If there is any organization, group or company in Ghana that needs indispensable and rudimentary training in Customer-care Service, then it is the Antrak air Staff in Kumasi. Antrak air is one of the domestic flights in the country that links cities and make air travelling possible to the general Ghanaian Populace. The patronage of flight is soaring by the rapidity and swift means to move from one city to another without stress coupled with comfort. This attracted a massive attention of passengers, both business and economy to turn to domestic flight to make their travelling smoother and easier.
It is very pathetic how the staff of Antrak air at the Kumasi airport treat passengers. It is as though one is begging for their Services. The stinking nature of their gross disrespect for passengers calls for a complete closure of their activity. Passengers on Sunday, 10th February, 2013 were subjected to all manner of treatment including robbery and the likes. No one at the Customer care seems to have respect for those they are there to serve. Passengers were shouted at as if they were nuisance and beggars who constantly ask for alms. It is either those manning that portfolio knows not what they suppose to be doing or just do not have the pre-requisite insight of their job and needs in-service training to match up with time.
After torturing Passengers by their crude attitude and conduct to their sadism, they climaxed their cruelty with morbid robbery. Booking fare of a flight from Kumasi to Tamale is GHS70.06. Whereas Kumasi to Accra is GHS120.16, GHS140.17 and GHS145.15 respectively depending on which of the class you prefer. These fares are what reflect on your booking ticket and as such represent the right amount to be paid. But the reality is not what is to be expected as boarding a domestic flight with Antrak air turned to be utopian in the eyes of many air passengers in Ghana rather than a reality.
On the contrary, Passengers boarding Kumasi to Tamale are made to pay GHS 71 without being given a refund of the remaining change with no explanation. Mr. Wumbei who was travelling on the aforementioned Sunday with his niece Miss Rabi were victims to one of the staff known as Mr. Alfred who issued them their tickets. They were made to pay GHS71 each, yet GHS70.06 was captured and printed on their ticket without any explanation to them. Where and who they should contact for their remaining 0.94p is the least concern of Mr Alfred. Let no one misconstrue this change as something negligible and should be overlooked. Remember, little drops of water make a mighty ocean.
By Approximation, the ticket should have been sold at GHS70 instead of GHS71. The question I ask is that, who does the remaining 0.94p go to since it was not captured on the ticket? Multiply 0.94p by the number of passengers taking a flight from Kumasi to Tamale on that day to see how much cash is going into Mr. Alfred and his syndicate’s pocket. If this continues for one whole month, just imagine how much illegal money Mr. Alfred is making aside his monthly salary. Who is checking this hugely abominable and deafening scourge at the Kumasi airport by Antrak air Staff?
This trend is nothing more disturbing and grave to Mr. Alfred and his ilk as it is a daily routine also on the Kumasi to Accra flight. Instead of selling a ticket of Kumasi –Accra at GHS120.16 to Hajia Zainab, Mr. Alfred took GHS121 and as usual, printed a ticket of GHS120.16 to her and the story was the same to Madam Rita who paid GHS141 instead of GHS140.17 for Kumasi to Accra. The business class ticket of Kumasi to Accra is GHS145.15, yet again, Mr. Alfred took GHS146 and printed a GHS145.15 ticket out to a passenger. Why do passengers receive such horrendous treatment from Mr. Alfred and his counterparts for them to rob passengers of their change?
I felt very dejected when these crude Customer-service representatives directed all passengers to go and sit in a tent and wait for their flight to arrive which was at best an oven and worse a hell than a waiting place for passengers to board a flight. When Passengers complained, the response from the staff called for a cause to commit suicide. The Passengers were asked to either sit in the “oven hell tent” or find a shade to stand till the arrival of the flight.
I took the pain to ask why the air conditioners in the tent were not working at the time but nobody was ready to answer me and saw me as a charlatan who only seeks to provoke them. A security man came to my rescue to spew frivolous excuse of light off and that, the generator when powered will break the air conditions. At least, that answer though weird was more consolatory than the flagrant imbecile look and gaze from the so called customer care representatives stationed there to only seek prohibited funds.
If the CEO of Antrak group of companies, Alhaji Asumah Banda wanted to sue Ghana Civil Aviation Authorities for a brief closure of the Kumasi Airpot for some minor repair works to be done but were later accused by the former member of council of state of allowing heavy flights to land on the facility causing damage to the run way, then what does he have to say about the ill treatment and robbery passengers are receiving in the hands of his staff? There is an old age adage that says; he who seeks equity must first come with clean hands. How well has the head of Antrak group of companies put his house in order? How effective is the supervision in this company after all the noise about stiffer measures in private organizations?
The Ghanaian public deserves better treatment from our air transport managers for effective delivery of quality and efficient service. Until the likes of Mr. Alfred and his wealth seeking mentality partners are thrown out of the ship, the vision of Antrak air will be a mirage. Any serious competitor is likely to send Antrak air to the periphery.
Kashaa Nuhu babnuh@yahoo.com
