Shebi I no dey hear word. I had vowed never to board this greenhorn airline in my life.
In the very recent past, they had shown me shege. They just cancelled like that.. Just like that o
It took the FCCPC to intervene to get my money back. Finding myself to my destination and back was herculean and costly
Today, I am stranded again in sleepy Akure.
These same Mumu people have shown me again.
I was due for Senator Bamidele’s conferment at the Ekiti State University this sat and my brother Lekan Ajisafe gave me a quick call
I immediately asked my people to buy tickets. They came back with Air Peace to and Green Africa fro.
These two have dealt with me, and immediately I saw their names, I started having palpitations.
My staff seeing these, recommended going by road and truthfully even with the attendant risk on the road, trying your mental health with these two was just not something one could be doing just like that
Anyway, with my schedule, I didn’t have the time for a road journey so I decided to jump at the challenge
Air Peace did well. I took off promptly and landed in Ilorin, which was not my plan, but within a few minutes, we were airborne again for Akure, and when we landed, I clapped for them.
This rare personal experience of Air Peace efficiency must be applauded, I told myself.
I went into Ekiti, had my fun and at 6am sharp, I took a N50,000 taxi ride to Akure to meet an the empty airport.
The young boy on the premises was surprised to see me – there is no flight, he told me
I said, what do you mean and he repeated, oga, they have cancelled the flight.
I was shocked and disbelieving. I immediately called my staff who called back to confirm that she had just spoken to their people and indeed, they had cancelled
I asked her if there was any email or phone call and she said none, I checked my phone and email and there were none
Truth is that, even if there was, why cancel 24 hours before a scheduled flight
What kind of arrangement is that? How would someone push back and realign? What of other engagements? What kind of mess is this aviation industry?
This may even be barely acceptable if it’s in a high-traffic airport.
When Air Peace did their own in Uyo, I just bought the next Ibom Air and went my own jeje. Till today, I have not asked for any refund- I dash them for their Chairman to use to add to his legal fees on his many wahala
But this one is in a scanty airport like Akure, where you have one flight in a week or something like that.
The kind safety officer suggested that I calm down, go into town, stay a day and come back for the next flight tomorrow.
I say how many flights tomorrow, he says one and I say what time, he says 11am and then I started considering it – a nice luxurious room, a full day rest away from the hustle and bustle of Lagos and then a calm stroll to the airport for my flight
Then Jehovah Jireh made me asked which Airline, and he said – Air Peace; I just hissed and asked, ‘How much to Lagos by road?’.
As I write, I am on a N190k ride to Lagos and if you consider the fact that this is almost the same cost if not higher than a one-way ticket to Lagos, you will be asking me why
Let me answer – barring kidnappers, flat tyres, or engine problems, I am very certain that I will get to Lagos today unlike those people with their bole ka ja Airplanes
On the other side, the chances that those ones will also come and cancel is very high if you understand their modus operandi and before you realise it, I would be given a chieftaincy title in Akure – oniduro of Akure – all because I am there waiting for a flight from two of Nigeria’s most colourful airlines.
They say it is operational issues trying to make you happy that you could have been facing an air crash and as such you should be thankful to them for saving you from that trauma
Operational issues my black ass. What mumu operational issue that will not make you make alternative arrangements for people who are on your beat
You can’t even have an arrangement with GIG Motors which I must say is more reliable than all our airlines except maybe Ibom Air and Value Jet to ferry your people to their destination or even arrange accommodation like normal people do but instead, you just send out a terse message to the zombies who bought your tickets announcing with glee your cancellation like you just won the World Cup
In fact, the staff of Green Africa that we weren’t able to reach told us that she just got her own message this morning as she was about to get set for work
If you are not ready for the tedious nature of the aviation industry, you stay clear. It’s not by force, and it’s not an ego trip- I have a plane and am wearing cheap imitation designer glasses and am walking in front of a hostess with footballer bow leg and am doing advertising when your service is crap.
Green Africa has shown me two times now and that is enough for a lifetime as I declare to Nigerians that as long as I live, I will never go near those people again as for their cousins Air Peace, their performance on the first leg of my journey has saved them from my suspension even as I watch them with one eye.
As for me and my family, if I can’t find Ibom Air or Value Jet, I will Siddon for my house dey chop my fang
Nothing, not even a meeting with President Tinubu is worth the mental stress the Airlines will put you through at on a one-hour flight o
If anything happens to me in this road journey, please put the blame solely on Green Africa Airlines the mumu people of the Aviation industry
They can come and beat me if they want. We can have the fight at Iwo on the way to Ibadan by road. Rubbish
😡
Duke of Shomolu