dayorx: banning an airline because of expensive business and first class fares is just plain stupid. why dont you impose taxes on them and make them pay for landing slots just as Arik needs to pay at heathrow....how does banning slove any issue it is d common man that will suffer, people that fly economy. i'm sick and tired of GEJ and his knee jerk reactions to everytin....It just doesnt make economic sense..BA and Virgin employ Nigerians,sleep in nigerian hotels and pay bills here maintain offices this is just plain stupid.

gboye_1999: Its not the best route to handle this. there are much more subtle methods. The same approach BA uses to stifle competition.

The aviation minister should just find out how much BA and others pay for slots in Nigeria, increase it if need be.
tell all government details: Governors, senators, ministers and the rest to patronize Nigerian. Simply go Arik while enforcing arik to improve their standards.
I know a state in Nigeria where all state executive members fly a particular multinational carrier. That alone helps the capital flight the economy is experiencing, multinational carriers always repatriate large chunk they earn out of this country still with their low wage bill.

musiwa,,.:
what ball is that, it only show, they lack understand of the issues. here is it, flight to nigeria is cheaper than any part of west africa. all the airlines , nigerian pay less than other west african. population is the reason why nigerian pay less. .

nigerian pay less than people from togo, ghana, senegal etc they can ask for waiver for airport taxes

dayorx: banning an airline because of expensive business and first class fares is just plain stupid. why dont you impose taxes on them and make them pay for landing slots just as Arik needs to pay at heathrow....how does banning slove any issue it is d common man that will suffer, people that fly economy. i'm sick and tired of GEJ and his knee jerk reactions to everytin....It just doesnt make economic sense..BA and Virgin employ Nigerians,sleep in nigerian hotels and pay bills here maintain offices this is just plain stupid.

afam4eva: It seems GEJ and his team only grow balls when government people are affected directly. A case in point was the issue with the south African airport authority over the repatriation of Nigerians, one of which was a senator. Now, just because the bulk of Nigerians that are flying the first class are governors, senators, ministers and other government functionaries, they're taking things to a whole new level. Would they even had bothered if it were the average Nigerians that were affected?

musiwa,,.:
what ball is that, it only show, they lack understand of the issues. here is it, flight to nigeria is cheaper than any part of west africa. all the airlines , nigerian pay less than other west african. population is the reason why nigerian pay less. .

nigerian pay less than people from togo, ghana, senegal etc they can ask for waiver for airport taxes

faithin9ja: @Beaf

Unlike most nairalanders, I don't usually disagree with you, but this point I think the Aviation minister is misguiding her Oga.

Apparently the economy fares between Ghana and UK, and Nigeria and UK are similar, the problem is the business and first class fares. Really should the government be worrying about the 'luxury end ' of the travel business? It's bit like complaining that Mercedes Benz or BMW's are too expensive.

BA and Virgin are doing what businesses do; they use the business class and first class to subsidize the 'populo side'

Ghana probably has cheaper business and first class, because the Ghanaians have enough sense or not enough money to be rushing for seats that cost up ten (10) times the economy side on the same plane.

A long haul flight probably has 350 seats of which maybe 60 are business/ first class, in Nigeria those most expensive seats are quickly snapped up (by civil servants and oil executives no doubt) meanwhile the rest of us dey back of plane.

Now the Nigerian government wants to go war over the cost of the most expensive seats, please they shouldn't jeopardize the ease of getting flights for poor traders like us that have to manage 'talakwa class' because they feel first class should cost $5000 instead of $6000.

When last did Stella Oduah and her staff travel abroad using Arik?

onye_ngbu*:
[size=18pt]The price disparity is not only in Business class. It is also there in economy!

Why do you guys always jump into conclusions![/size]!!

Check vanguard home page here and see the table. http://www.vanguardngr.com/epaper/2012/march/28032012/index.html

DivideUs: @beaf your oga is starting to get my respect with the south Africa thing and now BA, if he keeps it up i will campaign for him com 2015, but he needs to take more steps because this idi88ts are starting to take us for a joke. he should also look into this their outrageous visa charges.

dayorx: banning an airline because of expensive business and first class fares is just plain stupid. why dont you impose taxes on them and make them pay for landing slots just as Arik needs to pay at heathrow....how does banning slove any issue it is d common man that will suffer, people that fly economy. i'm sick and tired of GEJ and his knee jerk reactions to everytin....It just doesnt make economic sense..BA and Virgin employ Nigerians,sleep in nigerian hotels and pay bills here maintain offices this is just plain stupid.

