The Nation Newspaper

Tag: passengers

  • Passengers lament high fares

    Some intending passengers on the Oshodi-Ijora route yesterday lamented the hardship they had to go through as a result of high fares by commercial motorists.

    The passengers who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos said they were made to part with N200 whereas, coming from Ijora to Oshodi attracted N150.

    Mr Kazeem Babalola, a passenger going to Ijora from Oshodi, said that six months ago, the cost per passenger was N100 which was later increased to N120.

    Babalola said that when the country was faced with the scarcity of petrol, the price was again increased to N150 and now N200.

    “Amid all fare increases, passengers are compelled to pay the cost because there is no other route to Ijora from Oshodi that will cost less than N200.

    “We expected that the authorities in the motor park will reduce the cost after stability is restored in the pump price of petrol but nothing has been done.

    “It is sad because all the way from Sango-Ota in Ogun State, I paid N150 to get to oshodi, now I am paying N200 to Ijora. It is sad,” Babalola said.

    He pleaded with the authorities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to call the drivers to order, adding that going to Oshodi from Ijora was N150.

    Another passenger, Mrs Toyibat Lawal, said that she paid N250 from Ifo, Ogun, to Oshodi but she was made to pay N200 to Ijora.

  • Road transporters to effect 40 per cent fare increase

    Passengers travelling by road to various cities may witness increase in fares effective from Monday.

    The transporters under the aegis of Association of Private Transport Company Owners of Nigeria (APTCON) made the announcement in a statement signed by Henrietta Onwuegbuzie.

    The group said it was constrained to mark up transport fares by 40 per cent because of the prevailing harsh operating business environment which has seen cost of operations rise by more than 80 per cent.

    APTCON said: “As we are all aware, the global economy is currently facing a downturn that has greatly affected most countries in the world. As an industry, we are not exempt from the crisis as in recent months, our operating costs have risen significantly.”

    It would be recalled that luxury bus owners (Association Luxurious Buses owners of Nigeria, LUBAN) had earlier announced an increase in bus fares by 35 per cent for all their routes since June 10.

    APTCON said the biggest challenges facing its members were the price of fuelling, cost of spare parts for vehicle maintenance, unit cost of buses, diesel costs for powering terminals, Value Added Taxes (VAT) as well as increase in bank interest rates.

    “These identified increments, to name but a few, have taken a significant toll on the revenue of private transport company owners across the country. Likewise, many of our members have expressed their inability to pay salaries much less run profitably, while some others have had to shut down operations completely,” the group said.

  • Driver, four passengers injured in road crash

    A driver and four passengers were reportedly injured in an accident yesterday at Ijesha bus stop on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

    A speeding commercial bus driver with 18 passengers heading to Ibadan was said to have rammed into a parked truck during a heavy rainfall.

    Two other buses were also involved in the accident.

    The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.

    An eye witness, Mr Ailede said many were surprised seeing the bus coming from Mile 2 hit the truck.

    He said: “We are still surprised how the accident occurred because the truck it hit was parked by the road side. I learnt from other traders that the driver parked it there since morning when he was unable to repair it. The bus was on a high speed and it was raining. May be he could not see the truck well. Immediately we heard the loud bang, we saw that the bus had hit the truck and we quickly rushed to see what happened. Four passengers were seriously injured.  They were immediately rushed by traders and passersby to a nearby hospital. The driver was also injured. Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials arrived at the scene 30 minutes after but people had already rescued the injured and rushed them to the hospital,”

    Ailede said that the driver might be sleeping while driving because some of the passengers alleged that the driver was sleeping at the Mile 2 Park before he was called to drive the bus.

    He said: “They said the driver was in a deep sleep before they called him to drive the bus, therefore, he might have not recovered from the sleep before he manned the sterling.

    ”I learnt the faulty truck had been on the road since morning and no official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) or Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) could come to tow the truck from the road till it led to an accident this afternoon. It is not proper at all. I know if they had come around, they would have seen the truck and taken it off the road. This accident would have been prevented.”

  • 12 passengers burnt to death in Ibadan road crash

    Eleven passengers and the driver of a commercial bus were burnt to death yesterday in an accident in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The accident occurred at about 4pm at Academy area of the city, when the 18-seater commercial summersaulted.

    It was learnt that the bus was being pursued by a task force of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for picking passengers by the roadside, instead of taking his turn at the approved motor park.

    The driver was said to have lost control due to the pressure mounted on him by the task force members.

    Two female passengers managed to escape by forcing their way through the back windscreen before the vehicle caught fire.

