3 flights for the price of 1 - "Comedy of errors!"

I have decided to leave the Airport Authority out of today's post (abit  at least), it is the story of multiple errors that sounds almost unbelievable. The real culprits here are Airline staff as well as MM2 (the new domestic airport) staff.

Scene 1: Mr A approaches "G Airways" to check in to Abuja. After the check in process, he is advised to proceed to the waiting area which is on the third floor of the new airport (MM2). While he awaits, various airlines are boarding at the same time and he just gets up to "Follow the Crowd" as all checked in passengers wait in the lounge till boarding is announced.

Scene 2: Mr A gets to Gate 3/4 (they both have the same entrance , and split within the Avio bridge to 2 different Aircrafts / airlines).

While "G Airways" to Abuja was boarding at Gate 3 , Gate 4 was occupied by "H Air" boarding to Calabar. He joins the right queue quite alright but misses his way in the Avio bridge only to find himself in the "H Air" flight to Calabar.

He only realised his error when he got to Calabar. He raised the alarm and had to be brought back to Lagos for free, and subsequently handed over to "G Airways" to connect to Abuja. He therefore flew 3 times Lagos - Calabar , Calabar - Lagos, Lagos to Abuja, (about 4 hours) instead of the 1hr Lagos - Abuja flight.

Comedy of errors you ask? Well, 1st was the passenger; "How did he board the wrong airline" their colours are different. 2, While boarding he should have noticed the uniforms. 3, before take off, an announcement of destination is always made!!

Airline staff that boarded the passenger at the entrance of the Aircraft with another Airlines' boarding pass made a grave mistake!! Secondly, how did the Passenger figure on board tally with the manifest? If "H Air" had 90 passengers going to Calabar, and an extra passenger (with G Airways boarding pass to Abuja) boards, the figures can NEVER TALLY, and that flight should never have been allowed to go!

And lastly, there is no security within the Avio bridges to direct passengers so a lot of passengers actually get lost within the bridge because all 6 gates are linked!

Remember, always pay attention to details, read signs and keep your ears OPEN!!

Has the Minister been reading?

I often wonder if our politicians take time out to read newspapers and articles let alone blogs. I was in the Airport a few days ago when the New Minister of Aviation the blue blooded Princess herself paid a visit to the International Airport. As with Ministers before her, and possibly a lot more after her, she went around the Airport with a 'Congregation' of airport / ministry officials and was probably disappointed in the state of facilities.

The question "Has the Minister been reading" has to do with her proclamation that the Underground Car park should be reopen almost 20yrs after it was closed!! Well, cool as that may sound, it is still a political statement as we all know the difference between the 'political will' and the 'practical ability' to make changes. This underground car park as i said a couple of weeks back can ease the movement in and around the airport area, as the new Car park doesn't look anywhere close to completion. The make shift one / staff car park are in terrible conditions as well.

Parking in and around the Airport area is a major eyesore, with many vehicles Jeeps, buses and others parked along the road limiting a two-lane road to one. It stretches from the "D" wing to the "E" wing and gets worse towards the "E" wing with double parking at that end. What this does is limit other passengers and staff that try to leave the airport area for upwards of 30mins to an hour for a stretch of less than 100metres!

There is no gain saying the people that suffer this indiscipline by official and private vehicles that park indiscriminately along the roads are passengers (leaving the designated car park) and staff (that may have been at work for between 6 & 12hrs) only to be held up by vehicles picking up their "OGA's" on the road instead of using the car parks. The towing vans that are suppose to move cars parked along the roads are overwhelmed by the number and status of the car owners. They just drive around to scare the commoners from parking in this zones.

I am not holding my breath as regards the "Pronouncement of the Princess" as politicians have to make such statements so as to look good on T.V during the news.

STRANGE BUT TRUE (1)

In this industry, there are many occurrences that just baffle you on a daily basis. Sometimes its the simple, sometimes its the mundane, other times its outright STUPID.

The strange but true stories would be short stories that occur at the airport that just baffle me.
This story is about ignorance, its too often to see passengers that think they know it all. When you ask them questions (cautionary and security) they tell you how they have flown many times. How one was not born when they started to fly. So we tend to analyse passengers and ask such questions in a stylish manner.

So this passenger walks up to the check in desk, confident as usual, trying not to look like a first timer (like its a sin to be one).
Agent: "Goodmonrning sir, may i have you ticket and passport"

Passenger: Here, he says.

After asking all the questions, and bag placed on the belt to be sent to the baggage hall, his boarding pass, passport, ticket and departure form handed over to him.

Agent: Sir, please proceed to the boarding area.

The passenger, climbs up the belt and onto the conveyor belt only to find his way to the baggage hall.
Guess he thought that since his bag went down that way, that means that's the way to get to his destination.
Although his motives were questioned as passengers are not to go down like luggage. Airport security picked him up to question him.

