"Arik Air inflight theft (Flight no. W3 151 @ 0700hr, 24th April, 2014.
I have always heard of inflight theft especially onboard Arik flights. However, I never thought it is being cleverly carried out by the cabin crew until this fateful day, Thursday the 24th of April 2014. I was flying Arik Air first flight (7am) from Lagos to Abuja and was seated on seat no. 22C. I had my luggage hand-carried with my business bag; both were stowed in the overhead luggage compartment a row behind my seat due to lack of space in front.
The flight landed in Abuja ok. I reached for my bags and disembarked the flight to join my driver who was already waiting to take me to the office. On getting to the office, I opened the business bag and reached for my iPad (Spacy gray colored iPad mini with retina display, Wi-Fi + cellular, 128GB storage capacity). That was when I got the first shocker - my iPad was nowhere in my bag!
I was so sure I placed it in my business bag. In my confusion, I started thinking I forgot it in the hotel room in Lagos. This doubt was cleared up the moment I tried to search for it using the “Find my iPad” application on my phone in conjunction with my iCloud account. To my greatest surprise, it was located in Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, I searched again and same location popped up.
At this point, I left the office and headed back to the airport (Abuja), while still tracking the iPad on my iphone. Before I got to the airport, the iPad had already made four location changes still within the airport zone. While trying to track the exact point at the airport the iPad went offline and only re-emerged after about 50 minutes. However, this time it was tracked to Owerri airport. According to the tracker, the iPad remained at the tarmac (Owerri) for quite some time before it went offline again.
This only means that the iPad was removed from the bag while still onboard the aircraft by one of the cabin crew, most probably while pretending to arrange the overhead luggage compartment, since the iPad came with me from Lagos only to be stolen inflight yet it didn’t leave the Abuja airport before proceeding to Owerri the same day."
We have tried calling Arik to give us a Manager (at the least) to speak with, or an official email address aside the customer services email address on their website to send an official petition but two customer services people (Foluke, and her immediate supervisor Samuel Sawyer) wouldn’t oblige, claiming their manager was not on seat and they couldn’t give an email address of any management staff beyond the general one on their website, which we know very well will not go further than the 'junior' staff, especially as this pertains to one of ‘their’ own.
I know if this gets to the right management staff, they would easily fish out who did this amongst their staff. There were 5 cabin crew members and these can easily be identified from the records.
Up until now, the person has switched off the Ipad as it hasn't alerted to it being powered on since then. And, I am aware that my friend sent a message to the Ipad at a point while tracking it and he had become sure it was with a cabin crew member. The message stated that "this Ipad is stolen". I (my opinion) believe this is why the thief hasnt put it on again - for now..
IF ARIK WISHES TO CONTACT THE COMPLAINING CUSTOMER I HAVE HIS CONTACT DETAILS..IT IS BETTER THEY RESOLVE THIS AND CATCH THE PEOPLE GIVING THEM A BAD NAME.
*let me activate my icloud oooooooo
Isn't it the same thing that happened to Japheth Omojunwa?
ReplyDeleteWhy would someone be shouting because of an iPad? pls let's talk about sumtin else.
DeleteAnon 11:47AM, u re very sick, I know 4 sure that u re d thief, anuofia.
DeleteAnon 11:47am ure a fool. Now it's ipad 2mrw who knws wat it will b. Besides y won't he shout cos of ipad nor b money e take buy am? Its ppl like u who will arrest an entire street bcos of 3310. Rubbish!
DeleteToo much money, u can as well replace it. Most tyms is not about the gadget is the information in it.
DeleteAnon 11:47, from all u've read those Ths dude sound broke tu you? Wen you work hard fo ur money every penny counts, wt d level of technology he has used in trackin his gadget cn u on d oda hand transfer even contact frm ur dead bb. tu anoda? U re here makin noise,dnt worry u"ll b d nxt victim,inside danfo. Dear bloggies Ths only an awareness on b very observant all d cabin crew em no folo* tifz *fear fine galz in gen#
DeleteWhat's danfo? Can you see your life, anyways my boyfriend drives maserati while he allows me to use his other cars at anytime. So in directly I'm a rich girl too. Guys stop shouting because if an ipad
DeleteThis anon is actually clueless! Fish brain. So because your boyfriend (boyfriend oh) drives a maserati, that indirectly makes u a rich girl. Poverty na bastard oh. As he drives you in his cars, so does he drive other babes too. You know why, cos he is their boyfriend too. Smh for you.
