticket on your airline, flight 108 and 107, flight cancellation notice given to passengers at Lagos International Airport. Also included with this letter is a copy of my New York itinerary with appropriate email confirmations from orbitz and Delta Airline Ticket & Invoice. Below is a written account of my experience as explained to Mr. Dele over the phone:
On 5th August 2010, my daughter (3 years old) and I arrived Lagos International Airport from Calabar (local airport in Nigeria) at 1730hrs to board a scheduled return International flight to JFK New York with Arik Airways (Arik Air 107). We were informed (alongside other passengers) that the flight was canceled due to aircraft technical issues. We were told to return the next day for a tentative flight that was scheduled to depart by 1800hrs. The Arik Airways Airport Manager, Ms. Adaobi Molokwu then told us that Arik Airways will not provide accommodation & feeding for passengers and will not be liable for connecting passengers who will miss their connecting flight in New York JFK due to the flight cancellation. Ms. Molokwu was extremely uncooperative in assisting passengers or addressing our concerns. The same attitude was exhibited by other Arik Airways staffs that were present. One pregnant Arik Airways staff member said “when we the passengers were tried of complaining, we will return home”. They ignored us, while they all stared at their computer screens. They would not respond to many of our questions. This lack of concern from Arik Airways airport management and staff, angered the passengers greatly and resulted in several heated exchanges. Due to all the frustration from them ignoring us, I became vocal and demanded answers to our concerns by turning the computer monitor away from the closest Arik staff. This led to the staff member jumping to his feet to start a fight with me and the other passengers. In the process I was shoved into a 3ft wide X 4ft long window, which broke and injured me. I was bleeding heavily from my right hand. The commotion inside Arik Airways office alerted the Nigerian Aviation Authority, so they came to find-out what was going on. Arik Airways did not provide any medical treatment for my injuries, the Aviation Authority were the ones that called in a paramedic to clean my cuts.
The Aviation Authority on arrival calmed all of us down and moved all passengers including Ms. Molokwu, to their office and we commenced dialogue for the first time since the ordeal began. During the meeting, Ms. Molokwu still insisted that Arik Airways will not provide accommodation but the Aviation authority reminded Ms. Molokwu that it is the responsibility of the Airline to provide accommodation for all passengers in situations like this. Ms. Molokwu was forced to oblige and agreed to make accommodation available. However, once we were outside the Aviation authority’s office, Ms. Molokwu decided to provide accommodation to passengers that could prove that they entered Lagos airport via a transport mode that originated outside of Lagos . This decision further infuriated the passengers. After several rounds of another heated argument between passengers and Arik Airways Staffs, some of us were finally taken to a sub-standard hotel at about 2200hrs. We were reminded that our flight would depart the next day by 1800hrs tentatively.
The next day 06 August 2010, a bus picked over 30 of us from the hotel, and we arrived the airport at about 1500hrs. When I tendered our U.S. passport (my daughter & I) to the check-in staff, he turned it over to another man that was standing with Ms. Molokwu, who confiscated them. He walked up to me accompanied by Ms. Molokwu and introduced himself as the person in-charge of Arik Airways security. He commanded us to hand over our luggage to him and then follow him. At that point Ms. Molokwu looked at me and my daughter and said “I am going to teach you a lesson”. They took us away from other passengers to a secluded room. While there I was informed by the Arik security officer that a compliant was filed against me for damages to the company’s property. He then told me that I had to pay the equivalent of $1,200 USD (180,000 Naira, Nigerian currency) before we could fly. The Aviation authority official present reminded him that this case was settled yesterday during the meeting we had but the Arik Airways security staff insisted that Ms. Molokwu had lodged a fresh compliant. We were detained for about 3hrs without access to food, or water. Our luggage was taken away from our sight, our passport was held as ransom for us to pay the alleged damages to Arik Airways property.
