A passenger on Air Peace Port Harcourt-Abuja flight last
Saturday, Dr. Chike Amobi has commended the professionalism of the airline’s
staff, saying they possess an incredible sense of duty and integrity.
Amobi, a lawyer, made the statement in a message he sent
to appreciate the airline’s staff for finding and returning his lost wallet
containing valuables intact.
The passenger wrote: “A praise report! That's what's on
my mind this Sunday afternoon for Air Peace, a domestic airline in Nigeria. I
had a very good experience from them and feel obligated to report it here. Here's
what happened to me.
“Yesterday (Saturday), after a series of cancellations,
delays and disappointments from other airlines, I managed to secure a ticket on
board the Air Peace afternoon flight from Port Harcourt to Abuja. I was
returning home after being inducted as a member of the Chartered Institute of
Arbitrators United Kingdom (CIArb UK). In my haste to get home and get some
familial pampering after having been away for a few days (absence does make a
heart grow fonder) I forgot to retrieve my wallet from the pouch I had placed
it in the seat in front of me.
“Naturally, a short while after getting home, a money
spending need arose as is usual in the lives of all of us married with
children. It was then I realised that my wallet was absent. The excitement and
gratitude of getting home safely immediately gave way to the potential stress
and hassle of losing one’s wallet. The smile immediately morphed into a frown.
Battle mode activated.
“As my driver and I headed back to the airport to go
begin what I imagined would be a world war, I surprisingly got a call from a
man who introduced himself as ‘Captain Orasi,’ a pilot with Air Peace, telling
me they recovered my wallet, they had already returned to Port Harcourt and
they would send it to me on their first flight to Abuja the next day. That
calmed me down somewhat. But a sense of cautious optimism still remained. Sure
enough, today they did as they promised. And I have since recovered my wallet.
“Now here's the kicker. My wallet and its contents fit the
textbook definition of a "stealable item". And excusably so. A black
Hermes wallet containing about N80k in cash and miscellaneous items tucked away
in a pouch in seat 2A of the business class cabin is literally shouting
"Steal me"! Especially in this recession. N80k is not necessarily
huge money in the global economy, it is really under $200. But here in Nigeria
it is a sizeable wad. Especially in N500 bills. And I found everything intact.
“And remember, this is happening here in Nigeria, and
coming on the heels of a viral video circulating on the world wide web where
baggage handlers in JFK were caught on tape stealing from checked-in luggage.
What struck me more was the numerous phone calls I received from the staff of
Air Peace from the time they recovered my wallet to when I received it from
them. They got my number from my business cards in my wallet. They first called
to tell me they had the wallet. And then called to tell me I could go to the
airport around 10 a.m. (They) later called to give me the name of the station
manager in their Abuja office. And today, when their flight to Abuja was
delayed, they called to inform me and to apologise for the delay. And a few
minutes after I had received my wallet and confirmed the contents, I got yet
another call from them to verify that I did indeed receive the wallet!
“Are you freaking kidding me? The scorching heat of the
Abuja weather was my only reminder that this was happening here in Nigeria and
not the TOM Bradley International Terminal at the LAX Airport in Los Angeles,
California. It is not often that we hear such manifestation of integrity coming
from corporate entities and individuals in Nigeria. I just felt it necessary to
share this on this forum to show that despite the hard times and recession, Air
Peace is still maintaining global best practices in its business operations.
May God bless and give more peace and prosperity to Air Peace ... Thanks in
part to Air Peace, I can now happily be identified as Chike Amobi, MCIArb (UK).
Happy Sunday, good people.”
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