New York bound intending passengers on Arik Air have been stranded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) airport correspondent reports that the intending travelers, numbering no fewer than 100 were stranded at the airport since April 17.
The intending travelers resorted to violent protests, invading the tarmac of the airport and disrupting a scheduled Lagos-Accra flight of Arik Air early on Saturday.
However, the Spokesman of Arik Air, Mr Ola Adebanji, told reporters that the issue had been resolved and that the Accra-bound aircraft later made the trip.
Adebanji explained that the U.S. bound passengers could not depart as scheduled, due to malfunctioning of the browser, fuelling the aircraft.
He assured that the U.S bound passengers would make their trip immediately the problem was fixed.
One of the stranded intending travelers, who identified herself simply as Tolu lamented her inability to make the trip on schedule.
She said that the management of Arik Air had kept them in the dark on the inability of the plane to depart on schedule.
Tolu said that the intending passengers were abandoned, instead of being lodged in a hotel and that they had no means to get in touch with their families.
She claimed that the abandoned travelers were only given snacks and a bottle of water since Friday morning when the flight was cancelled.
Another passenger who also declined to mention his name described the handling of the intending passengers by the airline as poor.
According to him, Arik Air has persistently abandoned intending passengers without tangible excuses while “the industry regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) often looks the other way’’.
He, however, vowed to challenge the latest development in court.
When contacted, the Director of Consumer Protection, of the NCAA, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, said that the duty of NCAA on passenger processing stopped at the boarding gate where Aviation Security takes over from.
Adamu, however, promised to investigate the matter, especially the non-protection of passengers who were supposed to be taken to hotel and offered amenities.
Our problems in Nigeria is multi dimensional and cuts through every aspect of our livelihood. I experienced the same problem with Arik air some years ago and I was told that was the norm. There is nothing like consumer protection or end user rights in this country. We complain it DSTV, MTN and the rest and still we have the same problem with our Aviation and others. Our leaders are corrupt and have lost their reasoning!!!!!! Never can that happen here in the US without any form of compensation to the customers. By the way I can never travel from Nigeria to USA using Arik air or any other local airline. They will not do anything because they are corrupt and lack respect for us as citizens.
ReplyDeleteWell said shikena
ReplyDeleteWell said shikena
ReplyDeleteI also blame the passengers for buying Arik air tickets in the first place. Boycott all these local airlines and they will sit up. Are you trying to save small money or what. I bet it probably isn't cheaper. I will never fly local airlines out of Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason why most people like me use Arik is just to save time, when you have less than 3 weeks vacation to your homeland in a year and a lot plans and targets to achieve within that short period of time, every hour count and must be properly accounted for. if I am routing my flight through Europe that will be a loss of almost a whole day...where will i get that day from? That's why some of us swallow that bitter pill sometimes. Otherwise, Arik Air no be airline, at all. The last time I came home, when returning we were delayed for over eight hours and when the boarding started they made it seem like they where doing you a favor and expected you to apologize, where as, in NY even if it's one passenger, that plane must leave on schedule...
ReplyDeleteThe main reason why most people like me use Arik is just to save time, when you have less than 3 weeks vacation to your homeland in a year and a lot plans and targets to achieve within that short period of time, every hour count and must be properly accounted for. if I am routing my flight through Europe that will be a loss of almost a whole day...where will i get that day from? That's why some of us swallow that bitter pill sometimes. Otherwise, Arik Air no be airline, at all. The last time I came home, when returning we were delayed for over eight hours and when the boarding started they made it seem like they where doing you a favor and expected you to apologize, where as, in NY even if it's one passenger, that plane must leave on schedule...
ReplyDeletePeople should boycott this shitty airline for at least one week. It is always negative stories on them. Can't we just do something right?
ReplyDelete