DeleteBtw, Oga go to their office and make noise oh. Don't just send this letter. Dedicate one day and make sure you go there and shout till passengers even know what's up. Arik Air staff and co have a record of stealing items from passengers boxes. Na only them too sabi smuggle hard drugs everywhere.
So when I drive my boyfriend's car, I can count myself rich too. Olodo of the highest magnitude. Don't go and make something out of your life. Ukpana okpoko gburu nti chiri ya.
DeleteShow your name and bf picture and see the number of girls that have sat on that same seat you are glorifying yourself on.
In other words not independent and live off your boyfriend. So why won't you yarn rubbish.
DeleteLooooool ok we wld stop shouting because "if" ipad if u learn to use spell check,Miss maserati and I'm too lazy to buy myself a car I have to borrowshine from myy boyfriend who mite dump me any day.
DeleteMaserati kill ur head. Una don chop for house finish. Let him shout , is his money.. Faggot
DeleteO'yea! I see whr yu re comin frm,fish brain ode! Wohris Danfo? Itz ur fav ride#AllNaWash# Thatz d hight of ur fake lyf,ur bf drives a Maserati Not Own,its a pity! Smart,rich babe's own dia own carz nt famzin wt bf ooo if yu even say ur daddy's car sounds cool@list una folo,if ur papa get moto u go go drve bf own? Ansa! Una don chop fo haus? BushGhel#
DeleteAnon 11.47 u must be a pickpocket.oloshi.its ur type steals.onye oshi.idiot.
DeleteArik air host and hostesses are thieves, i have always heard stories like this,dear writer make sure the thief is tracked down, and disgrace he or she, infact let this news be on blogs and in the newspaper s please to alert others, arik hosts are thieves
ReplyDeleteBunch of thieves, Arik.
DeleteWow! So that is wat happened to my 3,200 naira!
DeleteI kept my hand bag overhead same way wit poster from lagos to asaba and I found out it was missing frm my side zip!. I could hv sworn I folded that money and squeezed it in there but wen I wnted to pay cab, I didn't find it again. I had to take money frm inside the main compartment of the bag and pay cab.
Swift finger tinzz!
Thief thief cabin members, this is not the 1st story, wasn't Omujuwa's ipad stolen too in this same Arik?
ReplyDeleteThey are big robbers. My husband came back from SA last week and he boarded Arik 4rm lag to abj. They unzipped his bag and stole almost everything he bought 4 us.
DeleteMaybe he didn't even buy anything for you guys. Just saying
DeleteArik staff? They are thieves!
ReplyDeleteExactly,that's how they broke my bag and stole all the goodies I bought in the us...
DeleteSo they have started doing it in their domestic route??...issokay!!...one day for the thief.....
Poster,thank you for this info,I will set a trap for them....
This is serious, some ppl can just embarrass demsef, y steal? I hope d airline wud see dis n resolve it as soon as possible bcos dis wud gv dem a bad name.
ReplyDeleteThey have stolen from my friend to, and I wondered why Nigerians are corrupt at every level
ReplyDeleteNo be today o Stella,Arik air hosts can steal o...was on one of their flights to Benin when they stole a guy's 500k,unforturnately for them the guy noticed before we left the plane,come see noise o,na so dem say make dem begin search all passengers including cabin crew,it wasn't funny o,they started with the people in the business class,by that time everyone had their bags before someone will plant contraband....I guess the theif didn't think anyone will think to check the overhead locker again,anyway,someone just opened overhead locker like 10rows from the guy and found the money...Arik really needs to revamp their staff,but that's if its not a syndicate sha,maybe the people report to the people on the ground,cos their own too much!
ReplyDeleteNa thief go kill the person.
ReplyDeleteSalt
Chai, chai, Arik fear God oh, you guys are always thieving from your passengers.