    An online medium quoted one of the survivors, who identified herself as Kemi as explaining that the driver of the bus was on his way to Lagos when the accident occurred.

    “We boarded the bus at Oremeji/Agugu. After boarding, we discovered that he was being pursued by the task force of the NURTW. The task force members, we were told, were not happy with him for contravening the laws of the union.

    “He was not supposed to be picking passengers by the roadside. He was supposed to register at any of the designated garages and parks.

    “So, after picking us, they started to pursue him. We begged him to stop, but he refused since we were about 14, including the driver in the vehicle,” Kemi said.

    The bus and the occupants burnt as sympathisers watched helplessly.

  • Easter: Passengers stranded at Abuja airport

    Easter: Passengers stranded at Abuja airport

    Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, was a beehive of activities on Thursday as passengers tried to travel for the Easter celebrations.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had declared Friday and Monday public holidays for Easter celebrations.

    NAN reports that there was heavy traffic in the departure hall and the booking points of the domestic wing of the airport.

    NAN also observed that some passengers were stranded as there were no available flights for them to travel to their destinations.

    An official of the airport, who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity, said all flights for Thursday were fully booked and that there was no more available flight for the day.

    The official said that the upsurge was as a result of the long holiday.

    Mr Saroke Abdullahi, Deputy Station Manager, Azman Airlines, said there was an upsurge in passenger turnout and that all domestic flights for Thursday were fully booked by Wednesday.

    Abdullahi said that flights to Lagos, Kano, Maiduguri and Port Harcourt were the most patronised.

    He also said the traffic upsurge had forced many airlines to sell tickets at their last prices and emphasised that there was no fare hike.

    According to him, every airline has lower and higher prices for tickets.

    He said travelers who bought tickets early were likely to enjoy lower prices.

    “During rush periods like this, airlines sell their tickets at their last prices which is usually higher than the normal period but that does not necessarily mean fare hike,” he said.

    A traveller, Mr Saleh Magaji, told NAN that he was stranded because he could not get a flight to Kano.

    Magaji said he did not expect the increase in passenger traffic considering the harsh economic situation in the country; otherwise he would have booked before Thursday.

    He said he wanted to use the opportunity of the long holiday to travel to Kano to spend time with his family.

    Another traveler, Mr Joe Maduka, said he had rescheduled his trip to Port Harcourt since he could not get any flight for Thursday.

    Maduka called on all Christians to use the Easter celebration to pray for the economic turnaround of the country.

     

  • Lufthansa Group achieves record number of passengers in 2015

    Lufthansa Group achieves record number of passengers in 2015

    Lufthansa Group transported 107.7 million passengers in 2015, a new record for the company. The group carried 1.6 per cent more passengers than in the previous year. At the same time the company carried out more than one million flights and achieved the highest ever seat load factor of 80.4 per cent. This corresponds to an increase in capacity utilization of 0.3 percentage points compared to 2014.

    The Lufthansa Group, in a release, said it has invested heavily in the improvement of its offers and services throughout the past few years. As part of this, 17 new aircraft were taken into service by the Lufthansa Group last year.

    The Lufthansa Group airlines’ fleet will be amended by a further 251 jets over the next ten years. Additionally, the comfort of travel has been noticeably enhanced through cabin refurbishment in all classes, improvements in on-board services and the availability of the FlyNet broadband internet connection. With these improvements, the group was able to markedly increase demand and to convince more customers than ever before to fly with one of its airlines.

    Deutsche Lufthansa AG is an aviation group comprising nearly 540 subsidiaries and affiliates. The Lufthansa Group is dedicated to quality,  innovation, safety and reliability. Headquartered in Germany, the group operates in five business segments  passenger transportation (Passenger Airline Group), logistics, MRO, catering and IT-services.

    Passenger transportation is the group’s core business: The airlines engaged in the passenger transportation business are Lufthansa German Airlines (including Lufthansa Regional), Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Germanwings as well as stakeholdings in Brussels Airlines, JetBlue and Sun Express.

    In the 2014 business year, the airlines in the Lufthansa Group welcomed nearly 106 million passengers on board their flights, making it Europe’s leading airline grouping.

    Operating through the Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Zurich and Brussels hubs, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines jointly serve 321 destinations in 103 countries on four continents this summer.

    The group fleet currently consists of 615 aircraft  on order are another 263 new aircraft, valued at a total of about 37 billion euros at list price and scheduled for delivery until 2025.

  • Enforcing the rights of air passengers

    Happy New Year and welcome to a beautiful 2016. 2015 is already being referred to as last year and I am yet to get the hang of it.

    Yes, I know that many of us are on our way back from where ever we went to spend our Christmas and New Year holidays.

