Bellview is really bad, believe me, even their workers are tired of the constant cancellation of flight and just this week, policemen had to be posted at their entrance to prevent angry customers from gaining entrance into the place and they dont even pay their workers on time. imagine, this is not about Nigeria being bad in whatever they do, i just believe that the management is simply bad.

i havent had any experience with them before last year i saw they had really cheap prices i mean like half of british airways and i was thinking about getting them until now
@skyone you are so brave if i board a plane and it starts shaking i go scream i go do craze for them lol mo beru

4shizzle:

I support d motion of it being d worst airline. Qatar is suprisingly Good

@ OP
I've flown bellview on some international routes and from the shortcomings you listed, aside from the delayed departure(which btw is common to most ailines) I'm afraid their service was okay enough with room for improvement

& All

Its really sad to read about poor service delivery from Nigerian airlines. Sometine in 2004, I was called a 'zombie' by an airhost working for sosoliso airlines. I stood petrified and speechless for 5 minutes. I kept staring at him, a thousand questions boiling in my head, until my mom screams roused me out of my mental stupor. 'Ikechukwu get the bags lets go!!!!'
Like a 'zombie' that i truly wasnt, i grabbed the bags from the overhead locker and followed my mom. I was too frightened to utter my experience to anyone else. Its unbelievable.
As for bellview airlines, the hard groundnot they gave me in one of their flights shortly before the lisa crash, chipped my tooth and left me in pains for weeks. Bellview airlines was the first nigerian flight that 'shared' coke in nauseating white plastic cups. at least sosoliso used to serve eggs and plantain and potatoes in the mornings with a canned coke to go with it.
The other day, a customer has severe food poisining from eating bellview sandwich ona local flight. unfortunately for the airline, the boys mother works with WHO. A visit with policemen to bellview kitchens revealed what we all feared. the case was hushed with millions of naira.
Flying international with bellview? LOL! I no fit ooo.
Of all the airlines operating locally in Nigeria, abeg i doff my hat for aero contractors. Their service is indeed nice but there is still ample room for improvement. Internationally, i will always choose ARIK.
BA, air france and KLM is a no no no for me. Emirates gives me an erection, so does Qatar and cathy pacific, VA and lufthansa.

Check out: http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/bellview.htm#cmnt

Bellview should just concentrate on flying only local and regional routes for now until they can professionally i.e efficiently and safely serve their customers.
Virgin Nigeria stopped flying to London so could concentrate on their core area of competence (local flights, S.A, W. Africa and maybe somewhere in the Mid. East) and to be honest, they're better off. If you're not flying Aero within Nigeria and the west coast, you'll definitely be flying V.A. Now, that's what we're talking about.

I truly agree that a cheap price should not always mean poor service.
I've been on some really cheap flights over time and my only bad experirence was from LHR to CDG Paris (it really wasnt that bad, sha) the french hostess was kinda rude when she was serving snacks that made me feel as if i was begging for it and i wasnt expecting such a behaviour from an international carrier. to make it worse, we boarded from terminal 2 (the most useless terminal at heathrow). on the plus side, some parisian girls held my attention for most of the flight so i didnt even have time to bother about the hostess, lol

on a more serious note, Royal Air Maroc is really cheap from Lagos to London and the service is about 70% (Departure is 3:45 at midnight). Just be prepared for nonsense immigration officers in Morroco, they molested me and almost seized my mate's British passport. But that hapens everywhere

Bellview to London is definitely a risk i wont take, not even from Lagos to Abuja.
Arik is acceptable and Air france is alright (if ure lucky), my favourite air france experience was from paris to lagos. the pilot offered us free chocolates to take home to our friends, i was thinking maybe they were expired or something but it turned out they were good
BA, VA, KLM are too expensive so it makes no sense

yes bellview is bad

I have only flown with Virgin Atlantic from London to Lagos return on 3 different occassions and I have had excellent service from the staff to the food and I'm not planning to change anytime soon. Even though my other half wants us to try cheaper airlines like Bellview when next we travel home I refused because I know from experience that anything cheap is cheap for a reason. It's not just airlines but everything in life - you don't expect the clothes you buy at give-away prices a Matalan/Primark to be of the same quality for top-end ones at Selfridges/Next. And please it's not just a Nigerian thing, I know as a country we have many issues on our plate but to borrow a popular Nigerian parlance "good soup na money make am". Although some of our businesses could do with better customer service but that itself is a reflection of our culture as a people, we don't like to queue up to get anything, we talk to people impolitely and yet we expect them to treat us as gods, it doesn't work like that I'm afraid.

