Is this lady's story for real? It was so funny and at the same time thot provoking
i traveled with them last year the only experience ive had and i swore to myself never to travel with them again
it was the cheapest at that time i wont lie but at the long run, it was not worth it i swear. Till date when i hear someone want to fly bellview i shout ''dont try it oh''.
we spent eternity at MM Airport in Lagos. I kept calling my people to say i had not still left the airport. After a while someone brave enough rallied all of us and we matched and demanded to speak with the authorities of bellview airline. they refused to allow everyone out of the particular spot we were checked out of. only one or two people went out, they came back and informed us that bellview was buying aviation fuel for the plane. that the Company that usually supplied them refused to deliver the fuel until they paid the money and it reflected in their account. i swear this story is the truth. this was September 2008. if i can still find my tickets i'd come back and post the particular date. it was a Sunday.
A flight that was supposed to leave by ten am we left in the afternoon, say from 3.30 to 4.30pm . by the time i arrived at heathrow, i had missed my flight to my destination. My sister who was there to pick me up had spent eternity there leaving her inexperienced husband (and a new born baby) who kept calling every other minute with a crying baby.
My experience totally horrible the time i spent waiting to get another flight oh u dont want to know

Bellview? Never again!!

I flew with them to naija last month and my story was similar - Euromediterranean airlines/ air italy.

Let me give a brief recount of my own experience.

A week before I flew, my aunt called from Naija saying am I sure about this Bellview thing? The day she arrived, people were fighting and shouting over bellview flights that came without luggage. A few days later a friend of mine was returning to Nigeria after her grad ceremony and needed to fly, only to arrive at the airport and be told that they are not flying!!

She had to cough up money to fly KLM to naija because her job is the kind where you can get fired for not appearing on time. Eventually after much hassling she got her money back from bellview.

With all these stories I got worried and started checking their websites and saw that they had 'suspended' flights on thursday which was the day I was supposed to fly! I called and made enquiries and they said I would be notified if it affected my flight. four days to my flight I get called that the flight had indeed been suspended and I should fly on Wed or Friday. I chose Wed, just to avoid the Friday rush. I had to call 5 TIMES to get my reservation changed, and getting to the airport, people were there whose names were not on the flight!!

An Arik flight was checking in beside us and they were meant to leave at 10.05 while Bellview was supposed to be 9.45. Arik was long gone and we were still waiting to board!!

Eventually someone called for the flight to board and it was molue rushing to board - no checking of passports, just ripping the boarding pass. The air 'hostess' had to manually count people on the plane about 5 times before we took off. Rubbish plane, with ancient looking tvs hanging precariously overhead like they would drop and kill you.

Food was crap - 2 days old salad, fish and potatoes?? Who the hell eats fish and potatoes on a naija airline? Got to naija on thursday morning and started fasting and prayer for bags to come out. Mine came out last and the fight started because the airline left bags in London AGAIN. The poor bellview woman started crying at the airport after angry passengers descended on her. Customs officer told me that Bellview INTENTIONALLY leaves bags behind now!! Man with wedding dress in his box for that Saturday was stranded!

I repeat NEVER AGAINwill I fly Bellview!!

@ Debosky Bellview is crap. U shoulda done a thorough research b4 booking flights with that useless Air Line.

Welcome back Debosky. Wetin you bring come? Anyway, I was expecting your email the other time but I already got my answer. How your end?

I understand Bellview is undergoing some operational challenges; the Euromediterranean is a chartered airliner; Egyptian/Italian alliance. I'm no fan of most African airlines for trans-atlantic flights cos my schedule is always tight and I really have no patience for come today, come tomorrow. A good percentage of our local flights in Nigeria do not fly on schedule (always late). I hope one day, we Nigerians/Africans will learn how to operate Airlines properly. For now, it seems like rocket science to us!

Nice post, OP!

hey! I think you should rethink career path!
You captured my imagination, just like John Grisham will do.
If you right a book pls let me know!
And I think you should keep the name. ITS CATCHY!

ROTFLMAO.
Molue with wings.Na wa o!!! something wey dey fly for air na im dem dey slack like dis?
Dis one na molue with wings proper !!

My sister abeg next time try your best to get B.A or Luftansa please 4 your safety. (just arrange your holiday travel schedule based on which flights dey if poss.) Me i no dey even wan fly virgin sef.
I even thought bellview only flew domestic.

This your tory dey funny but na serious eye opener vaaaaaa!!!

Delta007:

Welcome back Debosky. Wetin you bring come? Anyway, I was expecting your email the other time but I already got my answer. How your end?

Bros no vex o, I just got caught up in other things. Naija is great jare - I brought you some boko haram beans.  

