Twelve-hour flight to Dar from Nairobi

In today’s competitive business world, customers are prepared to pay dearly only for quality services because they know that if one service provider fails to deliver there are others to provide a similar service. The level of competition is particularly high in the aviation sector as a result of which different airlines have resorted to offering various promotions to draw flyers to their airline.

Newspaper readers therefore often find special promotions like two tickets being offered at the price of one or free hotel stays or special discounted tickets on particular routes by airlines, all attempting to draw in more customers at a time when many airlines are struggling to maintain their financial strength.

This competition is also there on regional African routes where national airlines try to woo fliers in one way or another. For example if one considers the Dar es Salaam to Nairobi route or vice versa, flyers have a choice of taking either Kenya Airways or Air Tanzania if they avoid taking the nine or ten hour road drive through the Namanga border.

Kenya Airways have a code sharing agreement with Air Tanzania that allow passengers to utilize flights on either airline. However when it comes to punctuality and flight quality there is little to doubt that the Kenya Airways flights outdo the Tanzania national carrier. The Kenya Airways aircraft have a fine in-flight service and their ‘Premier World’ business class seats on short routes offer fine recline plus adequate legroom incorporating state-of-the-art seating technology.

Punctuality and reliability are crucial for any airline and unfortunately the experience I had with Air Tanzania last Friday when intending to travel from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam was out rightly appalling. Having checked in at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport at a little after 6.00 a.m. for the 8.20 a.m., I was advised at the airport that my Kenya Airways ticket would be transferred to an Air Tanzania flight through the code-sharing programme enjoyed between the two airlines.

Kenya Airways operates in affiliation with KLM and Flying Dutchman frequent flyers obtain 500 points for a one-way trip for traveling on economy class and this is doubled for Business Class passengers. Various extra award points are also available to flyers who hold elite cards. For me, taking an Air Tanzania flight meant a loss of 1000 FD level points and 1500 FD Award points but yet it was crucial for me to return to Dar es Salaam for some important business schedules that morning.

I accepted the transfer to the Air Tanzania flight and wondered if our carrier had improved on its overall efficiency. It didn’t take long to find out. When not hearing any announcement calling for boarding prior to departure time, I called upon the enquiry desk to find out what was happening and only then was told that the Air Tanzania flight was delayed by about nine to twelve hours.

Thereafter all affected passengers were told that there had been no formal contact with the airline office in Tanzania and that the delay was indefinite. Passengers asking for breakfast allowances were told that until the flight time could be verified or some form of notification was received from the airline it would be difficult to offer any amenities. Waiting at an airport for so many hours is by no means an easy task and I opted to return back to the city and fly Kenya Airways the next morning. Needless to say, I did not even bother to ask for any form of compensation because even getting my checked-in baggage was an exercise that took over 30 minutes. My extra day in Nairobi cost be about US$ 120, for others it meant an endless wait at the airport and for all, the planned schedule for the day was put into disarray.

I only wish one of the marketing officials of Air Tanzania would have been there at the airport that Friday morning. Passengers were absolutely disgusted and I heard at least two passengers bitterly complaining that they could have reached Dar es Salaam faster by road than by the national Tanzania carrier. Others complained of not having had breakfast because many left their homes before 5.00 a.m. in the morning. I wonder if passengers were eventually offered any allowances after I returned back to the city.

The following day I was told that the flight eventually departed from Nairobi at 5.10 p.m. meaning that each passenger spent about twelve hours after leaving home to reach his or her final destination in Dar es Salaam. With heavy competition on this route from our Kenya counterparts does Air Tanzania still expect Tanzanians to be patriotic and fly their own airline? I doubt we have many Tanzanians who are patriotic enough to accept a twelve-hour Dares Salaam to Nairobi flight.