It is commonplace to witness the rage of disgruntled customers at any local Nigerian airport expressing their disappointment for the cancellation or delays in their flight to their respective destinations. This unilateral act on the part of airlines, however justifiable in the circumstances comes with significant and sometimes dire levels of inconvenience to customers whose plans may suffer as a result. The far-reaching implications of this kind of development may affect the business and economic interests of customers, amongst other consequences.

In this light, one of the many laws regulating the Nigerian aviation sector provides an avenue for customers to obtain some form of redress by compensation in these situations. It is a fundamental principle of legality that where an act or course of conduct fails to meet the requirements prescribed by law, such that the non-compliance renders the act or course of conduct devoid of legal effect, no legal consequences flow from such acts or course of conduct. Thus, causing a scene as most customers are inclined to do when they are notified of a mishap with their flight arrangement is not the way to seek appropriate remedies from the airline service provider in question…