I understand Bellview is undergoing some operational challenges; the Euromediterranean is a chartered airliner; Egyptian/Italian alliance. I'm no fan of most African airlines for trans-atlantic flights cos my schedule is always tight and I really have no patience for come today, come tomorrow. A good percentage of our local flights in Nigeria do not fly on schedule (always late). I hope one day, we Nigerians/Africans will learn how to operate Airlines properly. For now, it seems like rocket science to us!

Nice post, OP!

Bellview is taking us for granted - they are not much cheaper than Arik but their service is ABYSMAL and worse than you would get even on DOMESTIC flights in naija!! They've been singing this 'operational challenges' tune for ages but still treat people like crap. Why an airline will intentionally leave bags at the origin point is beyond me. Even if you will do it, INFORM the passengers first!

The airline is only being patronised because of insufficient options and perceived 'saving' which isn't much by the way!

this post really caught my attention.

bellview is the worst airline i have heard off. same thing happened to my very good friend as well he flew with them in july to naija because they luggage allowance is much better compared to other flights, and also he thought it was cheap as well for £430 which wasnt after all considering the 2days delay and 3days it took for the baggae to arrive in naija

i have never flown with them and will never do. besides i dont really think they are the cheapest tho because i fly with Airfrance at all times to naija and so far so good. they have been cheap in fact my last trip to naija a few months ago was £400, left on time and arrived naija on time, bags intact. and that has been the same since i have been flying except once when there was a delay due to technical fault and Food finished on board but i was compensated with enough wine.

I cant breath I am laughing so much!

I had heard so many horror stories I prefered to pay more and take Virgin to Nigeria and I am glad I did. This summer Bellview really outdid themselves on this leaving behind luggage crap.

I heard its because they were so greedy they take on too much excess luggage for the money and then they cant fit the normal luggage on the bloody plane. So they started leaving luggage behind to deal with the backlog!

I am shocked that people are still flying them I suggest everyone boycots them and hopefully they will go out of bussiness and disappear. Greedy louts

debosky:

Customs officer told me that Bellview INTENTIONALLY leaves bags behind now!! Man with wedding dress in his box for that Saturday was stranded!

I repeat NEVER AGAINwill I fly Bellview!!

Correct. When I went to Naija in August, I discovered the same thing. They leave passengers' luggage behind and bring it on the next flight, problem is, the passengers on the next flight will have to wait for subsequent flights to get their bags . . . . it's never ending.

@Bellview moaners

Serves you cheapskates right! Trying to save £50.  

Sharrap 4Play.

Bellview will continue to catch Nigerians, especially the ones who want to transport heaven and earth to naija.

I saw flat screen TVs coming off the Bellview plane that day and I wondered if they weren't sold in naija again. In fact there was a section of Terminal 2 that Nigerians were using to repack their luggage even with the generous 32kg allowance. It got so bad that passengers coming in thought the repackaging area was the check in counter.

The only solution if you are unfortunate to be booked on a bellview flight is to come really early to check in (4pm for a 9pm flight) and hold anything important in your hand luggage so even if they leave your bags behind you aren't too pissed off.

The airline is truly greedy - all it would take is chartering one cargo flight to Lagos to take the luggage left behind but instead they kept passing the problem on from flight to flight. I pitied this nursing mother at the airport that morning - she had paid 700 pounds (??) to carry excess luggage for her child.

and to think that bellview still advertise in paper with their so called "authentic" passenger comment.what is ncaa doing that this airline hasnt been banned from flyin to london before something "serious"happens

@ Poster
Abeg, what compensation do you wish to seek from Bellview?

Don't you realize what Bellview has done for you? The airline gave you rich materials for a:

1) much-talked-about NL post (screaming headline for that matter),
2) bestselling novel,
3) award-winning blog,
4) must-read op-ed in the travel section of a national newspaper
5) lucrative children's storybook deal, and
6) crowd-pulling standup comedy

Do not waste the opportunity 

Very nice read!, I felt like I was along for the ride with you. Unfortunately "Nothing" you talked about surprised me because I knew from the topic that you were talking about a Nigerian owned  and operated airline so I knew what to expect.
By the way if you are not a novel writer or journalist you should seriously consider it as a career or hobby ($$$) cos there a lot of us that need to enjoy a good story every now and then. Well Done!

OMO, the poster is cute, she kind of looks like a darker version of keri hilson.

The situation here is  really terrible,i am typing this right from the hotelroom Bellview arranged for us.We are about 60passengers stranded right here in this hotel with different pathetic stories,we were able to come through with a mild protest yesterday(03/09/09) at Heathrow terminal 2 and we were lucky enough it caught British Airport Authority's attention.

Well,you might say we all deserve it - But trust me most of us were forced to purchase Bellview's air ticket out of time management constraints/last minute resorts and were  mis-informed about the level of decadence at the airline company.What touched me most was a lady whose wedding is slated for saturday weeping profusely for her refund( or alternative arrangement).