    The holidays have almost worn us out and most parents are already calculating school fees. Do not worry yourselves as the money is bound to come one way or the other.

    Well, to the business of today, which is Enforcing the rights of air passengers. A visit to the airports, especially at this peak period, will open your eyes to the unprofessional way passengers are treated, and to cap it all, most passengers accept the treatment and remain silent.

     How many times have our flights been cancelled or delayed? Uncountable times, sometimes leaving us wishing that we had gone by road instead of air plane that is supposed to be the fastest means of travel.

    Recently, Miss Nneka Chimaobi said she rushed to the local airport in Lagos as she had a 7.30am flight to board to Abuja.

    Meanwhile, her sister, Mrs. Nwamaka Amadi, opted to travel by road having developed air phobia after the ugly experience she had on ADC airlines in 1997 which nearly claimed her life and all the lives of passengers and crew on board.

    But Chimaobi could not contemplate sitting down for about the 8-9hours it will take the car to reach Abuja. She had tried everything to make her sister change her mind and join her to travel in the air plane but her sister vehemently refused. Who can blame her?

    Anyway, having got to the airport before 7.30am, she checked in her single luggage and sat down in the lounge reading her magazine, while patiently waiting for her flight to be announced.

    Engrossed in her reading, she did not even know that it was already 8a.m. So, when she glanced at her wrist watch, she jumped to her feet; sure, she had missed her flight. Rushing to the airline officials, she was relieved that her flight had not even been announced.

    Soon, her relief gave way to anticipation and worry when she realised that she had not heard any mention of the flight even one hour after it was supposed to have taken off.

    In anger, she ran to the airline officials and asked why the flight had not been announced.  The lame excuse given by one of the officials was “the flight is being delayed”. Demanding more explanations, the airline official said he was not sure when the plane would take off as the plane was not even on the tarmac.

    Infuriated, she stormed off.  What annoyed her most was that the airline officials could not even make any public statement about the delayed flight or even apologise for the delay.

    According to Chimaobi, she did not board the plane to Abuja till about 12.30pm, exactly 5hours after her scheduled take off time. So, she just about arrived Abuja almost the same time as her sister that travelled by road.

    However, after that unfortunate incident, did Chimaobi do anything? Did she seek for compensation or justice? No. As enlightened as she is, she just took the experience in her stride, vowing that she will never patronise the air carrier again. But that is not enough. Though research has revealed that some aggrieved passengers are not even aware of their rights and where some are aware, they display such apathy because they erroneously believe that pursuing the case will only waste their time and, of course, this encourages some airline officials to treat some of the passengers with disdain.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority [NCAA] is the regulatory body created by the federal government to regulate all the activities in the aviation industry, including making sure that the air passengers receive the best services available and their rights are not trampled upon.

    According to the air passenger’s Bill of Rights, which covers both local and international flights, passengers on local flights delayed after an hour are entitled to snacks and drinks plus two free telephone calls, text or email messages.

    When a flight is delayed for two hours and beyond, like in the case of Nneka Chimaobi, the passenger has the right to a meal, two free telephone calls, SMS or email plus a right to reimbursement of her ticket money or re-routing of flight.

    If the airline intends to cancel a flight, the air passenger must be given 24 hours notice of cancellation while immediate compensation of 25per cent of the ticket fare is given back if no notice was given to the passenger.

    Any passenger who is denied boarding is entitled to immediate compensation of 25per cent of the ticket fare though subject to the convenience of the passenger.

    For passengers on international flights, when your flight is delayed after two to four hours, snacks and drinks plus free telephone call, SMS or email should be offered to the passenger by the airline operator. After four hours or more, the passengers are entitled to a meal from the airline plus two free telephone calls, SMS or email.

    I f the flight is still delayed six hours from the initial time of departure, passengers must be compensated with free hotel accommodation, free transportation to and from accommodation venue. They are also entitled to two telephone calls, SMS or email.

    An airline is free to cancel a flight as long as seven days notice is given to the passengers on international routes before the cancellation of such a flight. Where no notice has been given, then passengers will be entitled to a compensation of 30per cent of their air fare which must be paid within 14 days of the cancellation and the passengers also have the right to full reimbursement of their ticket price and re-routing  of their flight if they so desire.

    Passengers should note that all compensations and reimbursements shall be immediate and in cash for domestic flights at full cost of ticket price while 14 days for international flights. However, passengers on international routes are paid either by cash, electronic bank transfer, cheque or with signed agreement of the passenger in travel vouchers or other services.