ReplyDeleteChai, chai, Arik fear God oh, you guys are always thieving from your passengers.
ReplyDeleteWhy are u even flying Arik?,they are useless now,if u must,fly biz class and above(dats if they have sef,mtceew)dat flight is just like dose random luxurious buses in the garage without any responsible company tagged to it,so what u see is what u get!
ReplyDeleteSay goodbye to dat Ipad and save ur energy.
Queen bee,in as much as I hate arik airline,they are still the best domestic airline...and yes,they have biz class aircraft but those ones fly from Lagos-Abj or Ph....
DeleteDaft,he flew business class
DeleteReally? What's your criteria for rating Arik as the best?
DeleteLinda dnt say they r the best oo. Their staff r so uptight and don't smile, and they r still sharing juice cup by cup while aero don upgrade since to a complete refreshment pack that has bottled water, muffin, juice, candy and paper napkin inside.
DeleteArik is jst expensive for nothing. Same leg room
This kind of gist excites you.Have you gone to that coast to coast level.Take it easy runs get plenty issues.
DeleteArik again,are their staff not well paid? Why steal an ipad when you can get urs?just log your complaint in the appropriate place and follow it up poster,if nothing is done, go to the airport authority and sevicom all the best
ReplyDeletehehehe! same thing happened to Omojunwa. Just google "Ärik where is my Ipad", you wil find a similar story.
ReplyDeleteArik ehn? Tufiakwa! after they replaced Omojunwa's ipad, they got him blacklisted. dude wanted to fly arik again they refused to give him ticked.
yeye airline company.
Their staff are not well paid and they are being owed for monthssss. Those still working in arik are just stuck because no where to go. no jobs.
ReplyDeletebut if na expatriate u be for arik, weda u sabi work or just de warm office chair, dem go pay you 30,000 dollars plus as salary without owing for even a week.
but if u be blacky- naija born, sorry for you.3months u never see salary.
I guess that's why the staff/cabin crew steal from passengers. #desperation.
the chairman worships dumb white skin.
all my friends don run comot finish.
yeye airline company.
Brother Na so. The chairman dey worship white skin for all his business that's why he dey fail becos na low skilled white people e dey always bring come naija. Arik airline is a flop for 2 years now. Terrible services I must confessn yet someone is saying its d best airline. Normal naija misses, comparing performance against poor standard. If all dem airlines r badn then dey r bad. Don't rank how bad dey r.
DeleteIf they took d ipad on d plane, it will easily be trace, dis planes are meant to have small camera inside, unless say e no dey work. Inshort I done tire for arik story
ReplyDeleteLet me tell nigerians something, arik workers are thieves. Firstly and foremost there was a man that once complained on Linda ikejis blog abt them stealing his money and a lot of pple didn't believe, Yes it happens alot. Arik air has stolen from mee and it was a very painful experience, they stole my money and my perfumes. The CEO or Managers should call their workers to order. Everybody Everybody knows that arik air officials are thieves. Hissssss. Ndi Ole.
ReplyDeleteMy ipad never leaves my handbag's secret compartment.
ReplyDelete*ticket
ReplyDeleteWHAT A SHAME!!!
ReplyDeletePlease contact Japhet Omojuwa on twitter.
ReplyDeleteArik wanted to sweep the case of his missing IPAD under the carpet but he tormented them until his Ipad was replaced.
It's not about the price of the Ipad. If this victim keeps quiet, the thieves will continue to perpetrate their crime.
Arik ppl na thieves
ReplyDeleteStella Stella! Your blog don turn to Consumer protection council! The other day it was Skye Bank, Today it is Arik Air . Please advise your complainant to go back to Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja which he said was his destination airport, see Arik Air station manager and make an official report that can be documented before resorting to social media war. We should learn to use our head while using social media. Don't draw conclusion without valid proof. Don't destroy what you can't build!
ReplyDeletemaybe you left the ipad on the plane
ReplyDeleteThis is an eye opener, thanks poster for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why there is so much hatred for Arik among Nigerians. Why jump to conclusion that a cabin crew stole the ipad. Haven't you heard of cases of theft by fellow passengers in a flight. I can bet that a fellow passenger stole that ipad. Please leave Arik alone.