aysometin:

I keep telling everyone, for now the best u can get btw Lagos and London is Arik, dunno about later o when their Nigerian characteristics start to show, but for now that's your best bet!!

I totally agree with you on this one. I have flown VA, Virgin Nigeria and BA on a number of occassion on the Lagos - London trip, it was just out of an extraordinary circumstance that I opted for Arik on my last trip and boy! did they beat Virgin Atlantic and BA all put together. The legroom is superb (not minding that I'm 6'5), the smoothness and ambience of the cabin is next to none, inflight entertainment nko? - na die (save for the Arumeni welcome message - do they really have to do that?). Arik claim their planes on this route is brand new and  I have no reason to doubt this. I thought I was the only one impressed until you know people make this last minute calls just before the safety demostration starts - I could hear at least about 5 passengers seated close to me telling someone at the other end of the phone how surprised they were at Arik and lady couldn't stop exclaiming how she'd been wasting time with Virgin Atlantic all th is while with 'all their oyibo shakara' (sic).

If they maintain this quality, only time will tell knowing the Naija factor but for now I can tell you for free - Arik is the way to go. Totally surprising.

This is no news don't we all know

Planes don't generally shake but the one time I had no option and took Bellview to Lagos because I missed my flight on Airfrance, not only did the plane shake from take off to landing, but it also groaned and shuddered all the way through, it was like spending 6 hours in turbulence


And the return flight was no different, people that had been denied boarding for days had to come that fateful day and the flight that was supposed to take off at 10am in the morning did not leave till 4pm in the afternoon. I had to use my self and my son and his buggy as a human barricade to fend off the mob that wanted to descend on the poor hapless woman that was told to come and keep giving us spin stories as to the real reason the plane was being delayed with no food or water being offered, trying to pacify them that "yes they had a reason to be upset, but that they were going about it the wrong way and was about to take it out on the wrong person".


I must admit I finally lost it too when we were told to leave the "gate" we were supposed to have departed from 5 hours earlier "because Kenya Airways needed to use the same gate to board their passengers. Myself and a few other stubbornly refused to move and and said the only way we will move was if physically removed  They had no choice but to go find another gate to depart from


Whilst we were waiting, it transpired that this shabby and atrocious treatment of passengers was the norm with Bellview, but that people continued to use it because of their generous baggage allowance We eventually left Nigeria and arrived in London to find the passengers bound for Lagos about to embark from the same plane we had just alighted from. It was then it dawned on me that the real reason for the delay was because they could not afford to pay the thousands of charges BAA which owns Heathrow Airport, would have imposed on them if our plane had arrived at the designated 4pm that afternoon


The memory that Aaliyah's plane crashed and she died, because it was overloaded with excess luggage is still very fresh in my mind Never again, is all I can say

Busy_body:


It was then it dawned on me that the real reason for the delay was because they could not afford to pay the thousands of charges BAA which owns Heathrow Airport, would have imposed on them if our plane had arrived at the designated 4pm that afternoon

Does it mean they charge them more in the afternoon?

koolchicco:

Does it mean they charge them more in the afternoon?

Heathrow Airport is the most congested airport in the World so all Airlines are given just a 15 minutes turn-around to offload and onload passengers before they start being charged in thousands of pounds for taking up valuable space. And its due to this traffic problems that you would sometimes find the Pilot being forced to adopt a "holding pattern" for sometimes up to 2 hours circling the air because there is no space to land.

Busy_body:


Heathrow Airport is the most congested airport in the World so all Airlines are given just a 15 minutes turn-around to offload and onload passengers before they start being charged in thousands of pounds for taking up valuable space. And its due to this traffic problems that you would sometimes find the Pilot being forced to adopt a "holding pattern" for sometimes up to 2 hours circling the air because there is no space to land.

