This may not be the best of times for Dana Airline as its passengers are facing one challenge after another with the airline. First, on Thursday, its Port Harcourt-bound passengers booked for the 7am flight only departed by 3pm after waiting for seven hours at the airport without any form of compensation.
However, Thursday’s experience was a child’s play by what the Port Harcourt- Lagos passengers booked for the 7pm flight said that they experienced.
According to Ismail Aniemu, Publisher, Journal Magazine and Journal online, who missed his 1pm appointment in Onne, Rivers State on Thursday because of the first delay, Danna failed to airlift the 7pm passengers on Friday night, causing them to sleep on iron benches in the open Port Harcourt Airport’s Departure Hall.
According to him, the stranded passengers did not get any form of attention or welfare from the airline until 9.40am on Saturday when they were loaded into the aircraft and flown to Lagos.
“We slept on rough iron benches and not even water was given to us by Dana. All we got when we arrived in Lagos was an apology letter, signed by somebody who claimed to be the Lagos Station Manager of the airline,” he said.
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The letter, which was dated February 23, 2018, read in part: “On behalf of Dana Air, I would like to apologise to you for the inconvenience, frustration and cost that our flight delay, caused you on 342.
“You deserve smooth, uncomplicated service when you fly with us, and the wait that you were put through was unacceptable.
“…I’m sure you know human error, inclement weather conditions and technical problems are aspects of any large aviation business, but that does not change the fact that your schedules and plans were irreparably altered.
“As a gesture of goodwill, we will be happy to provide you with a discount of 25 per cent (one way, on any of your chosen route, which we operate to) on your next intended travel with us.”
The letter further indicated that the validity of such ticket would be restricted to a period of 180 days from the issuance of the correspondence.
However, Aniemu, who was livid over the whole episode accused Dana of deliberately delaying the flight due to low patronage.
He told Sunday Telegraph on telephone that despite the fact that the airline brought three sets of passengers from different schedules on Thursday, the aircraft was half full and its eight business class seats were almost empty, but for one occupant, when it flew at 3pm.
It would be recalled that one of the emergency exit door of Dana aircraft recently fell-off while it was taxing at the tarmac, a development that has raised serious debate over the airline’s safety standards.
Newstelegraph