So please, if you do not know the way to the boarding gates when travelling, and you cannot read the signs, please ask ground staff for directions. Don't go down the belt in an effort to get to the aircraft.

Curse of the Virgin Passport (2) - The Prey Wins!!

Many people that read the first story on the virgin passport felt sorry for the passengers and wondered if any one can ever get out of the trap that has been set by the officials in the airport. I would like to let you all know that on the odd occasion, some passengers even with virgin passports overcome this hurdle. Like with the lions and deers in the Savannah, not every trap catches a prey, sometimes external factors make the prey escape.
As a sequel to the "Curse of the Vampire Passport" i had to write this story. It was a friend of mine that tells me about her brother heading to one of the Asian countries for the first time. It was the first time he was ever going to travel and she said i should help as much as i could.
The first thing was to train the young man in a few minutes to be confident, how to answer questions as regards where he was going, how long he was staying, who he intended to stay with and how much he was travelling with. I could only do so much because i was really busy on that day so after instructing him, i left him to go through the immigration point , leaving him with my number in case he had any questions on what to do and where to go.
As i got back to work, running around the Airport as usual,i got a call from a strange number and it was the young man.
Passenger: Sorry sir, they did not allow me to board
Me: who?
Passenger: "...... Airways"
Me: Why? What did they tell you?
By this time, i had started to approach the boarding gate where he was to board. I saw him coming out with another passenger, who was furious. He had actually given one of the immigration officers $100 to secure passage through the screening point, because he had a Virgin Passport!! The Airline had gotten wind of this and instructed him to go back to collect his money as his travel allowance was too low to get into the country he wanted to go. I beckoned on the passenger following him to go back as i would intervene in the matter. As we got to the small room where this "taxing" usually took place the following ensued;
Me: Good morning sirs, my family friend here was unable to board his flight
Officer: Why? did you miss your flight?- looking in his direction
Me: No sir, his Travel Allowance was incomplete so he cannot be boarded
Officer: Why? is it because of the $100 tip you gave us?
(imagine a kid of say 18yrs giving out $100 tip)
Me: I think so, and his flight is leaving anytime soon
Officer: so, where do you work? - turning to ask me.
(i am in full uniform for the love of Christ, everyone in the airport knows this uniform)
Officer: He just gave us a little something oh, and the officer that collected it is not here
Me: Sir, that flight is leaving very soon!
Officer: ehen, which Airline do you work for again
Me: Sir.....
Officer: Okay, can you give him $100 and come back, the officer may be around
Me: Sir i am paid in Naira

 He then reaches to the a small corner to pull out a well tucked in $100 note to give to the young man. He smiles to tell me once again "he just gave us oh", "where do you work again?"
I had to rush the young man down to the gates so as not to miss his flight.

So sometimes the green horn wins, remember that. - @lereboy

Control Thy Anger !!

You pay the price for your anger, for like i  often tell my friends "Silence in Anger" is  golden.

One recurring decimal of many airlines the world over is the phenomenon of over booked flights. In this industry, everything is expensive, office space, equipment, staff , fuel and everything necessary for day to day running of an airline especially from the Airport. So it is important the world over for flights to be about 80% booked. The truth is with that booking, the number of people that actually come to pay for flights are less, while those that actually fly on many occasions are much less than that.
It is in this regard that Airlines allow for over booking on flights especially on the high season by about 10-20% depending on the  capacity of the aircraft. In this scenario, passengers are always advised to get to the Airport for check in early as the airlines are backed by IATA rules in this act.
For those that come in to check in as the flight fills up, the airline makes an announcement of the situation, collects tickets from those present within the time frame (to avoid late comers) and re-books them for free as well as make arrangements for accommodation and compensation.

However, in certain situations, it doesn't go so smoothly, like the case of Mr x. He came in just as the flight was closing due over booking. As tickets were being collated he kept on insisting on being on the flight. All explanations fell on deaf ears and his anger got the better of him. He picked up one of the tensile barriers used to control queues and aimed it for the check in agent behind the counter. His strength took it above the counter onto the display screens where the flight numbers and airline details (departure and arrivals) are constantly changing. This got smashed and trouble ensued.
As others were collecting compensation letters, Hotel accommodation and all, he was whisked away by the Airport authorities to the Airport Cell. The next morning he was taken to the Police station about 5mins away from the main building. He wasn't released for 5 days until he was able to pay for the Airport property that was damaged and this set him back by $10,000 plus 5 days he spent in jail.

He also had to pay for missing the flight he was put on (No show fee) as well as to get onto the next available flight (Date change fee).

Note: when travelling during the high season, endeavour to get to the Airport early, be aware of your rights, keep your cool in all circumstances and don't throw things around OK?
@lereboy signing out till next week.....

