Revnetwork

I heard that new routes will come gradually. I think we are all expecting new route announcements to happen too quickly considering the increase in frequencies and current fleet size.
I also heard that there is a new CEO who has been at work since the day after SH left.

enijose1

Thanks LJT, i found it.
Pls guys, Aero, Bellview, Chanchangi and VK, which one would survive power shift 2007. We don't want to be jumping from frying pan to fire, i'd rather apply to Aero and retain a job in three years time, than be in the market again in two years, although i would not mind at all, if its for an Airbus rating. What do you guys think. VK is here to stay, i believe, no repeat of the Nigerian Eagle that never took to the sky.
Please any thing interesting?

Gunship

VN is here to stay (I truely believe) .. secondly AERO and even Bellview stand a good chance if they can come up clean after the accident.

abujaflyer

Have heard that VK flights to JNB are very full already l. Rumour is that Dakar, Kano and Dubai will all start before end of May. Have also heard on the grapevine that they are recruiting like crazy for all positions.

surely not

I also hear that the JNB flights are doing very well

What a shame that the JNB Apt systems seem to be creaking at the seams according to reports; baggage systems failing on 3 flights so far, check-in systems failing on 2. Not the sort of support from service providers that is wanted by a new carrier to a route

Also heard a report that a passenger connecting from a SAA feeder flight was 'delayed' in transfer formalities from reaching VK c-in so that he would miss his flight. The Passenger alleged that SAA staff had told him that he should be flying with them!!!

All in all though the route is said to be working well

LongJohnThomas

Any more news guys?
Sn?

Gunship

How 's it going with VN on the route ?

surely not

Apart from a few hicccoughs with the airport systems I am told it has been going very well. I travelled on the route a few days back and could find nothing to complain about............. which must be a first!!!

From what I hear the airport authority rules as to who gets pier served stands are a mystery. Well actually they're not................. theyare designed that SAA get them and the rest don't!! What a nonsense that an aircraft on a 2hrs 20 mins turn round is planned as a remote operation whilst aircraft coming inbound and then being towed remote for 8 hrs are given a pier served stand!!

Capt. Manuvar

Unless I was dreaming or heavily intoxicated, I believe I saw VK's B733 do an very short takeoff (airborne at link2) from Lagos rwy 18L yesterday 16 december. I hear there had been a delay due to non arrival of "Instructor" who have finally arrived. Any news on when the remaining 6 aircraft are coming in, and who is going to fly them?.
Capt Manuvar

Rani

According to earlier chatter, mid January 2006 for the next 737-300, and 1 new registration every month. We can expect the ex EasyJet 737-300s to start beefing up the fleet, and with the 737 ops program already built-up (training, infrastucture, engineers) etc. the 737 fleet will be coming online rather quickly if everything goes according to plan! But will it really, considering the Nigerian environment? Let's hope so! Not sure if enough pilots have been hired though?<BR>
Kano should be added, along with Dakar, beginning January, I guess.<BR>
But the international destinations are not being added quickly enough and it's highly unlikely that the target of 9 international destinations by April 2006 will be met. I wonder what Simon Harford is doing now in Nigeria. Maybe working on a new start-up ??? The exit of Chanchangi and Sosoliso, for now, will surely create a vaccum on the Eastern routes.

jirginsama

"Dozens of angry passengers yesterday had a showdown with officials of Virgin Nigeria Airline at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
According to the passengers who have been stranded for upward of three days, they were being told there were cancellations of flights but no other explanation was given as the reason for the cancellation.
According to one Hadiza, they had earlier come in the morning around 12 noon only to be told the flight had been rescheduled for 4 pm.
“When we got here at 3.30p.m, we were told our seats had been re allocated to other people for whatever reason we don’t know. According to the Virgin Nigeria flyer, check-in closes one hour before departure and we got here almost two hours before departure and yet our seats had been given out.
Another angry passenger who refused to give her name was seen shouting at the top of her voice for being delayed for two days.
“Yesterday, when we got here, nobody told us anything until around 7pm when they said the flight had been cancelled that we should come first thing this morning (Sunday). Today, they said the morning flight had been rescheduled for afternoon. Infact, an official of the airline called us in the hotel they lodged us having cancelled the flight on Saturday. Now they are telling me, I cannot travel today again, that I have to be on tomorrow’s flight (i.e. Monday). We don’t know why they are doing this to us and nobody is ready to talk to us. You can see the way the officials have been treating passengers. They have been ignoring passengers and turning us up and down.”Some of the customers who had babies with them had a very difficult time calming their babies who by this time had become restive especially as adults (Virgin officials and customers) were having a shouting match over the issue.
Attempt by Thisday to speak with the station Manager proved abortive as he was said not to be around, but one official wearing the name tag A.N. Adam was seen trying to calm fray nerves of some customers and helping to explain.
But Hadiza condemned the attitude of the staff that she said had refused to attend to customers since they arrived the airport.
“Look at that man (pointing at one of the airline staff), he should be sacked. These people lack simple customer service. All we ask of them is to tell us what is happening. No information, nothing. They kept tossing us up and down as if we are babies. This is not fair because we paid for this service and the least they could do is be nice to us and give us information. The authorities need to hear about this, it is not fair at all. If Charles Bronson was in Nigeria, I’d walk up to him and tell him the same thing!"

Airforce1

I would also have done, but would have preferred it if Richard Branson was there...

surely not

I believe the problem is that one of the A320 a/c has been AOG awaiting delivery of a spare.
Whilst it sounds as if aspects of the passenger liaison in ABV were unable to cope with the situation, it is good that Virgin
Nigeria has stood firm and not operated until the aircraft is fixed.

GlobalFlyer

Precisely why a stand-by aircraft should always be available Is the 737-300 still not flying commercially? Amadeus lists 737 flights to ABV and PHC starting Dec 16, 2005.

Flying Touareg

a friend of mine trying to get out of abuja today tells me that virgin has cancelled its flights out of abuja today.Any body with info?They also have a backlog of pax that are yet to be ferried since yesterday.

Gunship

Sadly it happens in the best of families ... not only an Africa problem ...

surely not

I am led to believe that the 737-300 has been delayed into service by additional requests for info by the NCAA but shud be in service very shortly.

All airlines would love to have the luxuryof a standby aircraft, but for VK this aircraft would have been unused since June 28th, so it is not going to happen. The clarion call for standby aircraft always fails to resolve the economic implications of such an action. It is highly unlikely that the passengers in any area of the world would accept the increase in ticket costs required.

GlobalFlyer

>It is highly unlikely that the passengers in any area of the world would accept the increase in ticket costs required.<

Medium or larger carriers have stand-by aircraft in their fleet, and some others usually have an aircraft with a light schedule, which can be used at times like the ones described above.

With a large fleet, it is necessary for airlines to be ready for such scenarios. However, it does become economically impractical for smaller airlines having a fleet of less than 5 aircraft to have a designated stand-by aircraft.

With VK's fleet hopefully growin to 10 aircraft next year, the need for a stand-by aircraft will grow as well.

Gunship

In my experience that seems to be the cut-off figure just about ... less than that forget it (you can not make money with a stand-bye a/c) but it is a close game to loose pax

Shrike200

The obvious was already mentioned, but maybe this still works, if the guy was implying he would have been shot for complaining!