I can see how fast and effective the Nigeria Rebranding project is working.Whew !

(Apologies for the incoherent write-up,so tired but just had to come up with this,so people wouldn't fall for ' Bellview's Madoff ' scheme)

I booked to fly Bellview from Lagos to Douala this february (it was the only connecting flight at the most convenient time for me).  Upon checking-in, we were told the aeroplane was running three hours late.  This became seven hours as I got acquainted with the MMA airside mosquitoes.  

Apparently, they have one aeroplane that runs kabu-kabu along the West African coast, stopping at the various capitals to pick up passengers as required so any minor delay is amplified to a point the entire schedule is unreliable.

BUT, to be fair, the employees were making the best of a difficult situation not necessarily of their own making.  From the booking office in Kilburn to the weary check-in staff at MMA, they displayed patience (comes with practice, I suppose) and tried to assist as best as possible even as the information they were getting kept changing.  In particular, that airline does not deserve the manager on duty at MMA that day (I forget his name to my continuing chagrin).

The return journey was with Virgin Nigeria and the difference was 7-up.

OMG! r u serious? all dis drama on 1 flight? heeeee!!! bellview, GOD FORBID!! after all dat stress ur luggage didnt arrive with u again? nawa o! better pray to God everything is still intact d way u left it sef. it's already like nigeria airways of those days. lai lai i can never fly dem.

Bee-xtra:

The situation here is  really terrible,i am typing this right from the hotelroom Bellview arranged for us.We are about 60passengers stranded right here in this hotel with different pathetic stories,we were able to come through with a mild protest yesterday(03/09/09) at Heathrow terminal 2 and we were lucky enough it caught British Airport Authority's attention.

Well,you might say we all deserve it - But trust me most of us were forced to purchase Bellview's air ticket out of time management constraints/last minute resorts and were  mis-informed about the level of decadence at the airline company.What touched me most was a lady whose wedding is slated for saturday weeping profusely for her refund( or alternative arrangement).

I can see how fast and effective the Nigeria Rebranding project is working.Whew !

(Apologies for the incoherent write-up,so tired but just had to come up with this,so people wouldn't fall for ' Bellview's Madoff ' scheme)

This is so so pathetic. . . . But why cant ya'll fcuken boycot this flying Keke Napep called Bellview huh??

Best funniest stuff I've read on NL ! I really would have thought it was made up if @everlast hadn't corroborated the story - and then these other people opening their own Bellview can of worms!! Some people are just gifted with seeing the funny side of life's worst situations, and @layinx has it! Hilarious!

I know its good to be patriotic and everything but why would I put myself through hell trying to patronise these cheap airlines that sprouted from no where? Even the major airlines are not perfect talkless of these home grown wannabe independent airlines. I am a frequent flier. spending a total of 17 hours in the air to get to my homeland is not an easy thing for me. I appreciate an on-time airline and people boarding without incident. I'll cough up the $$$$$ anyday to arrive Nigeria with my sanity.  

LOL, note to self, Never fly Bellview ,stay away from Virgin Nigeria (thats if they ever ressurect - horrible hostesses  ), Go back to SAA - Hate the country but i think i prefer comfort - Besides flier miles makes a lot of sense

Make someone follow me laugh abeg!

Bellview Airlines leaves passengers at the counter
By Okechukwu Nnodim
September 4, 2009 12:58AMT
print email


Bellview Airlines left hundreds of passengers stranded at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos on Thursday after flights to London were cancelled without notice. This is the latest in a spate of events that have rocked the troubled airline, which saw its aircraft grounded earlier this year due to indebtedness to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

Domestic flights were also affected on Thursday as no ticketing or reservation workers were seen at the airline’s stand in Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2). The airline’s website had announced plans to begin flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on September 3, 2009 but no mention was made about alternative plans for stranded passengers.

Situation worsens

The situation at the Bellview counter degenerated into chaos as waiting passengers became restive — some demanding for their money, while others cursed the airline. Police officers were called to the Bellview counter to restore order.

“It is not in refunding our money or putting us in hotels; passengers want to travel,” said a stranded passenger who wanted to be identified as Mark. “We want to travel, for God’s sake. If it is not a regular thing, then it’s okay, but the irony is that we have people that have been here since last week Tuesday, and this airline is becoming notable in disappointing passengers.”

As things got more intense, the managing director of FAAN, Richard Aisuebeogun, came to the scene with the chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Bethel Amadi, to appeal to passengers.

“We have actually spoken to the managing director of Bellview Airlines and expressed our displeasure over what we’ve seen,” said Mr. Aisuebeogun. “It’s most unfortunate. These are passengers that have actually bought tickets and there is a transaction obligation between the airline and the passengers.”