Ah! You called......? Why.....?

It is common practice for passengers to forget items on board aircrafts when they get to their destination. A good number of them are either too tired or to scared during the flight to be so aware of what they have forgotten. In the lost and found cabinet, you would be shocked to see the kinds of things passengers have forgotten over the years: Radios, Ipods, Glassed, bibles, I.D cards, Pens (Mont Blonc type stuff), face caps and a host of others. What most of them remember and come back for are items like Phones, Laptops, and other gadgets of the sort.
It is actually a phone that inspires this story. On arrival of a local flight Abuja-Lagos,after disembarkation of passengers, during security checks and cleaning a GSM phone was discovered.As with normal procedure, it was handed over to the Lost&Found department. After logging it in, the agent scrolls through the phone to check for recently received or dialled number so as to get the exact identity of the passenger that owns the phone as it may  have dropped from the passenger onto another seat.
It was during this search that the agent discovered a recently called number stored as "HONEY". So he proceeded to call the number and got the shock of his life:

Agent: Good day, please this phone was found on an Abuja-Lagos flight. We would like the owner to come to our office to pick it up with valid I.D.
HONEY: What do you mean? what game are you playing? Have you stolen this phone?
Agent: No sir, as i introduced myself (******) and i would like you to get across to the owner of this phone so he/she can come pick it up.
HONEY: That's impossible,i just spoke to the owner less than 2hrs ago and she is in Benue, i wonder how you got this phone. I would call her friends and get back to you.
Just as he drops the call, a lady walks in claiming to have forgotten her phone on board. As  she made to show the boarding pass with which she came, it was discovered that the phone in question was the same the agent was trying to unite with the owner.
Agent: Oh! you are welcome, we have been making efforts to unite you with your phone. We even called "Honey" so it would be easier.
Young Lady: What? You called "Honey"?
Agent: Yes we did, he is going to call back anytime now.
Young Lady: Who told you to call "Honey" (Now sobbing), why did you call "Honey" (still sobbing), ah! you shouldn't have called "Honey" (now looking weak at the knees), ah, "Honey"! what did you tell "Honey"? ah, you called "Honey", you shouldn't have called "Honey" (with teary eyes)
At this point we were torn between laughing and crying, for she had apparently told the young man she was in school, when she was actually in the airport en route Lagos to meet some other guy. The  bubble burst only due to her carelessness. I guess from now on she would be careful about how she saves names on her phone? I think you too should.

Thief in TRANSIT?

Thief in TRANSIT?
I never saw the movie boarding gate, but i heard it was a funny movie. Many people that  are well travelled know the rules of the "Boarding Gate". Most nationalities can transit for upward of 24hours on the condition that they have a ticket to another city within that period. In West Africa however, citizens of the sub region can travel between member countries VISA free for 90days.
Outside this rule however, airlines that transfer passengers from point to point without valid travel documents would be liable to pay $2,000 each!! If the Secondary  carrier also refuses to carry the passenger, the 1st carrier may incur a fine.
That brings me to a funny scene that played itself a few weeks back whereby a "Thief In Transit" was caught. I had gotten reports about a syndicate that usually steals from fellow passenger's bags while on board the aircraft and constantly wonder; How do they buy a ticket (upward of 15,000 i.e $100) for a 1hr flight, and within this flight time manage to steal cash and valuables opportunistically that would be more than that. What if he/she is not successful on the 1st flight (loss?) guess he/she would buy another ticket the other direction 1 way (another 15,000).
On arrival of one of our regional flights, a  passenger noticed just before clearing immigration that his wallet as well as other documents were not on him. We have seen this happen a few times only for the passenger to find said documents on his person. As he kept searching, he walked back towards the A/C that brought him and was lucky to find out that the same A/C was operating another flight. He beckoned on one of the staff and intimated him of his suspicion that the young man he sat with may have taken his wallet and documents.
On investigation and thorough search of the passenger seated next to him,it was discovered that he had Naira on him. Sir, "how come you have Naira on you?" are you not on transit? After initially denying being the culprit, he admitted that he took in when the owner left his seat. The offender was transiting onto the same A/C to ACCRA and must have been about 21yrs (he was a student in Accra,with a Cameroonian passport).
He had watched the passenger throughout the flight and struck when he was opportuned, the dilemma was if we could board him to the final destination or hold him in Lagos to face the wrath of the law for the obvious crime he had committed. He would not be charged if he had flown to Accra, as the accuser was alighting in Lagos. Other passengers at the boarding area on the connecting flight became suspicious of the drama and eventually got wind of what had happened.
In order to keep them at rest, the young Thief in Transit was offloaded, and taken to the Airport Police post. He travelled the next day under the watchful eyes of the crew and ground staff.

Please if you are travelling by air, land or sea pay attention to happenings around you. You never know what the other person has in mind oh!