Beaf:

I agree with you though that we have to put our foot down firmly with certain foreign companies and countries. These clowns have grown used to seeing Nigeria as a place where anything goes and the people as donkeys they can hitch a free ride on. Such insults and exploitation must stop.

With things like this, we will slowly begin to develop the self-pride that is necessary to push forward and develop.

By the way, GEJ is not my oga, I am just a fan. I believe he is a man of the people as he has shown over and over. Not just with the SA and BA actions, but with the airlifting of Nigerians out of trouble spots like Libya and Egypt; it was the first time in our history that such concern was displayed by the FG.

I fail to understand how sanctioning BA and Virgin adds up in GEJ "Transformation Agenda" (We Nigerians never run out of phrases. I can name a few: Operation feed the nation, Health, Education, Food, Housing, etc for all by the year 2000, Vision 2010, NEEDS, SEEDS, Poverty Alleviation Programme, 7 Point Agenda, Vision 2020 now we have Transformation Agenda. It is as if we believe by saying over and over, again and again that it will meraculusly happen.)

1st what is the proportion of Nigerians who travel to the UK & other foreign destinations from NIG compared with our 160M population. To me GEJ is beginning to look like the proverbial ostrich who hides by burying its heat in the sand.

No power, No roads, No water, Boko Haram is terrorising Northern Nig., People are losing their jobs every day, Kidnapping is beginning to rear its ugly head again in different parts of the country, Factories are closing down every day, Corruption is now at a new high all over the country and the President is worrying himself with the cost of British Airways & Virgin Biz & First Class ticket prices simply becos our Senators, House of Reps, Govs, LG chairmen, corrupt biz men and looters of our common wealth say it is too expensive. Anyone who works hard for his money will think twice before he/she embark on frivolous foreign trips in the first place.

And the worst part is that some people blindly support this waste of time, simply becos he comes from their part of the country. Pls to those supporting this how does this solve any of the problems I mentioned above.

How has the President addressed the high cost of doing Biz in this country to justify this harassment from our Govt. I have tried to run a small biz in this country and failed due to in no small part, the nightmarish operating conditions in this country.

Can we compare the operating conditions to other countries? Beside should the Govt & Nat. Assembly not be trying to help local airlines who can serve as competition to the foreign ones and bring down prices through such policies as "Fly Nigeria" (compelling all govt officials to fly Nigerian Airlines as is obtained in US & UK), reducing operating fees and charges, providing credit lines and leveling the playing felid for serious airlines as is done in other countries.

GEJ has got to be the most incompetent and clueless President this country has ever had.

I am sorry I am saying this about a man old enough to be called an "elder" but it is one thing not to know anything. It is however another thing not to know that one does not know anything.

This is where we are as a country now "Blind People Leading Other Blind People.

musiwa,,.:
what ball is that, it only show, they lack understand of the issues. here is it, flight to nigeria is cheaper than any part of west africa. all the airlines , nigerian pay less than other west african. population is the reason why nigerian pay less. .

nigerian pay less than people from togo, ghana, senegal etc they can ask for waiver for airport taxes

aikuda: What is with Nigerians self. Why all this self loath and pity. When will all this inferiority complex stop. In fact this is the main problem. The Govt is trying to correct a trade imbalance, and people are saying they shouldnt just because there is no power or good road in nigeria. How does that relate to air travellers exploitation by people who still see us as their colonial wards? The economics is simple: Nugeria is the biggest market in Africa, based on economics of scale principle, we should be paying less. The risk of flying to and from nigeria is lower for any airline whether is in the economy or more premium class.

Some people dont like that the government is doing this because they feel they dont take first class, or that it is only corrupt politicians that take first class. First, pray that one day you will be able to take first class. Second, there are many hardworking Nigerians business people who need to take first class or buy first class tickets for business associates because business strive first on impression. Its the same reason westerners do it.