Thanx for the interesting insight._{Thumb up!}

koolchicco:

Thanx for the interesting insight._{Thumb up!}

Any time pumpkin

I work in the Nigerian Aviation Industry; please understand that the economic meltdown is seriously affecting the Aviation Industry (worldwide). I remember flying Bellview Airlines B3 282 to London in 2006 and it was a beautiful experience.

I believe Bellview Airlines is experiencing trying times, however, word has it that they ordered 2 Boeing 767-300ER to be delivered in September 2009.

Please support the indigenous airlines… build the Nigerian Aviation Industry

Odum:

I work in the Nigerian Aviation Industry; please understand that the economic meltdown is seriously affecting the Aviation Industry (worldwide). I remember flying Bellview Airlines B3 282 to London in 2006 and it was a beautiful experience.

I believe Bellview Airlines is experiencing trying times, however, word has it that they ordered 2 Boeing 767-300ER to be delivered in September 2009.

Please support the indigenous airlines… build the Nigerian Aviation Industry

Then they should stop flying and stop risking people's lives. At least till their 'Boeing 767-300ER' arrives.
Forget sentiments, human lives are involved.
Make I support, go crash for Atlantic Ocean, abeg me I no dey that kind support o!!

Oga, when Air France 447 dropped from the skys over the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, did the sky fall with it? I can’t remember anyone crying foul play; because Bellivew crashed because of very horrible weather they are branded unsafe. It is very sad that many Nigerians are very unpatriotic and un-nationalistic. Nigeria is our country If we mess up, nobody from Canada all the way to Australia would clean us up. It is our responsibility to make it right!.

The only way we build the Nigerian Aviation Industry is by supporting the Indigenous airlines.

If you are not supporting, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLAIN!!! We identify with challenges; we should work towards a solution!

Going to London…. Fly Arik or Bellview
Going to South Africa…. Fly Arik
Going to New York (November)… Fly Arik

@ odum,

Thank you but eh mmm, fly bellview? hell NO!!!
Arik is a nigerian airline too. there is a huge void between the offering of both carriers. There is absolutely no reason for any sane person to fly international on bellview airlines. There are serious safety and service issues with international trips on bellview.
yes air france crashed, but we all know that air france is top notch when safety issues are involved. did u not hear that the pitot tubes that were suspected to cause the crash are under investigation and all tubes on airbus A330 are currently being replaced? it seems it was a manufacturers problem and not safety issue related to lack of or improper maintenance.
bringing in Boeing 767-300ER makes no difference. Who flies 767's anyway? Ethopian?
Please lets leave sentiments out of this. if bellview makes strong efforts to keep up to international standards especially in CUSTOMER SERVICE am sure this thread wont be this long.
they should simply emulate arik air

igbogolo:

@ odum,

Thank you but eh mmm, fly bellview? hell NO!!!
Arik is a nigerian airline too. there is a huge void between the offering of both carriers. There is absolutely no reason for any sane person to fly international on bellview airlines. There are serious safety and service issues with international trips on bellview.yes air france crashed, but we all know that air france is top notch when safety issues are involved. did u not hear that the pitot tubes that were suspected to cause the crash are under investigation and all tubes on airbus A330 are currently being replaced? it seems it was a manufacturers problem and not safety issue related to lack of or improper maintenance.[/b]bringing in Boeing 767-300ER makes no difference. Who flies 767's anyway? Ethopian?
[b]Please lets leave sentiments out of this. if bellview makes strong efforts to keep up to international standards especially in CUSTOMER SERVICE am sure this thread wont be this long.
they should simply emulate arik air

@ Igbogolo,

Thank you jare.

imagine comparing Arik to Bellview and then comparing Bellview to airfrance.
You make me laugh.
Being patrotic indeed.
Let them help themselves first!!
The truth is always bitter

@ aysomethin

It is a mind thing! The impression that the general public has about the Nigerian Aviation Industry would astonish you. Travellers would rather be on a South African Airways waiting list than on a Arik!

