There are two remarkable things a passenger travelling on Arik Air now will notice. One is the efficiency and friendliness of the crew and two is the on-time performance. When the new management o the airline took over it grappled with the challenges of transition and then introduced its own philosophy in passenger-airline relationship.
One of the key decisions it took was that it would be efficient, timely and would not put aircraft in the air without abiding by the high safety standard in which the airline is known.
In addition to this decision, the new management also said that it would rather, for example, operate only two flights a day and keep to flight schedule instead of operating four flights grappling with delays and cancellation.
This explains why the passengers that deserted the airline after the takeover in February this year have started patronizing the nation’s most promising airline to enjoy its new efficient and enviable services.
The airline kept to its new tradition last weekend when this writer travelled from Lagos to Abuja with the airline. The flight took off in time and the pilot announced that the fight time would be 55 minutes. But few minutes after takeoff the Captain of the flight announced that there was rainstorm in Abuja so the flight would hover for 30 minutes while waiting for the bad weather t clear; but if after 30 minutes the thunderstorm did not abate, the airplane would fly to Kano and wait for the weather to clear.
What was remarkable was that the pilot in command of the flight carried the passengers along during the flight; so after 30 minutes of hovering, the pilot decided the flight could land and he announced to the passengers that it would no more go to Kano, so the flight buffeted through the thick rainy clouds with a forewarning from the crew that passengers should brace up for turbulence.
What was also remarkable was that the passengers never panicked; they were confident of the aircraft they were flying and the pilot kept them abreast of every sequence of the flight. One of the cabin crew later explained that the aircraft is built with extra toque; extra power built into the NG aircraft, which was Boeing 737-800.
After initial approach and eventually the final descent and landing, one of the elated passengers told this writer, “I never panicked a bit because I know the aircraft is sound and I was confident the pilot would land safely. Arik Air has made extraordinary improvement and that is why all its passengers are coming back.”
A lady who sat near this writer during the trip said her dad only flies Arik Air “so he was disturbed when the report went round that the airline would stop operation. He always advised me to only fly Arik. The airline has restored my confidence and it will always be my preferred airline.”
A cabin crew disclosed that the staff feel committed to the airline and want to do things better and they are happy that the passengers are responding positively.
“We don’t announce a flight when all the logistics are not ready to in order to avert flight cancellation or delayed flight. We only operate the aircraft that is thoroughly air worthy and our new boss said we must maintain the safety standard in which Arik is known. Yes, we have cut back our routes to ensure that we operate efficiently and to ensure that we meet the expectation of our passengers who have been commending us in the last three months. There is a new spirit in us now because the management carries along; so we feel that this is our business and we give the best of what we have to the airline.
Also the Director of Consumer Protection, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Adamu Abdullahi noted that Arik has made commendable improvement in on-time performance and noted that travellers now rely more on the airline, adding that by cutting back some of its routes, it is able to effectively manage the routes it is now operating and serving the passengers better.
This writer also noticed that not only that passenger confidence is coming back for the airline, but the apprehension and anxiety that beclouded its cabin crew in the immediate past has given way to confidence and efficiency. It is also noticeable that that the crew is more friendly and more humble this time.