For fear of my 3 year old daughter becoming too traumatized from the stress we were going through, I offered to get a guarantor for them but Ms. Molokwu accused me of trying to run away by playing tricks on her, she then said she will not let us get away. The Aviation Authority personnel then pleaded with her to be merciful and understand that we are still her customers and that she was making a mountain out of a mole hill. Seeing her rigid position, I then offered to pay her with my credit card but she outwardly laughed at me and said that Arik Airways ‘does not use credit cards’. She said she will only receive cash from me. I reminded her that I used the same card to buy my ticket but she replied by saying that it was done on the internet and not in the office. I scrambled and came up with $700 USD and offered it to her but she turned around and said I was wasting her time. I looked down to my daughter and I could see the pain she was going through. She was uncomfortable throughout our stay in the hotel the previous night, she refused to eat any food offered, and now we were under detention for daring to ask for our right as air passengers.
Out of compassion, Mr. S.M Mamman (Aviation Authority Secretary) gave me $500 USD of his own money (as a loan) just to free us from the abuse Ms. Molokwu was meting out to us. Mr. Mamman however made Ms. Molokwu promise to put us on the flight leaving by 1800hrs for JFK as a condition for receiving the money. She agreed but after her security officer took the $1,200 USD, she then said that It was no longer possible for us to make the 1800hrs flight. I requested a receipt of payment for what she claimed I had damaged but I was told that the agent that gives out receipts was not available. She (Ms Molokwu) then said we had to stay behind and join another Arik flight on Sunday 08Aug10. I requested to be put on a Delta flight that was leaving in 4 ½ hrs but they just ignored my daughter and I. Ms. Molokwu walked away and left us behind with her security officer. I then enquired if it was okay now to release our passport to us which he did. They left us to cater for our transportation and lodging needs. Not one staff of Arik management apologized for all the trouble they put us through; rather we were treated as criminals.
I then took my daughter to Delta booking office and paid $4,397.43 USD (with the same credit card Ms. Molokwu refused to take) for a one way ticket from Lagos – New Orleans . I was reliably informed by another passenger Mr. Verem Turugty who was also a witness to our ordeal at Lagos, that the Arik flight that left Lagos at 1800hrs, arrived JFK by 2330hrs on 07Aug10. Most of the passengers on that flight including him ended up sleeping at the airport due to the arrival time and the lack of out-going flight from JFK at that time. This was further compounded by the lack of Arik Airways representative at JFK to attend to passengers needs. Mr. Turugty told me that he could not find one passenger on that flight that was pleased with the treatment they received. On his part he is willing to testify to the accuracy of the account of event I have narrated.
This is the first time I have flown with Arik Airways. Our departure Flight on 19Jul10 was about 2hrs late to depart JFK, which meant that, our flight was late in arriving Lagos , Nigeria . We ended up missing our local connecting flight with Aero contractor to Calabar. We were stranded in Lagos that night and had to pay $233 USD to acquire another flight the next day for Calabar. The cancellation of the return flight on 05Aug10 meant that our connecting flight from New York – New Orleans was missed, which cost us $299.80 USD to purchase. The stress and strain this ordeal has taken on my family is unimaginable; my wife was on the phone all night & day on 05Aug & 06Aug and was forced to take 2days off from work (losing over $750 USD in revenue plus cost of local/international calls), talking with different travel agents trying to arrange flights for us. My parent’s in-laws and parents in Nigeria were very worried about our fate especially when they couldn’t reach me by phone while we were under detention. Financially we are at a loss of over $7000 USD plus the pain and suffering we have experienced. My 3 year old daughter told my wife on our return that “she does not want to visit Nigeria again”. Her statement broke my heart because she was very excited to see her grand parents before our departure. I don’t know what my wife and I will do to help her get over the psychological damage she went through, we are also at a loss reggaerding how to recover financially and emotionally from this sad event. I will never wish this experience on my worst enemy.
For my aforementioned troubles, I expect, at a minimum, that the Management of Arik Airways will do the right thing by complying with Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, governing international flights and credit me back for my financial losses immediately. If this matter is handled properly, It will help start healing the wounds this ordeal has done to my family.
I appreciate your attention in this matter.
Best Regards,
Mr. Akaninyene Inyang
email: akan4uk@yahoo.co.uk
Robert Brunner
VP Marketing, Arik Airways U.S.
