How ValueJet left Abuja-bound passengers stranded at Jos Airport
- ValueJet Jos Station Manager, Moses, at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos on Friday
By Emma Ogbuehi
The crisis in the Nigerian aviation industry is getting worse by the day with the wilful cancellation of flights by airlines despite the very high cost of air travels.
These days, beleaguered passengers are left at the mercy of mercurial airline staff, who maltreat them, literally. Even when tickets are bought weeks beforehand, flight is not guaranteed on schedule. They are either delayed or cancelled outright with neither apologies nor reasonable remedies.
Most times, the airlines deliberately overbook and then cherry-pick who eventually flies. The unlucky passengers are then whimsically told to come back another day.
That was exactly the lot of about eleven passengers on a scheduled 12.10 pm ValueJet flight from the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Friday, October 18.
The passengers, some of who had arrived at the airport as early as 10 am were told at the check-in counter to exercise patience because there was a network glitch.
But while they were waiting, they noticed that the ValueJet staff were checking in some passengers.
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When they were confronted, they claimed that those being checked in were government officials even when it was not a chartered flight.
It was at that point that eight of the passengers, Eugene Uwakhonye, Chidi Ibeakurie, Mensa Isaac, Ekpaiyong Francis Bassey, Gofwan Kokshak Amos, Sani Balas Ahmed, Chukwuma Ohaka and Mustapha A. Suleiman confronted the ValueJet station manager, Mr. Moses, who claimed that there was a network glitch.
But when the passengers volunteered to avail him with the Airtel network, which he claimed they were using, he now claimed that they were attending to passengers on the basis of “first come, first served.”
At this point, some of the passengers who were there two hours before the scheduled time for departure were enraged. Besides, why would it be on the basis of first to arrive, first to be served when everyone who had a ticket should have a seat?
Finally, he admitted that the flight was overbooked and gave the passengers the option of either asking for a refund or rebooking for Monday when they will have the next available flight out of Jos.
But he had no answer to Mr. Ohaka’s poser thus: “Who compensates me for the damage you must have done to me between now and Monday because I have my personal life to live which should not be at the whims and caprices of ValueJet airline and who takes care of my accommodation between now and Monday?”
Ohaka, Head Business Development and Relationship Management of NPF Pensions Limited, and his colleague, Mustapha Suleiman, Head Benefits and Retirement Administration, had arrived at the airport more than an hour before departure, yet they were denied flight.
Explaining what happened to TheNiche, a highly agitated Ohaka who said he bought the return ticket for the 35-minute flight two weeks ago at N270,000 said, “I had a ValueJet return ticket to Abuja after arriving on Wednesday for a meeting at the Police Staff College. The flight was scheduled for 12:10 pm today. Mustapha and I arrived at the airport just before 11:00 am and proceeded to the check-in counter after weighing our bags.
“When we got to the counter, we were informed that there was a network glitch and were asked to wait for some time. After a few minutes, we noticed some ValueJet staff tagging some bags, and when we enquired again, the lady at the counter informed us that they were attending to government officials.
“At that point, another passenger, Chidi, said he suspected foul play, suggesting the flight might be overbooked. Despite our attempts to get clear information from the station manager, he continued being evasive until the flight began boarding.
“It was only then he confirmed that the flight was indeed overbooked. He offered us two options: either request a refund or wait until Monday for the next available flight.”
A staff of ValueJet who spoke to TheNiche anonymously admitted that the airline is having some difficulties.
“We have very few aircraft and we have been having difficulties coping with the number of passengers that want to fly with us. So, most times, we overbook, hoping that some passengers will not turn up or even come late so that we will use the excuse of closing the counter before their arrival to deny them boarding. But today, all the passengers came and on time too.
“So, it was difficult dealing with the situation. The excuse of network glitch was not true. We were only waiting to see if there will be a “no show” so that we could take the 11 people that were left behind.”
One of the aggrieved passengers lamented the plight of air travellers in Nigeria.
“These airlines treat passengers with contempt. I had a very serious appointment in Abuja at 2pm. Now, I couldn’t keep that appointment and no one is compensating me. There are no apologies from the airline.
“I bought the return ticket a month ago in Abuja. Now, for no fault of mine, I am being told to spend extra three nights in Jos at my expense. That is unfair. Elsewhere, the airline would have been responsible for our accommodation until they are ready to fly us, not here.
“And you ask yourself, where is the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)? Who protects Nigerian consumers? Why are we always being left at the mercy of unscrupulous businessmen?”
ValueJet, a private Nigerian airline with its head office in Lagos State, commenced operations on October 10, 2022, with flights to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Asaba and Jos.
The Airline which was founded in 2018 by Kunle Soname, chairman of the sports betting website, Bet9ja, and owner of Portuguese football club C.D. Feirense, came with a lot of promise.
Soname had promised then that: “We have identified a niche in the sector, the need for fair pricing amidst the rising cost of commercial aviation to the average customer compounded by tough economic realities for air operators… Our fleet of modern and efficient CRJ 900 aircraft is ready, we can boast of a resolute professional workforce which is among the best in the industry to deliver end-to-end customer experience backed by modern technology.”
Just last week, while celebrating the second anniversary of the airline, the Managing Director, Omololu Dapo Majekodunmi, re-echoed the sentiment insisting that ValueJet which started as a vision to redefine air travels in Nigeria by making flying a more enjoyable and seamless experience has grown into something remarkable.
“Today, I am proud to say that we have consistently delivered on that promise,” he said.
But none of the 11 passengers who were left high and dry, abandoned at the Yakubu Gowon Airport Jos on Friday and who are still stranded in the “Tin City” will agree with him.