Disruptive Passengers: Time For Different Approach

Disruptive passenger behaviour remains rare, but when it does occur the impact can be significant, writes WOLE SHADARE

Global concern

Loud mouthed and potentially dangerous disruptive passengers have become a major concern all over the world. The events of last week where a man, Dr. Chike Okogwu, went berserk and destroyed everything in sight that belongs to Dana Air and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) calls for retrospection into how destructive air passengers can be and the Bill of Rights of passengers in Nigeria. It calls to question also the unpalatable experiences of air travellers.

In fairness, Okogwu’s experience and that of others is not an issue, which only affects Nigerian airlines, but certainly one that has caught the attention of the country’s media and the Nigerian public.

Rage

For more than 30 minutes last week a middle aged man, Okogwu and some passengers went berserk as they engaged in wanton destruction of properties belonging to Dana Airlines and unleashed violence on staff at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Allegedly in response to rescheduled flight, the passengers led by Okogwu became combative, went on rampage destroyed the carrier’s reservation computer system, counters after physically assaulting Dana staff, who took to their heels.

The irate passengers effortlessly carried out the action without security operatives in sight to arrest or stop them from executing their action.

The situation, while it lasted, exposed the airport and other users of the airport to danger as they were seen sacking the entire workers in the area before they commenced destruction of properties.

Dana goes to court

Unable to compliment the level of damage done to its facilities and assault, Dana press charges against Okogwu after he was apprehended. He had since been charged to court and granted bail in the sum of N500, 000. The trial commences January 21, 2021.

Okogwu has promised to replace the damaged equipment but has told anyone, who cares to listen, that he did not regret his action, which he said was caused by Dana’s, ‘insensitivity and unprofessionalism’ with the way they handle people with disability.

Alleged insensitivity

He accused Dana of insincerity by issuing him a boarding pass for his flight only to tell him that there was a policy in place not to airlift people of such conditions at a certain period of the day.

Okogwu said he had an appointment with his doctor scheduled for Tuesday in Lagos but could no longer make it down. This could have incensed him to have resorted to self help.

His action had been roundly condemned just as Dana is also receiving criticisms from certain quarters for what they described as not handling the matter very well as an airline.

Defence

Explaining its side of the story, Dana in a press statement said: “Okogwu (a Person With Disability), whom they regarded as Special Passengers at Dana Air, got to our counter December 20 at about 8pm for his flight and when our duty manager noticed him in the midst of the upsurge of passengers, approached him and politely explained to him that as a matter of policy, comfort and safety of our guests, we do not carry Special Passengers at night while offering to check him in first, on the 7am flight the next day.

“The said the passenger blatantly refused the offer and went violent on the duty manager causing her injuries in the process. This same    process passenger also went further to destroy our check-in systems, chairs, Covid-19 protective glass shields and weighing machines at our counter in Abuja. (We have our video evidence).”

The airline further stated that Okogwu had enjoyed the luxury of flying with Dana for many years even as other airlines have totally refused to sell tickets to him as a result of his reputation of verbally attacking able-bodied staff assigned to assist him whenever he is flying.

“Apart from this reason, other airlines avoid him. Dr Chike knows that Dana Air is among the few airlines that accept persons with disability with a policy, which we expect them to follow strictly in their own interest and in the interest of safety.

“While we acknowledge and regret the frustrations of our guests at this time and working round the clock to resolve the undesirable issues our guests are experiencing, we wish to state without an iota of doubt that Dana Air has never, and will never as a brand discriminate against any passenger no matter the circumstance.”

Whether they are a result of mother nature, aircraft mechanical issues, or travel bans, flight delays and cancellations  are a reality of business travel. Without the right resources, they can be an absolute nightmare to deal with – especially if it’s a larger disruption that impacts multiple flights.

Worldwide practice

Delay is a prominent event mostly experienced at the airport by both airline and passengers. Globally, delay is permitted at 15 minutes later than the scheduled time. Assessing the level of delay in the airport is a major criterion for measuring airport performance. Aircraft not adhering to flight schedule results in increased airport congestion, cancellation of flight and delay.

Cost of flight delays to travellers

Flight delays not only annoy air travelers and disrupt their schedules, but they incur costs to the passengers and airlines when flight connections are missed, or flight crews and aircraft need to be reallocated due to maintenance problems or crew duty time limits. Flight delay can have subsequent effect on those on board and the operation of the flight and other scheduled flight at an arrival and departure airport.

Passengers’ rights ignored

For more than two decades in Nigeria, the rights of passengers have largely been ignored by airlines – a situation which has been exacerbated by the absence of relevant laws.

Domestic airlines have been accused of habitually delaying or cancelling flights without compensation, citing grounds such as bad weather or ‘operational reasons.’

The authorities’ failures to enforce the laws and the accompanying apathy on the part of passengers have combined to make flight delays the norm at Nigerian airports.

 

 

In a bid to address this issue, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) introduced a passenger bill of rights, set out in the NCAA 2012 Civil Aviation Regulation Volume 2 – Consumer Protection, which places high value on air travel needs.

Its overarching objective is to protect the rights of passengers and increase their confidence in aviation services.

The regulation sets out rules to deal with issues including no-shows, overbooking, lost or damaged baggage, denied boarding, and delay and cancellation of local and international flights.

Passenger rights

The regulation sets out the following rights and protections for customers:
Where a passenger’s flight is to be re-routed or delayed, he or she must be notified at least two hours in advance.

Where a passenger has a print-out showing a confirmed reservation for a specific flight on a specific date, he or she cannot be denied boarding on the grounds that there is no corresponding reservation in the airline database.

If a passenger wishes to cancel a ticket purchased under a non-refundable fare, he or she must be able to transfer the fare paid to a future flight, minus any applicable charges or cancellation fees.

Compensation must be paid if a flight departs before the ticketed time.
If luggage is delayed or lost, compensation must be paid within five business days.

If a passenger’s flight is delayed for more than one hour or cancelled, or a passenger is denied boarding, he or she has a right to compensation.

If a passenger is treated rudely by airline staff or agents, he or she can claim compensation from the airline

Challenges

The passage of the bill was a welcome development and the right step in reformation of the aviation sector.

However, the NCAA’s commitment to implementing and enforcing the bill must be questioned.

Research has revealed the prevalence of poor-quality passenger services in light of the non-enforcement of the passenger bill of rights by the NCAA.

One of the Consumer Protection Unit’s objectives is to force airlines to comply with relevant regulations and to deal with consumer complaints in a satisfactory manner.

However, the unit’s penalty regime has not lived up to the intentions of the passenger bill of rights, which clearly entitles passengers to several means of redress in the event of infraction. The lack of proper commitment to the enforcement of the bill’s provisions has made it more theoretical than practical.

 

Last line

The existing enforcement mechanisms should be strengthened and the NCAA should deal with passenger complaints as quickly as possible.

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