One Penn Plaza
Suite 1416
New York, NY. 10119
Comments
440 comment(s)
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Ms Molokwu
Submitted by emeka (not verified) on October 22, 2011 - 00:27.
Ms Molokwu, You are a wicked soul. God will judge you for what zou did to that man and his child. You are a disgrace to womanhood. Shame on to you.
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Building relationship and
Submitted by anabel harrison (not verified) on January 13, 2011 - 19:59.
Building relationship and reputation is very key in an organization,and an organization as Arik should make that their number one priority,your customers should be treated with great importance and respect,it would be best to do the right thing cause the reputation of the company is at stake
RE: NO COMMON SENSE
Submitted by V for Vendetta (not verified) on November 6, 2010 - 11:05.
Benjani you are a bastard. After reading the man's ordeal this is all you can say? You are definitely a bastard with slave mentality. That is why our leaders can rule anyhow and be assured that docile bastards like you will follow doggedly without challenging the evil going on. Once again you are a BASTARD. May multiples of this sort of crap happen to you and your family. Insha Allah.
my goodness!
Submitted by Anonymous123 (not verified) on November 3, 2010 - 16:14.
this is just so sad, i can hardly speak... thanks for sharing this, arik would never ever ever be an option for me on these long distance routes...!!!!
it's only airlines that do this crap and get away with it... this is so sad.
not like any of them BA, Lufthansa et al are any better, but at least one thing is sure, you would have been treated nicer BECAUSE you had a three year old girl with you.
so sorry about what you went through...
and i hope you do get compensated.
And I feel so sorry for Ms Molokwu, her problems are obviously deeper than anything a human being can solve for her. When a lady can act that way...So sad...
Alusi thank you
Submitted by KrazyE (not verified) on October 28, 2010 - 16:46.
Alusi i think you have made a most unbiased statement. Would Mr iyang have tried what he did, with a foriegn airline? Anger is meant to be controlled but Iyang lost his cool and fought in the presence of his daughter, only to turn around and say he paid arik becos his daughter was present and he did not want to fight for his rights. Lie!!! He was guilty; thats why he swallowed his pride and begged someone he claims treated him with contempt and trampled on his rights. We always say the customer is right, does that give us the right to trample on the rights and self esteem of fellow humans?
fly Arik Air Internationally, at your Peril !
Submitted by Titus Nzedigwe (not verified) on October 11, 2010 - 20:14.
When you have been bitten once, you should never allow yourself to be bitten again. From the time Arik air refused to switch on the A/C of the plane on a domestic flight from Benin to Lagos despite the boiling conditions in the plane and desperate pleas from passangers, only to do so for a short time during the flight when we were airborne and switch it off shortly before landing (perharps to save fuel costs), was when i realized that this was a crap airline. i therefore will not be so dumb as to trust them to treat me well for a long transatlantic flight. Good luck to all you that fly Arik air. Your day of crap treatment from them will surely come! I will stick to my virgin atlantic. At least they have never run out of food, or failed to provide me with hotel accomodation (as well as a free ticket!) when mistakes have been made. Best of all, I have never had to beg them to compensate me for their mistakes or been insulted by their ground staff for demanding my rights.
More Arik misery
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 10, 2010 - 17:35.
My story is far less serious than Mr Inyang's but will no doubt add further doubts about the competence of this airline. I confess that I have travelled only with Arik over 6 times in the past 2 yrs. Initally, I loved every bit of it - the leg room, in-flight entertainment and refreshments. I went one step further encouraging fellow naijas to patronise this service. But my trip on 25 Sept 10 from LONG to MMA supported the horror stories that has been making its way through the passenger community.
