Melvin Eche-Chukwuma, a Lagos State resident, paid N116,501 for a round-trip flight on June 17, but the airline cancelled the first leg of the flight three days after he booked it.

Eche-Chukwuma told FIJ that the trip from Lagos to Jos and back was scheduled for July 14 and 16 but the airline cancelled the initial flight on June 20.

“I promptly reached out to them on that same day to confirm if the second leg had been cancelled and to ask for the process of getting a refund,” he told FIJ.

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On June 21, the airline said the return trip for July 16 was still operating as scheduled and later confirmed that a flight was available for July 13. But Eche-Chukwuma could not reschedule as July 14 was the only day he could travel.

He told FIJ that since he could no longer make the trip, he asked the airline for a complete refund on June 21, but all his attempts to get the money back had been hitting a dead end since then.

“I sent several emails to them between June and July. I even emailed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) due to the abysmal service and lack of response from Arik Air, but I still did not get my money back,” he said.

However, the airline refunded the N116,501 to Eche-Chukwuma on Friday, July 28, after FIJ’s intervention.

When FIJ emailed Arik Air regarding the delayed refund on Thursday, the airline said it had been “assigned to a customer care representative for logging, investigation, resolution and follow-up”.

“Where required, we will always attempt to resolve matters within seven (7) business days,” it added.

READ ALSO: Travel Agent Returns Trader’s N146,000 After FIJ’s Intervention

Arik emailed FIJ around 11:10 am on Friday, stating that Eche-Chukwuma’s bank account had been credited a few minutes earlier. The email also contained proof of payment.

When FIJ contacted Eche-Chukwuma, he confirmed that he got the refund at 11:01 am.