Restoring travel joy with travel portal solution to delayed, cancelled flights

Passengers have been seen bursting into tears, venting their anger on airline staff, and threatening actions when they are maltreated by airlines, WOLE SHADARE writes that a lasting solution may be on the way to address the complaints that have taken the joy out of air travel

Weakest link

For many years, the Consumer protection unit of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had arguably been the weakest link of the aviation regulatory body. While it was set up to tackle the myriad of problems that took the joy out of air travel, the opposite was true.

The agency or unit was helpless as there was no coordinated action to help ameliorate the problems passengers go through at the hands of airlines. Rather than help passengers out, the unit became unsure of what to do despite the numerous statements from the agency that it was created for them to solve their issues.

The Consumer Protection Unit was overwhelmed with many issues that made travellers lose interest in seeking redress from infractions from airlines and others. Nobody came to their rescue. It was more of a Biblical quote of, “To your tent O Isreal”.

Years after as the situation appeared to get out of hand, the unit was elevated to a directorate signposting the desire by the Federal Government to tackle a monster that had led to poor service delivery and the lackadaisical attitude of many of the operators who themselves are challenged by the environment, cost of operations and inadequate equipment.

Focus

Since the appointment of Mr Festus Keyamo as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, said he was daily inundated with calls by several Nigerians through his social media accounts of how they are daily made to go unconscionable flight delays and cancellations without prior knowledge.

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The Minister made service delivery one of the key issues he promised to tackle. At a point, the Minister directed the NCAA to collate the numbers of genuine complaints by travellers against airlines that have come to see maltreatment of passengers as usual by way of refund of fares, flight delays and cancellations without refreshment or other things that make passengers comfortable when their flights are delayed beyond the permissible time as enshrined in the passenger Bill of Rights.

While expressing disappointment with the behaviours of the carriers, one should not be too quick to heap all the blame on airlines. Many of the carriers are on life support occasioned by a sharp reduction in capacity as many of them operate with less than four aircraft while many others are encumbered by other operational factors that are beyond their control like loss of engine via bird strike and infrastructure challenges among others.

But a situation where these problems are becoming a routine makes it extremely difficult for travellers to understand.

To match his words with action, Keyamo and the NCAA have moved a notch higher by launching its consumer protection portal. The Consumer Protection Portal demonstrates the NCAA’s commitment to enforcing compliance with Part 19 of the Civil Aviation Regulations.

 This means consumers can log in real-time situations on airport incidents, delays and other issues regarding their flights.

Proactive response

Acting Director General, Captain Chris Najomo, Launching the platform, emphasized that the portal is the regulatory body’s proactive response to these challenges.

Nigerian airlines

“From being unaware of their rights to navigating complex regulations, consumers face unfair practices,” he stressed. “Hence, the need for a robust system to protect and empower consumers has never been more critical.”

Najomo further highlighted that the portal provides quick access for lodging complaints and real-time monitoring of airline punctuality and on-time performance.

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“It will offer a wealth of resources, including guidelines on consumer rights, tools for reporting grievances, and support to Nigerian aviation consumers,” he added.

He emphasized that the platform is not merely a digital space but a beacon of transparency and accountability, adding that it will create a more equitable marketplace where consumers can confidently engage with airlines and other service providers.

Najomo commended the NCAA’s 207 dedicated Consumer Protection Officers stationed at 23 airports, ensuring swift resolution of passenger grievances.

The Consumer Protection Portal is expected to transform consumer rights protection within the Nigerian aviation sector significantly.

Flight delays and cancellations are continuing to surge in Nigeria. It is becoming a herculean task to see a flight that is not delayed. Even airlines that pride themselves or use the marketing strategy of On-time departure know that it is a ruse and one that is no longer tenable.

Serious concern

Air travel in Nigeria is beset by frequent delays, and sometimes outright cancellation of flights

Flight delays pose economic, social, and environmental problems that cause inconveniences for both airline companies and passengers.

They not only irritate air passengers and disrupt their schedules but also cause a decrease in efficiency, an increase in capital costs, reallocation of flight crews and aircraft, and additional crew expenses.

Consumers have been known to consider the potential for delay before choosing to make a booking. As a result, on an aggregate basis, an airline’s record of flight delays may hurt passenger demand

An executive summary report of the NCAA on international and domestic flight operations from January to March 2023 (Q1 2023) shows that several 3, 073 flights operated on international routes while 182, 88 flights operated on domestic routes.

In recent times, delayed flights have continued to throw travel plans in Nigeria more into disarray, often making passengers dissatisfied with the airlines.

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Airlines also suffer simply from paying for the resources wasted and caused by delays but have not invested more to improve passenger satisfaction. More often than not, passengers are maltreated and left to their fate with no protection from the aviation regulatory body.

The inaction of the aviation regulatory body for a very long time and the aloofness of the agency to the blatant and incessant infractions by airlines on passengers’ rights may have put the airline industry under intensive scrutiny.

Economic impact

The comprehensive report, Total Delay Impact Study, analyzed flight delay data to calculate the economic impact on both airlines and passengers, including the cost of lost demand and the collective impact of these costs on the U.S. economy. The report was commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to clarify key discrepancies in earlier studies.

More than half of the total cost, or $16.7 billion, was borne by passengers, the study found. This number was calculated based on lost passenger time due to flight delays, cancellations, and missed connections, as well as expenses for food and accommodations as a result of being away from home.

The study found that airlines with high rates of delay also have higher operating costs overall. The $9.3 billion direct costs to airlines included increased expenses for the crew, fuel, and maintenance, among others.

Last line
In Nigeria; it is a chain that is also complicated and one that has persisted despite efforts by the regulatory body and airlines to rectify the situation.

Wole Shadare

COMMENTS

  • <cite class="fn">Fasilat Yusuf</cite>

    Look since the exit of Dr. Adamu Ahmed Abdullahi form NCAA as the DCP ,the office became something else jare. Ask many. And go back to check his record jare. If you like put who ever you like . The then Minister of Aviation Sirika just scrapped it from been a Directorate when Dr.Adamu resigned and merged it into another department . Since then things have not been the same again. Then passengers do call and send mails for appreciation of positive response to complaints. They know what they r doing . When they r ready for every thing to be done right they will go and wake those that will join the Hon Minister to achieve the desired aim and objectives.

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