    It should also be noted that an operating carrier is not under obligation to pay compensation if the carrier is able to prove that cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances which it could not have avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken; for instance, if a flight has been delayed or cancelled due to bad weather.

    Concerning damaged, pilfered, delayed, missing and lost baggage which I and most of my friends have been victims of, passengers should not keep quiet but insist on their rights.

    If your suitcase arrives smashed like I experienced in 2009 with the defunct Bellview Airlines, the air line will pay for its repairs. But if it cannot be repaired, they will negotiate a settlement with the passenger.

    Airlines are supposed to track the missing baggage and return it to the passenger. They are also to absorb reasonable expenses you incur while they look for your missing baggage. But be reminded that if you do not insist on these, the airline officials will keep quiet. I flew Lufthansa from London and arrived Lagos on November 26th last year, one of my luggage was delayed for two days. I had to keep coming to Murtala Mohammed International Airport severally and nobody compensated me for anything. Rather, when my luggage was found, the officials that were to hand it over to me demanded for money which I gladly gave them because I was too happy to see my missing baggage.

    For lost baggage, payment is usually from six weeks to three months.

    You must remember to fill out all relevant forms before leaving the airport if you are making any complaints and have compensations to be settled.

    Please, I will appreciate it if aggrieved air passengers could contact me, so we can help you resolve the issue and also share the experience with our readers.

  • Addis Ababa – bound passengers stranded at Kano airport

    Addis Ababa – bound passengers stranded at Kano airport

    Numerous Ethiopia airline passengers, earlier scheduled to depart Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (*MAKIA) en- route Addis Ababa by 9am on Friday was later cancelled, compelling the passengers to be stranded.

    One of the passengers, Aminu Abubakar, lamented that the plight of the passengers was further worsened when the operators subsequently announced the rescheduling of the flight to 9am on Saturday but the fight was also eventually canceled.

    Accusing the airline operators of insensitivity to passengers’ plight, Aminu observed that many other international flights took off, while they were stiil awaiting their flight.

    However, efforts to speak with the Ethiopian airline manager failed, as he was said not to be available but a source, who simply identified himself as Abdul but declined to be exposed, explained that the cancellation was due to poor visibility, noting that the minimum visibility since yesterday was below 800 meters.

  • Passengers chose to disembark via ladder, says Aero

    Passengers chose to disembark via ladder, says Aero

    Aero Contractors yesterday explained that passengers chose to disembark from the Boeing 737-500, which landed at the Bauchi Airport on Saturday, via a ladder when they could no longer wait for the airstairs.

    The 34-chartered passengers, including the groom, were in Bauchi to attend a wedding.

    They were said to have pressured the pilot  that they be allowed to disembark  from the aircraft via a ladder.

    Though the airline did not give the name of the groom, who hired the aircraft, it said the agitated passengers forced Capt Nikcevic Vlado to allow them disembark after waiting 10 minutes for the airport manager to provide the airstairs.

    Addressing a briefing yesterday in Lagos, the Accountable Manager and Managing Director, Capt Russel Lee Foon, attributed the breach in operational procedures to failure of the airport management.

    He said the pilot would not have allowed a breach of safety procedure, but was unsure of the temperament of the passengers, who declined to return to Abuja.

    Foon said the airline was assured of adequate ground handling services by the Bauchi Airport Manager before the airline embarked on the flight.

    The managing director said the flight was booked by a group of young people, who were to attend a wedding, with the groom was on board.

    He said on December 18, the  Head of Ground Operations, Peter Omata, confirmed through the Bauchi Airport Manager, Mr. Abubakar, of availability of the airstairs.

    “Prior to leaving Abuja, the flight despatcher contacted the Airport manager to advise that the aircraft was taxing out and he confirmed that they were ready to receive the flight.

    “At 10:42am, the aircraft touched down on Runway 35 at the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport. The controller advised the crew that due to the absence of marshallers and ramp officials, parking would be at their own discretion.”

    “At 10:44am, the flight despatcher on board contacted the Airport manager to advise him that they were on the ground, to which he confirmed that he has seen the aircraft and that they were waiting.

    “After parking, the captain reported that they waited for 10 minutes for the stairs to be brought to the aircraft but no assistance or stairs came to the aircraft.

    “The captain reported that he informed the passengers of the situation as they were beginning to get agitated. What was not known to the crew at the beginning of the flight was that the groom was on board. The wedding was to start in 20 minutes”, the Accountable manager said.

    He added that at 10:57am, the crew called the controller to enquire why there was no one to position the stairs and he was told the stairs had “just broken down” and that the fire service were sorting it out.

