Management of Air Peace has debunked the allegation of charging high air fare tickets to extort its passengers on the South East routes of its network
The management of the airline, in a statement on Monday said its present fares across its routes is based on global best practices among airlines.
It added that Air Peace, as an airline that fosters and promotes peace and unity amongst different ethnic groups in Nigeria, is compelled to address the misrepresentation of facts and wrong accusations about its business model making the rounds on social media.
The airline, therefore called on its teeming population of customers especially those on its Eastern route network, to disregard the intention of mischieve makers who are whipping up ethnic sentiments against Air Peace and the Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, by insinuating that the airline has continued to favour Northerners at the expense of the Easterners in its ticket pricing.
“Lately, we have observed several posts on social media in which the authors are purporting that Air Peace is extorting Easterners with ‘high ticket fares’.
“Their intention is to whip up ethnic sentiments against Air Peace and the Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, by insinuating that the airline has continued to favour Northerners at the expense of the Easterners in its ticket pricing.
“We have also observed baseless comparisons of our fares with those of other airlines without taking into cognisance how airline fare system works and the interplay of market factors that determine pricing at any given time. We also noticed that some of these comparisons are flawed: Juxtaposing a Business Class fare for an Eastern route with an Economy Class fare for a Northern route, and giving the impression that both are Economy Class fares. It is common knowledge that Business Class ticket fares are higher than Economy Class fares yet these authors are spreading all these allegations in bad faith,” the statement said.
Attempting to enlighten those going about with the mischievous reports, Air Peace explained that prices of aur tickets are generated through an automation process.
“The airline fare system is automated and configured in a unique way:
As an aircraft seat gets fuller, the higher fares automatically get displayed. This is not just applicable to domestic airline fare system but even the international airline fare system follows the same principle.,” The statement explained.
The statement therefore affirmed, “the Eastern routes’ increased demand for flight tickets/high passenger traffic this season automatically impact the way the aircraft seats get sold. The seats get sold out faster than some routes with less traffic. Therefore, the airline booking engine reservation system displays the higher fares faster even though eventually, the higher fares will get displayed on the less traffic routes as the seats get fuller, too.”
Air Peace which parades lower fares on the same routes with its counterparts wonders why it is being wrongly accused of extorting Easterner passengers when it is evident that it is not the most expensive airline flying to the East this season.
