The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA ) has complained about the treatment meted out to Nigerian passengers by some international airlines, insisting that Nigerians can not be paying the highest fee across Africa and still get maltreated.
The aviation regulator said Nigerians pay a humongous amount to fly more than any other country in Africa.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this at a meeting with the management team of RwandAir over prolonged/delayed refund allegations levelled against the airline by many Nigerian passengers.
He complained of the airline staff’s unprofessionalism, which, according to him, was evident in the manner of their approach.
In a video of the meeting, which was held in Abuja on Wednesday, the NCAA publicist told the airline that he understood that airlines treat Nigerian passengers shabbily, thinking the passengers do not have so many options.
Our correspondent gathered that RwandAir has a reputation for difficulties with refunds. Passengers often complain about lengthy processing times and challenges with getting refunds for cancelled flights.
However, both domestic and international airlines in Nigeria have been found culpable of delays in refunding the ticket fees to passengers after flights are cancelled.
Achimugu said, “Nigerians are paying a humongous amount of money for travels compared to all other African countries, so they deserve better. We are not unaware of the discourtesy of some of your staff, but it is funny because it is customer relations.
“The etiquette by which some of your staff members relate is horrible. Even the way your staff was speaking in the video is disjointed and not professional, but we will get to that later because we spent a better part of last year advising airlines on professionalism in their customer relations. Your passenger handling needs to improve. Nigerians can’t be paying the kind of fees they are paying and then get treated this way.
“Our job, God knows, is not to regulate you out of business, but passengers are kings in the industry; if they don’t exist, then you and I won’t exist in this industry. I know that the thinking for many airlines is that passengers don’t have too many choices – even if they complain, they will still come back to fly because they need to fly. But the truth is we have seen many great airlines go extinct; maybe they had thought it was not possible. Never think it is not possible.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.