"OKADA" VRS MY LEGS

 

In Accra, when you think of markets, there are a couple of well known and placed markets in the capital. Kaneshie, Agbogloshie, ,Mallam Atta and Makola markets are but a few of the most patronized. Activities in these places could start as early as 4am as lorries and truck loads of food stuffs are brought in from across the country to these places with people trooping in and out usually with the famous “trotro” to purchase various items either for use at home or to be retailed. 

This occurrence is no different from what you will witness in Ashaiman Market. Located on the eastern side of the capital bordering Tema to the south, Afienya to the east and Santeo to the west is home to some three hundred thousand people. The flow of activities in and around the market makes the town active all day and most part of the night. Unlike the markets mentioned above, traders at the Ashaiman market cart their goods from mainly the Eastern and Volta regions. From smoked fish to a variety of vegetables. Going Shopping in this market could leave you with a headache. It is therefore advisable to park your car at the designated on street parking lot to avoid pedestrian, go-chart pushers and the hawkers from criss crossing you causing heavy traffic.

It is advisable you walk as alternatives such as taxis and commercial buses are a waste of time staying in traffic. Many opt for the use of commercial motorbikes popularly known as “okada” which are fast yet inconvenient and unsafe when carrying load. But for how they are operated, "okada" could have been a viable alternative means of transport. They simply do not need to any road regulation putting both rider and passenger in grave danger. 

New Year Message - Aviabird

 

We cannot rule out the depth of despair the year 2020 brought on us. In this gloom were good moments. As a thriving tourism informant, we count our gains because you made it possible with your support as fans and followers.

This year, Aviabird has  renewed its  commitment to serving you nothing short of the best of travel advisory and experience.

May this year bring each of us joy, hope and fulfilment. 

Sincerely,

Aviabird team.

 

AVIABIRDs' "MUST SEE" PLACES IN ACCRA

ITTI: THE HEART OF TRAVEL & TOURISM TRAINING.

Gradually, things are normalizing in parts of the world including Ghana. Many countries are hopefully easing out of the pandemic. Tourism as we know it provides huge opportunities in wealth creation through direct and indirect job creation. Harnessing these opportunities hinges primarily on training.

 

One such place for quality training in tourism is the INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL and TOURISM INSTITUTE (ITTI) in Accra Ghana.

 

 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AIR TICKETS- EPISODE 5

 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AIR TICKETS- Services you enjoy buying an air ticket.

 

An air ticket does not only guarantee access to a seat in the aircraft but comes with some other entitlements as well. This is largely dependent on the type of ticket you purchase. The class of ticket determines the benefits you enjoy.

 

ECONOMY CLASS:

You are mostly entitled to some meals be it hot or cold for long haul flights, snacks for short haul flights and drinks throughout the flight. All passengers get to enjoy some in-flight entertainment as well ranging from movies, music, games, etc. that will keep the traveller engaged. However, you may have to pay for a seat with extra legroom, or even pay for an economy comfort seat. Unfortunately, economy class passengers are not entitled to the lounges, unless they will make use of the pay to use lounges at the airport. Your carry-on bag come at no cost but the weight is determined by the airline.

 

BUSINESS CLASS:

Business class passengers tend to get a step-up treatment compared to Economy class passengers. Even their seat is luxuriously comfortable giving them much more legroom space at no cost. They get to enjoy all that the economy traveller enjoys with a somewhat higher standard. Of course, it all included in what they pay as their ticket fare. In addition, Business class travellers are entitled to a business class lounge at no fee and some airlines offer free Wi-Fi to enable them work or surf the internet. They get to enjoy more baggage allowance and carry-on luggage.

 

FIRST CLASS:

The customized Cabin for first class travellers make everyone want to travel in first class except for the cost, only a few are able to afford. Right from your home to your destination, the airlines give you a kingly/queenly treatment. Enjoying the benefits in Business class plus extra services, such as spa treatment, chauffeur drive, personalized services as per the request of the traveller. In first class, you determine what treatment you get by making the requests.

 

Generally, for all the classes mentioned, there are other services available upon request. You may need an infant seat (basinet), extra seat, duty free shopping, wheelchair, ambulift, etc. So when next you purchase your tickets, ensure you are well informed on what you get to benefit on board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AIR TICKETS- EPISODE 4

 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AIR TICKETS- EPISODE 4

 

In as much we wish to travel as per our travel plans, it is not always in our power to determine whether we will actually travel or not and these are due to unforeseen circumstances. Even with foreseen circumstances, we are only able to do little or nothing about it.

 

From not showing up at the airport, changing your travel dates, providing inaccurate information to actually cancelling your flight, the airline penalizes the traveler. The question the travelers always ask is “why will I be charged a penalty, when I already have a ticket?” Well, the information below should answer your question.

NO SHOW

A “no-show” is when a passenger does not show up to check-in and travel as per the flight schedule. One key thing to note is the perishable nature of an airlines operation. When a traveler does not show up on the said travel date, the flight takes off with that seat empty. The seat is lost forever.

The airline charges a penalty as certain costs are incurred even if the traveler does not travel. Sometimes informing the airline or your travel agent prior to departure flight saves you from paying any associated penalties on no show.

