Passenger Recounts Rare Personal Call from Air Peace Staff at Kano Airport While Running Late for Flight

Air traveller, Ms Julie Ibekwe, has recounted an unusual and memorable experience at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport via her Facebook page, describing what she believes may be one of the most unexpected customer service gestures she has ever encountered in Nigeria—or anywhere else in the world.
Speaking about the incident, Ms Ibekwe narrated how she was already running late for her scheduled departure, estimating she was about 11 minutes away from the airport when her personal phone rang. On the line, she said, was a staff member of Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s leading commercial airlines.
According to her account, the caller’s first question was direct and unusual in tone: “Where are you?”
Still en route, she responded that she was on her way but running slightly behind schedule. What followed, she said, left her genuinely surprised.
Instead of a warning that she had missed boarding or risked being denied entry, the response from the airline staff was calm and unexpectedly accommodating: “Take your time. We are waiting for you.”
For Ms Ibekwe, the moment stood out not just for its convenience, but for its rarity.
“In all my years of flying—both locally and internationally—I have never experienced anything like this,” she said. “Nobody has ever called my personal phone to check on me like that, let alone tell me they are waiting.”
She described the gesture as “the first of its kind” in her travel experience, noting that even in private aviation or international commercial flights, strict adherence to boarding schedules is the norm, often leaving little or no room for personalised communication with late passengers.
The traveller reflected that the experience highlighted a distinct dimension of customer engagement within Nigeria’s domestic travel environment, where operational flexibility and human connection can sometimes intersect in unexpected ways.
“Sometimes, you have to step outside your Lagos or Abuja mindset. When you travel across different parts of the country, you begin to see that things are done differently,” she said. “It may not always follow global norms, but it shows a level of human understanding you don’t easily find elsewhere.”
While aviation standards globally prioritise punctuality, Ms Ibekwe’s experience raises interesting questions about the balance between operational discipline and personalised customer service in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
Her encounter, though brief, has sparked reflection on how airlines manage passenger relations in real time—particularly in moments where timing conflicts with human circumstances.
For Ms Ibekwe, however, the memory remains simple but striking: a missed boarding window that turned into an unexpected phone call—and a rare assurance that someone was still waiting for her arrival.
Ms Julie Ibekwe shares her unusual experience at Kano airport after receiving a personal phone call from Air Peace staff telling her to take her time as they waited for her delayed arrival, describing it as a first-of-its-kind experience in her travel history.