WHAT HAPPENED
Having settled into our seats before we proceeded to take off, we were informed by the pilot that due to the incompetence of their catering supplier (based in Lagos), 40 PASSENGERS WILL NOT BE GIVEN A MEAL (no food o). To stay within the ambits of the law, pilot asked for volunteers who in return will be given gifts (unknown at the time of announcement). Luckily, 40 passengers volunteered (I didn't) and we proceeeded to Lagos. In-flight entertainment was erratic - worked on some seats - passengers had to shuffle around to find a unti that works. The gifts included bottles of vodka and whisky. I am struggling to justify travelling with Arik in the future. It is common knowledge that Nigeria nigerians ( a term used for home based) are not good at maintaining services for the long term. I was then informed by other passengers that the shortage or lack of food is not new. Apparently on a recent
occasion, passengers checking were given £10 vouchers to feed themselves in the airport before boarding as there was no food on board.
Sue them in the US
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 20, 2010 - 09:44.
If you purchased the ticket in the US and Arik has an office in the US, please go ahead and sue them in the US. Stop pleading with Arik. Just sue them and watch them pay you back or lose their license. Forget $7,000, you can get millions. I am sure a US lawyer would love to take your case. They won't charge you anything but will only take a portion of the money they help you get from Arik, so you have nothing to lose.
Re; AL Jay,
Submitted by wetin (not verified) on September 17, 2010 - 23:06.
Mr. Inyang wrote in his narrative that he turned the screen of the computers to get attention from the Arik staff. Absoulutely he would never have done this in London or in New York because the problem would have never escalated to that....
In New York or in London, the airline would have rightly taken care of their passengers if not the NYPD or the London courtyard police men would have taken the airline and their breach of contract to the passengers personally.
In Nigeria, whom did you expect Mr. Inyang to report such injustice to? The Nigerian police????? Good luck to him right???
Pls Al Jay before you start judging, look deeper. There were many more passengers and of course, due to Mr. Inyangs cry of injustice, the other passengers got to have a place to sleep for the night and a flight to New York. I say The airline was wrong and so do the other numerous rational readers of sahara reporters.
HELL TO ARIK
Submitted by DeathOfSwagger (not verified) on September 17, 2010 - 22:36.
I have experienced this situation on a return flight from Johannesburg to Lagos. Arik cancelled the flight and didn't give a damn about their customers. I pity the story of this woman and it's not just Arik. I am a proud Nigerian but we really do suck monkey balls!
Arik Issue
Submitted by Al Jay (not verified) on September 17, 2010 - 15:27.
We all get very easily excited about things without getting the necessary facts.
Even looking at it on face value, Mr.Inyang failed to express fully his actions to the Arik computer(s).
Is it right that he touches their computers? Would this happen in London or New York?
The Arik staff may have also abused their rights, but the bain of the matter is that both the Arik manager and Mr.Inyang behaved in the "Nigerian Mode".
Unfortunately Mr.Inyang came out worse. Lets ask a question? Was it only Mr.Inyang on the flight? If so, what happened to the other passengers?
Please read between the lines.......
If Mr.Inyang could pay so much at the airport, then there are more fact to the story
My Arik Experience
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 16, 2010 - 18:28.
No need for whining! I'm sorry for what your daughter experienced(and at such an early age!) but if you want to teach her a lesson that will remain with her for life, then sue Ms. Molokwu personally and join Arik Air Nigeria, in the suit. That way, your daughter will learn the right way of resolving situations such as this.
pure BS! and thats the reason
Submitted by lara (not verified) on September 13, 2010 - 21:58.
pure BS! and thats the reason why i never opt for nigerian crap! no sense of customer services...wicked bunch of sorry as***....i am so ticked off right now... we need to teach this people a lesson!!! now is the time to say no to bad service...Arik must go down for this crap.....i m sorry its just not acceptable..so we need a plan! we need to get the message out there...we need to start now...i am crap at organising things..but i am interested..lets start a facebook page and spread the word like wild fire! then we need to go on the radio...and google...please somebody help....we need to kick a**
sorry state of the Nigerian aviation Industry.
Submitted by Mr. Ononuju (not verified) on September 13, 2010 - 15:56.