CHANGING DATE

Changing your date simply means rescheduling your date to travel at a later or earlier date other than your original travel date. The twist with changing your date is that, you are requesting for another seat that could be sold at the original price. It is only fair that they charge a penalty for confirming a new seat on the date you are requesting otherwise they will lose out on the original seat you purchased earlier.

PROVIDING INACCURATE INFORMATION

On the day of departure, at least one passenger on a flight may have provided an information that is inaccurate. This normally happens when a ticket is purchased on behalf of someone. It could be incorrect spelling of name, incorrect passenger type (child, infant, etc.), or an information that can lead to the passenger being denied boarding. Such errors can be time wasting, and the extra cost for the airlines as they will be charged by the GDS providers. It only makes sense for them to transfer such costs to the traveler as it is no fault of the airline.

 CANCELLATION

Cancelling a ticket means two things – either you will no longer travel or you will travel at a later date. Whatever be the reason, the seat becomes vacant and it is highly possibly to fly empty. This is a huge loss for the airlines. To compensate for the loss, the airlines will charge a penalty to at least break even on that vacant seat. Sometimes you may end up losing all the money as the ticket may not be refundable.  However, if you should do this in advance as per the airlines’ policy, the penalties will not be that great.

So when next you think of any voluntary changes, no show, cancellation or inaccurate information, know that the airlines suffers and its only appropriate to transfer such costs to the traveler as it is no fault of the airline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLIGHT TICKETS- EPISODE 3

Once the visa has been acquired, the next most important thing is to secure a seat on an airline carrier. Whether or not to go to a specific airline or an agent becomes a tussle sometimes. In today’s episode of “all you need to know about airline tickets”, we explore what it takes and means to employ the services of either of the two: Airline office or An agent.

 

AVAILABILITY

On most weekends and public holidays, the airline city ticketing office (CTO) might be closed for business. However, based on availability of flight, their airport ticketing office (ATO) is opened for business for that day.The agent on the other hand provides a twenty-four hour, seven days a week service. This means that, at any point in time of your travelling life, an agent could work out a ticket for you when they are called.  

 SERVICE CHARGES

Buying a ticket from an airline company does not come with any extra cost as the operational and over head cost are already part of the ticket in the cost. This does not entirely make the the ticket any less cheaper.

The agent takes a service charge primarily because they have fixed and operational cost to settle; salaries and some over head cost. This helps in their business growth.

 OPTIONS

When you enter an airline company office, you have no choice but to buy from them. Supposing you go to Airline A or B, your ticket will surely be from them.

The agent gives you more options. They will basically show you all the flights and their respective routes. The purchasing power now lies on you the client as you might be spoilt for choice.

 CREDIT FACILITY

Traveling could be fun when you don’t have any cost to settle. There are however emergencies. In such cases, you might not exactly get a credit facilities from the airline company, except in rare cases where they give credit to some corporate institutions.

In conclusion, the agent is an extension of the airline office. Services are generally the same except for in most cases when the above are being considered. The final decision to purchase from either of the two lies solely in the hands of the traveler.  

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLIGHT TICKETS- EPISODE 2

FEATURES OF A FLIGHT TICKET

 

One may be happy to have purchased a flight ticket, but how would you know you have been given your money’s worth? In this episode, we share with you some unique features to be looked out for as any genuine ticket would have them conspicuously displayed for your perusal.

Beyond a name and date, a flight ticket would usually have the following which most passengers do not necessarily pay attention to.

 

Conditions of carriage (Rules)

This rule spells out what items the passenger can either or not bring along the trip.

Eg. Sharp objects, certain foods, alcohol, lotions(soaps, body cream). Ignoring this particular rule will have your priced items seized by customs.

 

Baggage allowance

A flight ticket would also tell you how much baggage you are allowed to carry unto the flight. Exceeding it will result in extra chargs and sin some cases, shedding off some weight to meet the required standards.

 

Check-in-time

Quite a number of passengers fault in this area as they miss the check in time. It is usually written by the agent or flight office personnel and in most cases two hours before the flight departs. Being on time for this is important as it prevents unnecessary delay which comes at a cost to the airline.

However, during this COVID era, it will be best to show up at the airport at least 3 or 4 hours before departure considering the long queues and and a few delays as a result.    

 

 

 

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FLIGHT TICKET: EPISODE 1

FLIGHT TICKET:  PIECE OF PAPER WORTH THOUSANDS

Photo Credit: Ethiopia Airlines

Often, for first timers, the desire to travel is fraught with one if not many challenges. The long queue at the embassy, putting the required documents together and what have you. Then the final day comes and then boooom! The flight is missed because 

certain detailed were missed by the passenger.  

 

To a layman, an airline ticket is an ordinary sheet of paper with printings of words, figures and codes with which a passenger is entitled a seat on a flight. Yes, it could look meaningless but worth hundreds of dollars or its equivalent in any local currency.

 

An airline ticket is said to be a coupon or document which allows its bearer access an air plane, entitling them to the basic niceties provided by the airline.  

 

There are basically three types of air tickets. Promotional tickets, economy and business class tickets and depending on the aircraft type, you would find a first class ticket. Possessing any of them spells out some details which when overlooked could cost some extra money and time to the bearer. So, when next you purchase a flight ticket, ensure you ask all the questions boggling your mind.