ReplyDeleteArik deserves to be hated, and i/we won't leave them alone. Apart frm inflight theft, they have very rude staff members. No apologies whatsoever Wheneva their flights are delayed. I was at MM1 for 4hrs a flight scheduled for 11.25am to PHC finally took off @ 3.30pm. Onboard d aircraft d crew had d guts to say" apologies for d slight delay" calling 4hrs slight. How inconsiderate! No explanation for d cause of delay. This was 2yrs ago.
DeleteAnnie L.P
It has happened to mi elder brother twice in. 2012. But it baffles me how dey do it
ReplyDeleteThey have stolen from mi elder brother twice in 2012. Thieves
ReplyDeleteStella,am so sorry for d stolen ipad.Being an arik crew,we have witnessed theft issues on arik flights in which some of the culprits who are passengers have being caught.its so unfair of u to conclude its a cabin crew. After flight and d passengers disembark from d aircraft,we do a thorough search to check if passengers forgot anything or if there is any suspisious item on board.any forgotten item is given to the ground staff in charge with info of whr it was found. I bet a bad passenger behaved as if he was checking for something in his or her bag n opened ur bag as this is always the case. For sure, we cabin crew are decent people n ipad is something a crew should be able to afford. Pls take heart n put such expensive items with u, I mean under the seat where u can monitor it. We as crew do our best to ensure a pleasant flight. Pls, on ur own part and for other passengers reading this could also try n kp their own things with them and be alert at any suspiscious behaviour u are not comfortable with
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is that u guys caan steal for africa..I can bet my left bum that this ipad was taken by a crew member. Don't call passengers abeg!
DeleteWhat of my luggage you guys broke??or was it the passengers that did that one as well?..
Delete@anon 2.05pm. Your loyal response as an arik staff is commendable n u sound decent. Admittedly, not every egg is bad. But, please read the post again and take note of the tracking part. That iPad remained at the Abuja airport and Owerri Airport tarmac areas for sometime and after the owner sent a message to the ipad stating it had been stolen, the thief finally switched off till today after knowing it was being tracked. The iPad will definitely send a message to the owner once it is powered on.
DeleteAnd to people claiming it is no big deal n d owner should go n purchase another, please note it is not about the money involved; what about information contained therein? The quest to stop this trend for posterity sake?
Arik people have stolen from me too oo. And I have their names.
ReplyDeleteShameless crew members, they are always complaining about their job that they are not paid well. Then resign naa
Up till now, a whole 31kg luggage disappeared on Arik Flight (London-Lagos )in 2011. All the gum-chewing Arik staff mentioned in this report are useless with no specific job duties. Several trips to their ikeja office have been fruitless so i gave up.
ReplyDeleteLinda Eze Loves Billie Jean, I don't agree with you that Arik is the best domestic airline. I used to think so too until I flew Aero in recent months. I flew 4times with Aero in March/April and I was impressed. The flights had very minimal delays or no delay at all. My luggage arrived intact in spite of the fact that I did not secure them properly. The cabin crew were friendly, helpful and smart. And the muffin they served in flight wasn't too bad either ;)
ReplyDeleteGood advice anon 2:05pm but could this particular passenger board a plane just steal an Ipad, stays back at the airport only to board the same plane or another plane to Owerri? Just an observation for me to be convinced the Ipad was not stolen by your crew member, since the poster said the Ipad never left the airport at Abuja only for it to be located again in Owerri airport.
ReplyDeleteArik has made contact and i have passed on the phone number of the poster.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they will resolve this.
Wow Stella! good to hear this.
DeletePepper ose oku!
Arik debited me twice for a flight in February N16470 (Ibd - Abj) and uptil date reserval is not forth coming despite filling reversal forms. Arik!! Pls Reserve My Money.
DeleteGreat!
Delete@6:52, the issue is with your bank. It's only the bank that can effect the reversal.
Delete@11:39 my bank referred me to Arik's office. Was told to complain there hence the reversal form I filled with them
DeleteStalla, thanks for the effort and wish you follow it up till it is resolved and you keep us posted accordingly.
