Ralia Mba (real name withheld), an Abuja resident, and her daughter were to board a Dana Air flight to Lagos on April 29 for the latter’s resumption at school.
However, the flight was cancelled four days before departure, with no refund in sight four months later.
FIJ saw that Mba booked the flight on March 13, when she paid N198,000 for the tickets and N2,970 as a processing fee. But on April 25, Dana Airlines sent an email notifying them that the flight had been cancelled due to an operational audit by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
READ ALSO: Double Punishment. Dana Air Cancels Couple’s Flight, Then Holds On to Their N146,000
A partial screenshot of the flight’s e-ticket
Total payment for the ticket and processing fees
The cancellation email from Dana Air
The cancellation came amid the NCAA’s suspension of the operations of Dana Airlines after one of its planes skidded off the runway at a Lagos airport. The suspension, which took effect on April 4, was to allow for a thorough safety and economic audit.
READ MORE: Passengers Jump Out on the Grass As Dana Airplane Skids off Runway (Video)
So, when Mba received the email about the cancelled flight, she immediately asked the airline to refund the ticket fee so she could make alternative travel arrangements.
All she’s got since April are assurances and multiple requests from the airline, asking her to submit copies of the tickets and identification documents.
“Till today, Dana Air has refused to refund my money. All they keep telling me is that they are processing the refund,” Mba told FIJ.
“Sometimes, they will ask me to send copies of the tickets and identification documents for my daughter and me. This has been sent several times yet no refund,” she added.
READ ALSO: 5 Months After Flight Cancellation, Dana Airlines Fails to Refund Customer’s N72,000
Email requesting refund on April 25.
Continuation of email requesting a refund on April 25.
Email to the airline in June
A reminder sent two months after the cancelled flight.
In response to FIJ’s message sent via WhatsApp on Friday, the airline wrote, “Please, note that [the passengers’] details have been re-forwarded to the department in charge of refunds as a reminder. Feedback will be provided as soon as possible. We apologise for the delay and the inconvenience caused.”
The post Dana Air Cancelled Mother, Daughter’s N198,000 Flight Over Operational Audit. No Refund 4 Months Later appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.