Lagos - experiences?

Mrs Narikin has family in Cotonou (COO), Benin which is only 100km from Lagos, so we're thinking of spending the Xmas hols there - doing a flight from NYC (home) to LHR > LOS (Lagos) and then having a driver collect us at LOS and escort us to COO, or... using Virgin Air Nigeria to make the hop.

I hear Lagos can be dangerous, and at the very least chaotic. The alternative is to forget VS and go Air France direct to COO, but sitting on 450,000 miles, I know what I'd rather do!

Any thoughts/ experiences/ advice to share?

No idea about Lagos I'm afraid but the journey works well from NYC because you catch the VS18 day flight from Newark, arrive LHR at 8pm, and depart to LOS at 10pm.

I would recommend flying to Cotonou from Lagos - anything that keeps you away from the roads/road blocks in Nigeria (even with a driver) will be better.

Ooh and if either of you are vegetarian then you will need to order a meal as there is a choice of three meat/fish dishes. There is no veggie choice loaded on the Nigeria flights due to being absolutely zero demand for them.

Chaotic is an understatement..either traffic grid locked, or the roads are moving which is a frightening enough experience together with that "edge" Nigeria oozes, we have some spectacular video shot as a passenger... mrs NH vowed not to go back and she was partly brought up in West Africa.

avoid travelling by car if possible, as Tinks states, I'd try and fly

Thanks for advice. Whats the story of booking Virgin Nigeria Airways (does it still exist?) with miles... impossible or simply not worth it!

I hear it goes Lagos to Cotonou

Thanks for advice. Whats the story of booking Virgin Nigeria Airways (does it still exist?) with miles... impossible or simply not worth it!

I hear it goes Lagos to Cotonou

Virgin Nigeria doesn't exist anymore - it is now called Air Nigeria.

Ok - as I suspected, thanks.

Am beginning to think we may have to simply book Air France from NYC to COO via Paris - in Economy its the same price as the taxes on VS UC after 320,000 miles. Save our miles for another day, and get directly into Cotonou.

I have Air France Flying Blue membership = VS Gold, so we'll get the lounges, but there's a bitter pill to swallow: 16 hours in Economy ?!
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