Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, two major UK carriers, have excluded Nigeria from their promo fares currently running across several countries.
The airlines recently advertised promo fares on their websites and sent mails to customers, encouraging them to be part of the opportunity. However, the same promos are missing on Nigerian routes.
“I have always said that foreign airlines rip Nigerians off when the opportunity comes. Remember that legacy airlines sold a Lagos-London economy class return ticket for as high as N5 million, but as soon as Air Peace started the route, the airlines slashed fares,” a travel agent, who would not want her name mentioned, told BusinessDay.
British Airways’ message on the promo to customers read, “It’s your lucky day folks. Another mahoosive sale from one of your fave airlines is hot off the tarmac and it’s a good one. British Airways are dropping prices on routes across their huge network, so now’s the time to get something in the basket pronto. Another thanks to their handy partnership with American airlines. Even more of the USA is on offer.”
British Airways listed some top spots for the promo to include: the London-Dubai route, Orlando, Los Angeles, Barbados, Cancun and Sydney, amongst others.
British Airways put its promo fare for an 11-hour-15 minute London-Los Angeles economy class return ticket at €359. With an exchange rate of N1600 to a euro, this will cost N574, 400.
A seven-hour London-Dubai economy class return ticket on British Airways costs €453. With an exchange rate of N1,600 to a euro, this will cost N724,800.
A nine-hour-30-minute London-Orlando economy class return ticket on British Airways is priced at €377, which is equivalent to N603,200.
Also, a nine-hour London-Barbados economy class return ticket on British Airways costs €496, which is equivalent to N793,600.
A message sent by Virgin Atlantic to its customers read, “From skyline views to Island vibes, your window seats to the world awaits. Seize the Virgin Atlantic sales and save on flights to destinations across the globe. From the Maldives to Canada. This is your sign. Seize the sale, book the trip.”
For Virgin Atlantic, a seven-hour-55- minute London-New York economy class return ticket costs €358, which is equivalent to N572,800.
Similarly, an 11-hour-15-minute London-Los Angeles economy class return ticket on Virgin Atlantic costs €376, equivalent to cost N601,600.
Also, a seven-hour-50-minute London-Toronto economy class return ticket on Virgin Atlantic costs €365, which amounts to N584,000.
However, on the Nigerian route, these discounted fares are missing.
Bankole Bernard, group managing director, Finchglow Holdings, said foreign airlines may not see any need for running promo in Nigeria due to high demand in the country.
“First of all, let’s start with economics. What is the economy of running a promo? You only run a promo when sales are not good. You don’t run a promo when sales are good. So, Nigeria market remains a viable destination. Why are you running promo? How can you run a promo when your aircraft is full?
“Are you going to put people on the back of the plane? So, the Nigerian market is a market that is paying them, so they may not see any need to run promo here,” Bernard said.
BusinessDay had last month reported that the low travel season forced airlines operating from Nigeria to Europe to slash fares to various countries.
But this month, fares are again increasing as demand rises on the back of imminent summer travels.
Cost of travelling rising
A six-hour-40-minutes economy class ticket from Lagos to London on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which cost between N1.5 million to N2.5 million last month, is now priced at N3.2 million to N4 million naira and N14.3 million and N16 million for the business class.
At the time of sending this report, an economy class return ticket from Lagos to most airports in the USA cost between N2.6 million and N4 million. Business class tickets on the same route cost between N7.6 to N11.5 million across various airlines.
Also, an economy flight ticket from Lagos to Dubai cost between N1.6 million and N2 million, while a business class ticket on the same route cost N3.7 million to N6.5 million.
John Ojikutu, industry expert and chief executive officer of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, told BusinessDay that the cost of fuel and the dollar rate have not been stable, noting that is one reason fares may never go back to what they were.
He also attributed airfares’ increases to the instability in operational costs and insecurity of the operational environment which often escalate the insurance premium cost. (BusinessDay)
