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There is no doubt that the present management team at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), led by Captain Chris Najomo, knows the importance and critical roles of customers to the survival of aviation particularly to the existence and profitability of the airlines or any business for that matter.
Prior to the coming of the Najomo-led management, the relationship between the airlines and air travellers in particular had been that of cat and mouse as each, on a daily basis, pointed fingers at the other over unsatisfactory service.
At each airport, it’s either passengers complaining of not getting value for their money in the arrears of either flight delays or cancellation without adequate explanations from the airlines.
The hitherto frosty relationships between the airlines which were not peculiar to the domestic airlines but also the foreign carriers became a serious challenge to the NCAA which then led to the creation of the Directorate of Consumer Protection, particularly set up to address this issue.
Though the directorate, which has been in existence before the coming of the present management, had successfully tackled some of the challenges, the entire sector, particularly air travellers have never had it this good in view of the innovations being rolled out by the NCAA as being spearheaded by the Directorate of Consumer Protection.
Without doubt, NCAA, under the present arrangement, must have realised that customer experience should be overarching strategy of any firm, whether large or small, if it wants to survive in today’s highly competitive marketplace. Hence, everyone involved in any business must be focused on enhancing customer experience.
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Since the best investment any business can make is to apply time, effort, and focus towards improving customer service and the experience customers have with such company. In doing this, the management of such business can then sit back and watch as the satisfied and delighted customers that have been won over will help to grow that business.
In other words, giving the customers what they asked for, is a way to make sure you woo your customers almost every time you interact.
Without doubt, because the NCAA must have been well convinced of the important roles of customers/passengers to the development of the sector, no wonder, it has chosen to take the bull by the horn by taking the campaign to the footsteps of air travellers as regards knowing their rights and responsibilities in respect of the services they enjoy from the airlines and the agencies.
There is no doubt that the NCAA in the last two months, have shown that it really understood the need to bridge the existing gap between the airlines and passengers to engender a peaceful and seamless air transport complemented by a safe and secure oversight responsibility from the NCAA as the regulatory body in the country.
To actually show that ‘customers are kings’, the NCAA had through its Directorate of Consumer Protection, recently held a passengers’ rights, responsibilities roadshow at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The roadshow which kicked off at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) at the local wing of the airport, was to enlighten and sensitize air travellers about their rights and the importance of fulfilling their obligations.
At the roadshows which was led by the director of public affairs and consumer protection of the NCAA, Mr. Michael Achimugu, workers of the regulatory agency, particularly those at the consumer protection directorate engaged air travellers on the need to know their rights and what to do in times of unsatisfactory services.
The initiative also seeks to keep both airlines and passengers informed, Achimugu declared: “This festive season heightens travel demand, and passengers must be aware of their responsibilities.”
The Lagos airport roadshow was extended to Abuja airport subsequently for the same purpose.
Prior to the roadshows at Lagos and Abuja, the regulators body had unveiled the consumer protection portal to particularly tackle the constant complaints from air travellers over incessant flight delays and cancellation of flights by the airlines.
This was followed with the introduction of a new portal tagged ‘the Centralised Passenger Information Portal (CPIP)’ aimed at providing additional layer of protection for air travel consumers.
In the past weeks, the NCAA has continued to enlighten air travellers, airlines and other airport users on where their rights start or stop and this has really brought more activities and awareness to all stakeholders.
Obviously, this a good time for air travellers and the NCAA deserves commendation for this, but it hoped that such an opportunity will, at a later date, be extended to the airlines and other agencies since they too deserve to be protected. The airlines, passengers and the agencies all need each other to survive for the progress of the sector.