ReplyDeleteArik really need house cleansing or they are on the verge of losing good market share because of pilferage as this is the song on the lips 99% of those that comment. Even if they are the best, issues may turn the other way round. May God help Arik.
This story is false! My huusband left his ipad on an arik air plane last month after it landed in Abuja. he went back later to their help desk, identified it and got it back. You may have left it somewhere or it could have fallen off without you noticing. I know arik has faults but they don't steal from passengers.
ReplyDelete12k ipad mtchwew.
Delete@Anony 7:28, sharaaap dia. Long hisssss
Deletestella....those arik staff are highly rude and digusting! I worked at the GAT a few yrs back and the way they treat other organizations also working at the airport is very horrible! besides, don't think that they have money oooh! Many of them are broke and they are always owed their salary....I know for a fact that most of them are earning about N80,000...forget say na airline...they don't pay them well! Those their female staff can fuck for Africa, fucking rich passengers up and down! as for customer care, better cancel arik. Aero has far better customer care and good hostesses. its just that their routes are limited. I also have it in good authority that aero pilots are the most skilled and their staff are highly paid. I wonder why arik cant pay their staff inasmuch as they are the busiest airline in Nigeria. No wonder their staff resort to stealing. They also commit serious fraud there, what they do is dat they sell a seat to more than one person, so when the two ppl show up at the airpoet claiming the same seat thay now do backyard runs and collect bribe from the highest bidder, probably bcos the person Is desperate to travel quick. They also displace ppl they perceive as less influential from their seats so that a stupid rich man who wants to catch a flight will get the seat of the someone else that has hustled to book a flight probably a week before. Since they know the less influential person cannot do nothing. Only god will judge those miscreants that call themselves arik staff.
ReplyDeletesincerely if not that arik has more routes than any other airline, I wont advise anyone to fly with them. But let me also say that theft sometimes is committed by a fellow passenger...I have seen this with my two eyes...but in this case, I believe its one of the airhostesses, bcos it was also located in owerri.
Pele, I never enter plane before oo lol. But stealing is bad. A thief can kill, when boardind next time. Make sure you hold your private parts well oo before them steal am join.
ReplyDeleteSorry to digress... This is a message to the arik management from a concerned passenger... Pls try and fix the tv in ur flights... If not for the adults for the sake of kids flying those long hours... Even ekeledilichukwu shows movies from lagos to Enugu.. So how bad can it be... I didn't feel I was on an international flight with the air hostess shouting headsetsssssss... Like someone hawking oranges... Asking for headsets when the viewing system was bad... Common Arik,! Diariz God oh!
ReplyDeleteSorry to digress... This is a message to the arik management from a concerned passenger... Pls try and fix the tv in ur flights... If not for the adults for the sake of kids flying those long hours... Even ekeledilichukwu shows movies from lagos to Enugu.. So how bad can it be... I didn't feel I was on an international flight with the air hostess shouting headsetsssssss... Like someone hawking oranges... Asking for headsets when the viewing system was bad... Common Arik,! Diariz God oh!
ReplyDeleteI have also has a bad experience with them. One of their front desk staff in Abuja that where's coca cola bottle glasses is does not have conscience or lack understanding.
ReplyDeleteIf you ve worked in an organization, you will know that their problem is from management not those Junior workers!
The junior Staff are lackadaisical cos they were allowed. If their wrong doings are already affecting the public this way, then it would have been terrible in house and it has not been checked. Pack up oo before it extends to ur Engineers and it will be another story on pples lives.
Stupid airline dat can delay 4 africa!
ReplyDeleteMe fly Arik when I no dey miss road? Is it the their stealing tendencies? (Anon Arik staff so its only your airline that thieves board? something is definitely wrong somewhere don't you think? *msheww)
ReplyDeleteIs it their habit of delaying flights?(all the airlines do that BUT their own is legendary)
Is it their miserable meals? & poster please make their lives miserable until you get your I-Pad back
For all I kia, everythng about naija sucks, to thnk dat they steal in local flight is an understatement, they steal frm pple travelin frm US to naija, my uncle was a victim...I hate arik with passion, d funniest part is dat d mgt is not even doing anythng about it. I tire for dis mata ooo
ReplyDelete