Arik Air Nigeria

ON Wednesday the 22nd of August i had a meeting in ABuja with the Ministry of Mines and Steel development and the Lawyers representing us in the case between us and one of our bankers.

Aviation Minister

Going to join the plane around 5pm in Lagos to Abuja. Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st August 2012 were declared holidays and the meeting had to be postponed to wednesday 22nd. I would have booked online but i decided to get to the airport to purchase my ticket and board immediately. I was wrong. Terribly wrong. I saw shocking going-on at ARIK Airline stand at the domestic Airport.

Waiting for hours for the aircraft at the airport. I got to the Airport by 12.30pm and i had to go queue to buy my ticket. There were so many travelers and touts milling around the whole place. Was on the queue when touts and Arik Airline staff will walk to the counter and will be attended to immediately. A particular man was just stationed at the counter and he was just collecting money and the intending travelers details on a piece of paper. One of their staff told me that i cannot make the 1pm flight but i can get ticket for the 3pm flight. There i stood with complaining from all of us but the queue was not moving. All our complaints fell on deaf ears. The staff were not perturbed and they had this attitude of 'if you are not satisfied with our inefficiency, go patronise another Airline'. Eventually, it got to my turn and the cashier informed me that my departure will be by 7pm. WHAT? YOU MEAN I WILL WAIT AT THE DUSTY, CROWDY PLACE FOR 7HOURS? No way but I had no choice. The meeting was 8am thursday and i cant travel by road again because it was already late. By that time, i miss DANA Air. i travel mostly with Dana Air. Maybe because i worked with the Indians and that was their preferred Airline. I never had much complains except the hostesses were always demanding tips.

When the young man at the Counter said the available flight would be 7pm, I left temporarily. I was really confused because there was Fuel scarcity in Abuja and my friend who would have come to pick me at the Airport was in Lagos for a course at their training school. Afterwards, i had to go back and decided to trust God to see me through. God did. My friend called that a church member had fuel in his cab and he would wait at the Airport for my arrival. It was such a relief. God was not through because when i entered that disorganised and crowded check-in point, one of their staff that saw me going up and down to get a seat, came forward to help. That day it rained heavily and i had gone to the eatery by the gate to buy a bottle of water. By the time, i got back all the seats outside were taken and i was wet. The staff offered to help me board the 5pm flight. I treated him with suspicion initially until i saw him behind the Counters. God used him and i boarded the 5pm flight to Abuja. The next day, i got to the Airport 15 minutes after my flight time and i had to pay additional N5000 despite the return tickets with me. I still heard the boarding announcements as i alighted from the car that took me to the Airport but the staff refused me going to board the plane. I was subjected to the stress of queuing again to re-validate and pay. I was so frustrated and annoyed at the same time at their poor service. I Hope Arik’s Chairman, Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide and his son will will do something to improve the services of their Airline. Now that the Airline indebtedness to the federal authorities is in billions of Dollars, i doubt if there will be any improvement in their operations and services.

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DANA AIRCRAFT BEFORE THE CRASH DANA AIRCRAFT AFTER THE CRASH There are indications that the Dana Air MC Donnell Douglas MD 83 which crashed in Lagos had an engine problem which the owners had been battling with. The plane was sold to Dana Air by U.S.-based Alaska Airlines on February 17, 2009. According to information from Aviation Safety Network web site, an exclusive service of the Air Safety Foundation, the ill-fated aircraft was acquired by Alaska Airline in November 13, 1990, with registration number N944AS. However, on November 4, 2002, it was alleged that the aircraft developed fault and had emergency diversion due to smoke and electrical smell in the cabin area. It was further alleged that four years after, the aircraft’s health was also called to question when on August 20, 2006, it was again evacuated after landing at the Long Beach, in the U.S. due to a chaffed wire bundle that discharged and produced smoke in the cabin area. Apparently scared that the worst could happen, Alaska Airlines was said to have, on August 21, parked the aircraft at Victorville until September 11, 2008, when it carried out maintenance on it. Eventually, on February 2009, Alaska Airlines shifted the burden to Nigeria when it sold the ill-fated plane as 5N-RAM. On May 11, 2012, the same aircraft billed for Lagos/Abuja route with more than half capacity passengers, was allegedly returned to the airport and had to make an emergency landing at the MMA in Lagos. Reports said passengers on board had to hurriedly disembark and sought alternative means of travelling. No casualty, then. On May 25, 2012, the same plane was on a Lagos/Calabar route but also made another return to Lagos after the crew reported engine faults. There was also no casualty. But everyone concluded that the plane was a disaster waiting to happen so when on that fateful Sunday, 3rd of June 2012, it crashed, it did not take analysts by surprise. Although the Management came up with stories that the Aircraft was just certified by NCAA, an organisation headed by Demuren, that was not not satisfactory. Even the Governor of Akwa Ibom State had cause to demand explanation for their poor service and the terrible state of their aircrafts when citizens of the State complained to him. The Management just said their Aircrafts were in perfect state and the Governor have to reason to fear. Below is the site of an Airplane that crashed some years ago. DEMUREN MD of FAAN

FLYING DANA AIR

On Saturday, 1st of October 2011, I took a Dana Air flight from Lagos to Abuja in the afternoon. At the Lagos Airport, my friend just wanted to take any flight on the ground but i insisted that it has to be Dana because i have a business relationship with Aquadana waters (A sister's company). She accepted so we went to their booth. One of the ticketing clerks told us initially that the flight on ground was fully booked but later changed and asked us to pay a higher rate. My friend was questioning the new rate because she came to Lagos on friday and used Dana since she missed her preferred Chanchangi Airline. The ticketing clerk then changed and asked us to pay the normal fare in the next booth. When we paid and was picking up our luggages to go check in, she called out that we should give her money for slashing the Airfare for us. I was shocked. There is supposed to be a standard fare and not as dictated by common clerks who are dubious and corrupt. When we finally boarded, i looked around and saw that the seats in the aircraft were not all taken. The plane was not full. Why was the ticketing clerk lying then? What was she trying to prove? I looked at the passengers and wondered if they were conned too. I realised what the clerk did was to trick people into believing she reduced airfare for us so we should show appreciation by tipping her. I mean her because she is a lady. She is dark in complexion and plump. I really dont want to go into more details because i dont want to give her away. But I think the management should check their staff regularly and probably get people who would monitor them. The organisation can get consultants who would pose as customers. It is not always that someone would book online. With this attitude of their ticketing clerks, i would rather go to an airline where they are professionals and honest. Even when we were weighing our bags, I was waiting to hear what they have to bill me. At that point, i thought they were all out to rip us off. Dont get me wrong, this is not the first time I am taking Dana Air but the attitude of their representatives that day was suspect through and through. Anyway, they gave us cup cakes in the colour of our flag, green and white to celebrate the 51st Independence anniversary. Stayed in Abuja for a week and then headed back to Lagos. I still used DANA Air but this time I had to book online. Did not want stories and being at the mercy of one stupid ticketing clerk. If she has done something deserving of a thank you, I wouldnt mind but to seat in a small booth and using her office to extort and steal is wrong. Unfortunately, the other time, I used Chanchangi instead. .