Air passengers unhappy over hike in fares, delays

Air passengers are not only having a hard time getting flight tickets due to the rush, but airfares are also now on the high side.

The airports’ terminals since the beginning of the week are full of passengers jostling to buy tickets with difficulty.

Those who have tickets are not certain whether they will travel or not as they were delays and cancellations of flights even air return due to bad weather or arriving at Airports with visual flights only.

Some Passengers at the Lagos airport, both at the MM2 and the GAT 1 said the airfares were not only high, but airlines were also frustrating their efforts at getting cheaper fares as most of their online booking platforms to seem not to be working or jammed.

A passenger who did not want his name mentioned said a week ago, he bought a ticket for N50, 000 but now, it was being sold for N60, 000-N70, 000.

Another passenger who booked his flight earlier said he paid as low as N26, 000.

“Those we came on board the flight together from Abuja said they paid N60,000, from the look of things the fares may go up to N80,000”.

Some persons who call themselves protocol officers made a brisk business helping passengers to get tickets for a fee.

Some passengers alleged that these groups of people connive with airline staff to hoard tickets and later dispose of at exorbitant price.

Another problem passengers also faced was flight delays. Many have suffered delays up to 9 hours like Mr Jackson Lekan Ojo a security expert based in Port-Harcourt.

According to Mr. Ojo, the Aero Contractors propeller aircraft that was supposed to pick them from the Warri airport on last Friday did not arrive until after 9 hours of waiting without information from the airline as to why they were being delayed.

“We booked online, we got to the airport as early as 7 am, we got to the desk and we were told that we may not go today because they suspended a flight yesterday and they flight that was coming was coming to pick Lagos bound passengers”.

“I had to go to the desk to find out if we were going to have a flight delay, there was no announcement made, no consultation at all, it was only when I had to give N1, 000 to somebody at the desk in aero, he now said, Oga, am not sure if you people will leave the airport today until 4 pm. The worst thing is that there was no single announcement, no interaction, nothing for us to know the reason why they delayed it”.

On passenger traffic this yuletide, the Airport Manager, MMIA, Lagos, Mrs Victoria Shinaba said, “departure is reducing and arrival is increasing”.

Shinaba who is also, the Manager South-West Airports said the management had put measures in a place to ensure passengers comfort with the high volume of passenger traffic currently being experienced across airports especially at international airports.

“We are equal to the task, the airport is cool, we are not sweating and the passengers are getting their bags early, you can see the security officers are not harassing anybody, so it is cool and passenger facilitation has been fantastic and this will be sustained by FAAN”.