Why Dana remains Nigeria leading airline

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By  Foster Obi

Ralph Marston once said that , “Excellence is not a skill but an attitude.” Looking at Nigeria’s leading Airline, Dana Air and its persistent but calculated climb from dusts of fate to reclaim its glory as Nigerian carrier, the statement strikes a chord.

Again Vince Lombardi opened our understanding when he penned that “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

As the Editor of Dfcnewsng.com and one of those who constantly put organisations especially in the transport sector on trial, I have followed religiously the activities of Dana Air after I studied the antecedents of its Chief Executive, Jacky Hathiramani who I gather is an astute businessman.

I also became more interested in probing into the activities of the company when I encountered the image maker of the company, Kingsley Okwudili Ezenwa.

Kingsley is very good at his job and there is no way you wont fly Dana if you encounter him.

But is it just about rhetoric? Recently I flew Dana to PortHarcourt and back to Lagos to ascertain its boastful pay off, “The Smartest Way to Fly.”

Was I impressed? Why would I waste space to write about an airline owned by Jacky who does not know my face and perhaps my name.

Their service was breathtaking. You can observe that consistent manner for service, courteousness, appealing to your calmness, ensuring you are comfortable.

While I was on queue to getting my boarding pass, I saw one of the competing airline staff being arrogant to passengers and I could not help but make my conclusions about that airline.

As earlier pointed out by Marston and Lombardi, being excellent is not a tea party, neither is it an overnight affair. You work at it.

Having come a long way, its obvious that Jacky and his team has come to realize that the way to conquering the Nigeria airspace and others is to first ensure you have sound and certified aircrafts and then make customers the king.

For Dana Air, this approach is already working like drug.

With such crop of dedicated staff ever willing to assist customers, no matter the odds, the secret of airline business remains with the company.

Beyond quality staff, recent efforts by the company at innovation, new offerings as well as incentives to attract travellers, is a masterstroke. This is why the company has won many awards in recent times.

Lets take a look at a few interesting steps Dana Air has taken this year alone.

The Chief Executive Officer of Dana Air, Jacky Hathiramani said Dana Air is committed to Nigeria’s economic growth.

This is why the company supported the recent 14th Annual Banking and Finance conference in Abuja

Also to appreciate and encourage Business Class customers, Dana Air announced that it will offer an automatic Silver Card membership and 9000 executive miles to all its Business Class customers all through the first quarter of 2022.

In addition to this offer, the airline also introduced a flash fare of N23,400 strictly for customers travelling from Lagos to Owerri and Enugu.

According to the Deputy CEO of Dana Air,  Sukhjinder Mann, ”this promo is to encourage and appreciate our business class customers to fly more, spend less, and enjoy the benefits of the silver membership of Dana Miles and for every business class ticket you book in the first quarter of this year, you get 9000 miles free which is really exciting.”

On the massive reward drive for Dana Miles members, Mann said, we have other existing promos

Also Dana Air announced it will reintroduce it’s early morning flights from Abuja to Lagos from February 1, 2022.

A statement from the airline said, with more of its aircrafts back to full service after comprehensive maintenance, it is introducing additional flights but most importantly the early morning flights from Abuja to Lagos and other destinations from February 1, 2022.

Again Dana Air announced it will partner Travelstart, Africa’s largest online travel agency, on seamless booking and exciting deals to provide customers with smart fares as soon as the ongoing systems integration is concluded.

This was made known during a courtesy visit by the Global Chief Operating Officer of Travelstart, Amanpreet Singh from South Africa and the Country Manager Travelstart Nigeria, Bukky Akomolafe to Dana Air recently.

Moreover, with a view to easing passenger facilitation and check-in processes, Dana Air has added yet another customer-centric solution called Roving Check-in Agents.

This is cutting edge innovation which will supplement the self-check-in kiosk at the airport and will aid speedy check-in for passengers travelling with just hand luggage.

“What we are offering in roving agents is an immense value addition for our guests, said the Media and Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa.”

Similarly, Dana Air has announced exclusive cash plus miles deals for members of its loyalty program called Dana Miles Club.

Speaking on the new deals for Dana Miles Club members, Mann said, ‘’our customers have actually been through a lot with the ongoing scarcity and hike in cost of jet A1 and we remain sincerely sorry for the inconveniences these recent issues may have caused, but these are exciting times for our frequent flyers and intending members of the Dana Miles Club.

‘’With one mile selling for N3.00, members can now buy miles and part-pay for ticket using miles plus cash. Existing members get 20% discount when they buy miles to pay for tickets while new members get 3,600 bonus miles when they buy 14,400 miles to get an economy ticket.”

Also as part of its commitment to continue to invest in the Nigerian economy and the development of Nigeria’s aviation sector, Dana Air announced that it will partner 7 Star Global hanger on it’s future heavy maintenance checks (C checks).

The Deputy CEO of Dana Air, Mr. Sukhjinder Mann who made this known during the first aircraft handover to the newly appointed MRO partner at the 7 Star Global Hanger in Lagos recently said, ‘’after months of stringent due diligence, we are pleased to announce that we have selected 7 Star Global Hanger as our preferred Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) service provider and as a result, have further enhanced 7 Star Global Hanger’s MRO services to include the MD80 aircraft range.’’

Dana Air is Nigeria’s leading airline with a varied fleet of 9 aircraft and daily flights to major cities in Nigeria

FOSTER OBI is Editor, DFCnewsng.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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