I read this article and if i tell you I wasnt oissed, am lying. the Nigerian aviation industry is in a sorry state on all fronts. poor customer service for both local/regional and international flights.
from the above encounter, is this how arik air wants to win the confidence of the nigerian public? they have commenced a stupid campaign asking nigerians to stop patronizing foreign airlines due to the capital flights but is it with this horrible customer service that passengers will desert the foreign airlines and join them? dont think so.
that rep Mrs molokwu needs to refund the money she extorted then her sorry ass needs to be "fired" and to the gentleman, please file a suit against her, the airline and any other party involved and seek for some substantial damage.
hopefully they will soon withdraw the new york licence, equally follow up at the embassy. do no let this matter die.
War Against Indiscipline
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 23:04.
The conduct of this woman is a faint reflection of many. Such occurances sometimes make me cherish what i read of Buhari/Idiagbon's War Against Indiscipline (WAI)
To the man, he has a good civil case in tort...and he'll claim a lot of damages! just you brief a good lawyer in Lagos!
What a coincidence! Arik air
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 21:12.
What a coincidence! Arik air from lagos on the 10th of september also left at 1.35pm instead of 10.35pm because they forgot to scan a passengers passport. Is this a recurring problem? For those of us who have sworn never to travel with BA, the only option now is to swallow our words and return to better airlines.
What a coincidence! Arik air
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 21:09.
What a coincidence! Arik air from lagos on the 10th of september also left at 1.35pm instead of 10.35pm because they forgot to scan a passengers passport. Is this a recurring problem? For those of us who have sworn never to travel with BA, the only option now is to swallow our words and return to better airlines.
tragic!
Submitted by chi gal (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 14:36.
Why am i not surprised!I don't even have to read it to know exactly what happened! My baby's push chair just suddenly never made it back to heathrow airport from Nigeria! thanks to arik air! it was like i never had it! they don't even have ...a record of it! nobody can explain to me why it did not arrive with my luggage or why they don't have a record of it even thou i was right there when it was tagged!to make matters worse, the rudeness of their staff will make any sane humanbeing shed tears! as if they are doing you a favour!Honestly!!!!!! for your sanity and peace of mind!!!! people please! fly BA! we honestly have no sense of customer care or service!
"the onus of the matter"
Submitted by MADUMERE IFEANYI (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 14:20.
Blame our Country Nigeria, the is a country where our treasury looting leaders have made a safe heaven for all sort of substandard practises in goods and services.This a country where their citizens are treated as third class citizens in their own very naturally endowed country.what are we talking about when regulatory authorities like Federal Airport Authority Nigeria FAAN,Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria CAAN and others doing to ensure that air passengers are treated with utmost hospitality obtainable else where in world.Only GOD knows how sound their aircrafts are with this over all approach.Who is even rebranding Who in that country when common courtesy since is a scarce commodity.
"ARIK" is only a scape goat amongst others, even as I write they have cancelled or delayed flights as they are known for that but thier doom in around the corner, check how others started their journey of business oblivion in aviation industry exactly this way.
Temper
Submitted by Ibukun Adebayo (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 10:47.
Okay, agreed, he 'might' have gained more by not becoming physical, but which computer monitor screen costs $1,200, plus, if he damaged their property, then he should have been fined for this and issued with an official receipt, and should have been allowed to pay for this on his credit card if the money were really going to 'Arik's' coffers rather than the pocket of the woman who 'fined' him.
What's makes this incident so distasteful is not just the way in which the airline handled the initial delays (see my post on KLM where they did worse than this!), but the fact this man has been detained with his 3 year old daughter, and then forced to bribe his way out of the situation in front of this same child.
Nigerians in the diaspora have a hard enough job trying to convince our kids to not judge our country based on what they hear or read about the nation, but when the same kids then witness, first hand, at such a tender age, incidents such as Arik's shambolic behaviour, it makes it harder to convince the kids that the majority of Nigerians are peace-keeping, honest people and that it's just the bad apples like this lady in Arik who despoil our country's image.
When we went home last year, my kids were 'scared stiff' each time we were stopped at a checkpoint by Police on our way to visit their grandparents; observing those guns (which probably don't have safety kits fitted to them to stop them going off accidentally!)being wielded by our Police. When will those people in authority start to understand that leadership means 'responsibility and service', rather than 'intimidation'?