    Foon said after waiting for another seven minutes the passengers became furious as they were now getting late for the wedding.

    “At this point the captain went to the cabin and explained to the passengers that he may have to take them back to Abuja as they cannot disembark due to lack of stairs.

    “According to him, the group insisted that he cannot keep them on board the aircraft and he considered that their anger was becoming potentially threatening.

    “The alternative, which the fire service provided was a ladder which the passengers took as an option and on their own free will used the ladder to disembark against the wishes of the captain and crew.

    “The captain allowed this procedure in order to reduce what he thought was a volatile situation.”

    Meanwhile, the Accountable manager said an investigation had begun and that the result could lead to changes in the airline’s operational procedures.

    The findings, he said, would become part of the airline training and Crew Resource Management (CRM) re-currency training exercises.

    Foon said the decision to perform any further charters into Bauchi was suspended on B737 aircraft but that the airline could consider charters into Bauchi on Q400 or Dash 8-300 aircraft.

    The Aero boss said any future charters to destinations that were not areas of scheduled commercial flight operations must have at least one permanent ground handling company.

    Our story, by FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday said it had no hand in the use of ladder by Aero Airlines to disembark passengers at the Bauchi Airport.

    FAAN said the airport was not managed by it but the Bauchi State government.

    The clarification, according to its spokesman, Yakubu Dati, became imperative because of insinuations attributing the use of unauthorised equipment to FAAN.

    In a statement yesterday, Dati said: “Without prejudice to the directive given by the minister of state for Aviation for investigation into the cause of the incident, we wish to clarify that Aero Contractors’ use of unauthorised equipment (ladder) to disembark its passengers does not have anything to do with FAAN.

    “The Bauchi Airport is managed by the Bauchi State government and FAAN only provides statutory services at the airport, such as aircraft marshalling, aviation security services and fire cover.

    “The Authority does not provide handling services for Aero Contractors and therefore does not understand why it should be held responsible for the non-provision of appropriate equipment for passenger disembarkation.

    “We also do not understand why the absence of marshallers on the apron, as claimed by the airline, could cause the use of unauthorised equipment for the disembarkation of passengers from the aircraft.

    “We urge the public to discountenance any story linking FAAN, in any way, with the use of unauthorised equipment by Aero Contractors at the Bauchi Airport.”

     

     

     

     

  • Yuletide: Travellers decry fare hike, fuel scarcity

    Yuletide: Travellers decry fare hike, fuel scarcity

    Passengers travelling to different parts of the country ahead of the yuletide have decried the hike in the cost of transportation as well as the lingering fuel scarcity nationwide.

    Some of the passengers who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, however, said they were not surprised at the hike.

    At the popular Jabi motor park in Abuja, a passenger, Mr. Danjuma Audu, said that the increase in fare during yuletide was not a new development in the country.

    Audu noted that it was the usual practice of transporters to fare during festive seasons.

    He, however, expressed concern that the lingering fuel scarcity and the current economic situation in the country had added more pains to travelers and Nigerian masses in general.

    “Before now, I used to pay N2, 000 from here to Ankpa in Kogi State; but today I paid N3, 000.

    “The situation is bad; it is unbearable but we cannot stop moving because we have important things to do in our various places,’’ he said.

    Another traveler, Mrs. Josephine Akindele, said she paid N5, 500 to travel to Lagos as against the N4, 500 she had paid on the same route some weeks ago.

    Akindele urged the Federal Government to find a solution to the continuous fuel scarcity plaguing the nation, to ameliorate the suffering of the masses.

    Meanwhile, Malam Adamu Madaki, the Chairman of Zaria Line at Jabi Park, noted a significant drop in the turnout of travelers this year, compared to previous years.

    Madaki said that even though there was fuel scarcity, motorists had restrained themselves from hiking fare arbitrarily, due to the low turnout of passengers and the economic situation in the country.

    According to him, the fare to Zaria, Kano and other parts of the North remain constant N1, 700 to Zaria and N2, 000 to Kano.

    On the other hand, at the Peace Mass Transit Park, Utako, NAN gathered that the fare from Abuja to Enugu had jumped from N4, 500 to N5, 500 while Abuja to Port Harcourt now costs N7, 000 as against N6, 000 previously.

    A passenger, Mr. Dan Eze, told NAN that the hike in fare was expected, considering the usual rush during yuletide and the lingering fuel crisis.

    Eze, however, advised the government to devise a means of addressing the fuel scarcity, to enable motorists to provide effective and efficient service to the travelling public.

    He further urged motorists to ensure the safety of travellers by putting their vehicles in proper shape and sensitise their drivers against reckless driving.