In the early 1990’s Bellview was the happening thing in the Nigerian Airspace but, In 2020’s if Jesus tarries and we continue in the spirit of giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it, would we be able to say the same for Arik?

Odum:

@ aysomethin

It is a mind thing! The impression that the general public has about the Nigerian Aviation Industry would astonish you. Travellers would rather be on a South African Airways waiting list than on a Arik!

In the early 1990’s Bellview was the happening thing in the Nigerian Airspace but, In 2020’s if Jesus tarries and we continue in the spirit of giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it, would we be able to say the same for Arik?

whose fault
The general public or lack of maintenance on the airlines part??
A general disease that has destroyed our great nation

You get luck that the plane no crash

I really dont know much about bellview,so i dont really know the height of sympathy i should give out to you. The only thing i can do is give the advice a friend gave to me when i needed to travel. she told me about some poeple called TicketBay,she said its an easier way to get travel tickets, i know you are thinking how would this tell me if the Airline is good or bad?? well when i sent the format(which was :Travel the Airline origin destination departure date the return date your name)to be sent to 32811. when they replied me they gave me a phone number which i called and they gave me a run down on preferred Airlines,hotels and the different fares!!!so maybe you can try and see if it works for you, cos it did for me. But i have to agree with one of the other comments,DONT USE LOCAL AIRLINES FOR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS!!!!!!

Bellview again https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-318254.0.html

LMAO

I work in the Nigerian Aviation Industry; please understand that the economic meltdown is seriously affecting the Aviation Industry (worldwide). I remember flying Bellview Airlines B3 282 to London in 2006 and it was a beautiful experience.

What a load of clap-trap!!! so tell me who did they order the 'Tokunbo' 767 from Delta or American airline, its an American plane and Delta has hundreds to get rid off because they want to upgrade to a 2 tier plane like Virgin, Patronising Nigeria is ok but when my life is on the line I go for value for money, The Rich British people do go for Emirate/ Swissair instead of BA, So because I want to patronise Nigeria I should get something that looks like 911 Molue to goes straight CMS, no thanks, Arik is doing fine but the moment the take the airline of the Portuguese management firm I would stop travelling with it

All airlines have their off days especially when flying to naija (all the foreign ones at one time or the other have acted like they were doing me a favour). I have flown BA, AF, KLM, & VA to naija, Europe and US on both economy and business classes. The only times I had no complaints were when I was shelling thousands of pounds. Never flown Bellview and never will because I value my life, freedom and sanity, but I will tell you this for free the worst airline in the world is US airways it was pure trauma.

heeeeeeeeeee

Bell view again? Truly worst Nigeria airline

I do agree with naija babe. US airlines are equally crappy in service delivery. they sell everything down to toilet paper. the so called delta did not mee my expectations. they are very crappy.

As for hell view airlines, its still a rsounding NO from me. I hope their maagement is reading this though,

Odum:

Oga, when Air France 447 dropped from the skys over the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, did the sky fall with it? I can’t remember anyone crying foul play; because Bellivew crashed because of very horrible weather they are branded unsafe. It is very sad that many Nigerians are very unpatriotic and un-nationalistic. Nigeria is our country If we mess up, nobody from Canada all the way to Australia would clean us up. It is our responsibility to make it right!.

The only way we build the Nigerian Aviation Industry is by supporting the Indigenous airlines.

If you are not supporting, PLEASE DO NOT COMPLAIN!!! We identify with challenges; we should work towards a solution!

Going to London…. Fly Arik or Bellview
Going to South Africa…. Fly Arik
Going to New York (November)… Fly Arik

My guy, is this confirmed? Don't get my hopes up for nothing oh. Are they going to Wet-Lease cos i know naija hasn't got the FAA 1 yet?
All the people making noise about airlines have probably only flown 1,2,3 or at the most 10 flights in their lifetime thats why y'all are giving flimsy excuses.
Someone said US Airways is the worst airline. I have flown US airways well over 50 times and i am a preferred member and i see nothing wrong with them. Of course some flights may be bumpy and have issues but that does not mean every flight is like that.