Also pleading with the passengers, Ify Megwa, an employee and management official of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s consumer protection unit, assured the passengers that their interests would be protected.

Out in the cold

Expressing the “inhumane level of contempt” meted on them by the airline, the passengers requested that the nation’s aviation authority penalise the international and domestic carrier for such acts.

“My name is Mark; I come from London,” said one of the affected passengers on line at the MMIA. “I gladly bought a Bellview ticket, thinking this is Nigeria’s company and you’ve got to patronise our carriers but all I get is very disheartening and disappointing. In fact, the aircraft (airline) should be shut down by the appropriate authorities.”

Mr. Mark said that the airline has proved to be “unprincipled,” stressing that passengers are not to be treated like beggars without choices.

“It’s not a professional way of operation,” he said. “You don’t put your passengers to go through this kind of nonsense. They are taking money from people. They don’t have an aeroplane; they don’t have seats. That, in theory, is fraud.”

Ayo Ladejo, a father whose daughter was also affected by the delay, said that his daughter bought her ticket on Tuesday, September 1, and had not been able to travel since then.

“My daughter was supposed to travel last Tuesday,” he said. “They text her that she should come yesterday, and yesterday evening, they say today (Thursday), and now, they are telling us to come on the (September) 6th; that as for today, no way for her to travel.”

According to Mr. Ladejo, his daughter decided to go for another ticket, but the price of tickets to London had increased.

“We thought of buying another ticket because she is desperate to go back because she has a very important appointment tomorrow,” he said. “Her children are going back to school. She needs to arrange for the children. Now, we are looking for tickets here and there, and they sayN180,000-something.

“Where do we get such kind of money from, while we have already spent the much we had in acquiring a dormant ticket?”

Mr. Ladejo was forced to make alternative plans.

“I had to go out and borrow some money; this is part of the money here,” he said. “I have not seen anybody from the airline (Bellview) to talk to. We have been going from office to office looking for them, but we can’t see them.”

Expressing disappointment was another stranded passenger, Lakunle Okpuosun.

“Bellview Airlines is irresponsible for making us suffer this much,” he said.

Bellview speaks

Habib Mohammed, media relations personnel for the airline, in an interview with NEXT, said that internal hitches and technical issues led to the flight delays. He said that the airline would airlift the passengers to their respective destinations, stressing that the travellers should exercise patience with the carrier.

“We have been contacting them (passengers) through their cell phones, but the unfortunate thing is that a lot of Nigerian passengers don’t have functional numbers, and some of them fail to provide their numbers on their tickets,” he said. “We are sorry for the disappointment but we will ensure that they fly by tomorrow (Friday, September 4).”

This airline is supposed to be suspended by the Nigerian authorities for such embarrassing situation but the reverse will be the case as more frequencies will be giving to them and more routes.

see bellview oooooooo

[img][/img]



About 200 London-bound passengers were yesterday stranded at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, as the arrival of the aircraft billed for the trip was delayed.
When the travellers could not bear it any longer, they began to agitate and it took the intervention of Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Richard Aisuebeogun, and Commissioner of Police, MMIA Command, Jonathan Johnson, to calm them down.
Some of the passengers said they bought their Bellview tickets in London. They complained that they were on the verge of losing their jobs, while school children among them claimed that if they could not get a flight back to London, they might miss classes ,as they were supposed to have resumed in school on September 1.
"I am very upset; I am supposed to be in school but I am still here; I am very upset," declared an 11-year-old Olowonisile Joseph, a primary school pupil.
"I came to Nigeria on holiday about three weeks ago, with the hope of returning to London on Monday, but it is unfortunate that I am still here, in Nigeria, today, when my classmates are already in classrooms studying. I am not happy with this airline at all," lamented one Joshua, who disclosed that classes had resumed since Wednesday.
In his reaction, Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, said he had already directed the airline to take adequate care of the passengers.
Meanwhile, Bellview’s Communications Manager, Habeeb Mohammed, said the airline had technical problems and assured that the company had put measures in place to make the passengers comfortable according to international standard, while arrangements were being made to rebook them on another flight

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=153575

I love it here!

Uh oh. This is no more a laughing matter but very serious and very current. To think people's careers, education and even lives could be at stake here. Sometimes when a plane is delayed it's usually a bad sign. . . God forbid sha, no need for me to get superstitious. But after this I will certainly not be patronising [b]Hell[/b]view(LOL)

[size=30pt][center] FLY BIRDFLU, your preferred ailment!!! [/center][/size]

i-toro:

[size=30pt][center] FLY BIRDFLU, your preferred ailment!!! [/center][/size]

[center] [/center]

@ POSTER,
thanks for the headache, cant help cos am still ROFLMAO. After this, i swear am gonna have a great day.