When will our people also understand we need to stand up and challenge when they try to intimidate us? A Customs Officer wanted to take my passport away when I arrived at the airport, he said 'to clarify their o thinking'. I told him to 'stop and tell me what he was thinking' before going to clarify whatever he was thinking, and he gave me my passport back on the spot. I had 4 kids with me then, but I strongly believe in justice so wasn't prepared to accept intimidation by him.
When you're born abroad, and yet visit 'home', it's hard to adjust to the mindset which suggests 'it's better to just pay up to avoid a confrontation or delays'. If we're all praying for a better Nigeria, we have to play our part in fighting corruption and indiscipline.
I have a sneaky feeling that if this gentleman hadn't paid up, the lady would have eventually had to go home to sleep no matter how greedy she was; so I wouldn't personally have paid. Rather than put a phone call in to people to raise the cash, I'd have put a call in to the US embassy in Lagos (always carry your embassy number around with you when travelling home if you've got dual citizenship!).
If this 'leader' within Arik is not disciplined for this saga, Arik will be sending out the wrong message to potential customers, me not being one of them having read this! I'll never travel with this airline, or with KLM again having said that!
Sort it out
Submitted by Ibukun Adebayo (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 10:18.
First, you need to get your money back, plus compensation for the ordeal endured.
Second, if I were you I would have placed a call to the US embassy in Lagos BEFORE leaving the country, as they could have intervened as you'd been unlawfully detained as a 'US citizen' (for the purpose of this argument) by these thieves.
Since you didn't do that, it's best to write to the President, even if it's via his facebook profile, and to the Minister for Aviation in the country (I hope you copied your letter to them when you sent in your complaint).
I'll also add that this isn't a problem for Nigerian airlines only. In 2000, when I was going home for my wedding, KLM airlines flight from London was delayed due to poor weather, so when we got to Amsterdam, our connecting flight to Lagos was sitting on the tarmac, but they'd reallocated our seats to other passengers on the waiting list in Amsterdam. We raged and complained until the plane took off from the tarmac right in front of our eyes about an hour later. KLM refused to pay our hotel bills, because they said the issue was due to weather issues, and when we complained they got security to usher us out of the airport basically.
The next day, it was a struggle to get onto a flight but, after a battle with them I made it home, many others didn't and simply returned to London.
Lesson learned here, 'always travel with BA or Virgin' direct to your destination, rather than a 'new' provider which hasn't got it's processes fine-tuned to deal with situations like this.
Make sure you get your money back, and I pray your daughter emerges unscathed, and that she doesn't view our country as a place to never visit again.
Good luck!
Compensation
Submitted by Ibukun Adebayo (not verified) on September 11, 2010 - 10:14.
First, you need to get your money back, plus compensation for the ordeal endured.
Second, if I were you I would have placed a call to the US embassy in Lagos BEFORE leaving the country, as they could have intervened as you'd been unlawfully detained as a 'US citizen' (for the purpose of this argument) by these thieves.
Since you didn't do that, it's best to write to the President, even if it's via his facebook profile, and to the Minister for Aviation in the country (I hope you copied your letter to them when you sent in your complaint).
I'll also add that this isn't a problem for Nigerian airlines only. In 2000, when I was going home for my wedding, KLM airlines flight from London was delayed due to poor weather, so when we got to Amsterdam, our connecting flight to Lagos was sitting on the tarmac, but they'd reallocated our seats to other passengers on the waiting list in Amsterdam. We raged and complained until the plane took off from the tarmac right in front of our eyes about an hour later. KLM refused to pay our hotel bills, because they said the issue was due to weather issues, and when we complained they got security to usher us out of the airport basically.
The next day, it was a struggle to get onto a flight but, after a battle with them I made it home, many others didn't and simply returned to London.
Lesson learned here, 'always travel with BA or Virgin' direct to your destination, rather than a 'new' provider which hasn't got it's processes fine-tuned to deal with situations like this.
Make sure you get your money back, and I pray your daughter emerges unscathed, and that she doesn't view our country as a place to never visit again.
Good luck!
