Network Travels Ltd

Network Travels Limited was established in Calabar in 1984 as a Passenger General Sales Agency (GSA) for British Caledonian Airways. Calabar is the capital of Cross River State, which then included the present Akwa Ibom State. We were the first and only GSA for British Caledonian in Nigeria and continued in that same position when the airline was taken over by British Airways. We remained as a BA Travel Shop until 1998 when we became an IATA accredited agency, necessitated by the fourteen- month ban on BA operations to Nigeria by the Nigerian Government. The Managing Director is an Akwa Ibom ‘Nigerwife’ of British origin who has been resident in Nigeria for 28 years.

The company has now been operating in Calabar for seventeen years and our registered office is still there. However in 1992 we were invited by Mobil to open an office at Qua Iboe Terminal, Eket, in our home state of Akwa Ibom.. We have been operating a charter service for contractors, between Eket and Lagos, since 1997, in conjunction with Dornier Aviation (DANA). This service operates on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

International Ticketing

We have recently become one of only 10 agents nationwide to hold Virgin Atlantic ticket stock and are the only agent in the South East to do so We also hold ticket stocks for British Airways, KLM & Kenya Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Alitalia and South African Airways. We can provide tickets for other airlines within 48 hours.

We also have our own VSAT system enabling us to utilise a real time on-site reservation system,, enabling us to make our own reservations and ticket them without having to rely on telephone calls and visits to airline offices.

This may not seem so remarkable until one realises that few agencies in Nigeria are actually issued with tickets stocks by airlines and that mechanisation is still in its infancy here.

More restricted is the ability of agencies to deal with credit card sales in-house. Even most of the major Lagos agents have to take their credit card clients to airline offices where credit cards are verified and approved by airline staff. We had this facility as a British Airlines Travel Shop and we are proud of the fact that it was extended by most of the other airlines for which we hold stocks.

Our long established relationship with British Airways, as we acted as General Sales Agents for Cross River and Akwa Ibom States until July 1998, is still very strong and we have been appointed one of their “Gold” agents. During the last three years we have also developed firm relationships with all the other major airlines and know that they hold us in respect.

Our Service Ethic

We have always been an agency with a strong service ethic and our policy is to put passenger convenience above profit. We are confident that we are able to provide a service that is second to none in Nigeria: and prices that are competitive. IATA agents’ commission is paid by the airlines and we charge exactly the same fares as those obtainable direct from airline offices; there are no hidden extras.

We study itineraries and advise passengers on airlines and routes that are most convenient for them, giving a comparative breakdown of connections and prices, where there are several options. Because of this strong service ethic we are proud that our first passengers remain our customers 17 years on. We are dedicated to putting you first and are sure that once you have tried us you will be dedicated to our service as we are to your custom.

We feel confident that we are offering a service that is attractive and that it does not lose in quality because it is not based in Lagos.