Lagos

[TXGold]

Need2fly,
thanks for the info. i found out the Lagos ATL on SAA is no longer in service. We ended up using TAP out of Lisbon. Hope I can avoid Nigeria all together because of my "lack of experience."
TXGold

 

[Best Seat]

The South African airways flight was only a tech stop for fuel out of Jburgh going to ATL. SA would stop in Cape Verde for fuel, no one was allowed off the airplane and others weren't allowed to board. But, security was always sure to bring the dogs onboard to search the aircraft while fueling. You have to go Lisbon, then on to the states. Spent time in Cape Verde for a crew swap, wasn't rested when the jet got there, not as bad as what I am reading about Lagos, but definitely not comfortable. Look into the history of Cape Verde and what its financial support historically has been. I have a friend who has been every where in his career flying Gulfstreams. Asked him where the worse place he has ever been for work, with out flenching Lagos came out and claimed it was "hell on earth" and refuses to go there ever again. Check to make sure your insurance coverage will cover Lagos, worldwide does not mean everywhere, ie there are about 10 specific places it does not cover and I believe Lagos is one of those.

 

[BORAT]

Check with SAA, when I flew on them from ATL to JNB I remember some people getting off in Cape Verde, but I'm not sure if anyone got on the jet there.

I'd avoid Lagos if I could... A repo to Dakar or Cape Verde is probably a good idea. I guess the CO guys can look forward to this layover pretty soon!

 

[JohnnyP]

....

I fly with a bunch of South Africans who have done lots of contract work in Africa, and said out of all the places, Lagos was one of the worst and theyd never go back, too corrupt, etc.

BTW, i think DAL is starting ATL-JNB sometime soon, with an overnight stop in Dakar. And if im not mistaken, I think ATL-DXB is coming sometime next year. Anyone have any specifics on those trips?

 

[30West]

Lagos sucks. I'm sitting here at home sick right now from two weeks worth of flying in and out of there. Breathed in enough smoke from the trash fires down thereI could have smoked three packs of unfiltered dog ******************** and it would have been better for me.
The Sheraton is the best place to stay. It is about 20 minutes. The food and ber is good, but expensive. The water is okay to shower and wash, but don't brush your teeth or drink it. The Eko Beach resort is nice too but is a harrowing, treacherous 2 hour drive through some of the worst sections of the city you will find.
Everything there is crooked. We are handled by DHL there so we don't see alot of the problems a private operator would encounter.
Tell your boss to fly First Class on any of the European carriers that go there instead of risking his own jet.

Lagos is where airplanes go to die.

 

[PARAMOUNT]

Stay far far away from Lagos!!!!!
But if you have to go the Sheraton is the on place, but the food is extremely expensive, so is the beer. DON'T LEAVE the hotel!!!!
Basically aviod the place if you can, trust me I've been there and experience all the political BS first hand.

 

[JohnnyP]

Lagos is where airplanes go to die.

I thought that was the Dem. Repub. of the Congo, where airplanes go to crash and die?

Good luck to african aviation.

 

[AKAAB]

Travel in large groups when you can. If you are by yourself or only a crew of two, then don't leave the motel after dark. During the day, go to the Lagos Yacht Club www.lagosyachtclub.org.uk/ for a nice place to sit and sip Gin and Tonics. As I recall, the food was acceptable. It's a bit of a drive from the airport area, but worth it to be in the expatriate community. The safest place to be is Victoria Island.

If you get stopped by the local police looking for bribes don't panic and just stay in the car and let your driver deal with them. If they come to your window, stare them down with a pissed look and they'll assume you've been in town awhile and will leave you alone. Nigerians like to say no a lot. Be persistent and don't ever give in - no matter what and they'll eventually smile and agree with you.

Dash - that's what they call the small bribes that get you through the day. Don't over-dash or they'll start taking you to the cleaners, but a little Naira here and there makes life tolerable. I have about 6000 Naira if you want it...

Coco's Bar - careful, Pilgrim. It's outdoors on the river and the local beer is pretty cheap, but the moment you sit down you will be surrounded by at least 10 Nigerian girls looking for a boyfriend. They are not shy and will steal your lighter or try to get you to buy them cigarettes instead of a drink (to resell). Best to stay away unless you want to go on a safari of a different kind. Pretty sad state of affairs...

 

[AKAAB]

Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention that a Nigerian claimed some sort of copyright infringement on the person running the operation I was contracting with and had our plane seized. We had to sit in High Court (they wear powdered wigs and all) to fight the impounding, but eventually had to file an appeal to get our plane released back to us. It took a "private meeting" between Tunji Braithwaite (formerly ran for president of Nigeria) and the judge to get us cleared.

Also, forget what you read in your Jepps about entry requirements. They will take your passport if you aren't careful. When you get it back your visa won't be what they promised and you will essentially be illegal to be in their country. A day or two later an Immigration "official" will show up to check your paperwork. It cost a buddy of mine a 60,000 Naira bribe to get out of jail.

Gotta love Nigeria! No 419!

PS - You might want to check out pprune.org for better intelligence on Nigeria, but report back to us!