In light of the suspension of TravelSpan operations out of Guyana and the JFK International Airport, Wesley Tucker, Senior Marketing Officer of Fly Jamaica recently disclosed that his company was not contacted by their counterparts for assistance.
He said since the announcement of their suspension, Fly Jamaica knew that the options of passengers travelling to and from the United States are limited and they might be contacted at some point in time to transport the stranded passengers.
On this note, he highlighted that while the airline has not contacted them directly, passengers have started to do so. He is optimistic that after TravelSpan would have reimbursed their passengers, their alternative would either be Fly Jamaica or Caribbean Airlines (CAL); hence, they are gearing themselves for an influx of passengers.
Of recent, Fly Jamaica has also had several cancellations and delays, resulting in heavy criticisms. This, he noted has not dampened the spirit of the team that always has their customers at heart. Despite the negativity, Tucker said the airline will be expanding its routes in the coming months.
He hinted that they are presently looking to serve the Barbados, St Maarten and a few other markets of interest. This, he added would obviously mean that they will have to increase their flight complement.
As such, they have already acquired a Boeing 767 aircraft as part of their expansion plans. The 767 aircraft, he noted caters for 250 passengers when compared to the existing 757 which has a capacity for 199. He, however, confirmed that there will not be any increase in international flights.
On the other hand, CAL operated at a whopping US$70 million loss last year. Presently, CAL benefits from a US$40 million fuel subsidy which ends in 2015. They too have had several delays but due to their fleet of aircraft, the issues were quickly dealt with.
Over the past years, high fuel costs have crippled the aviation sector, forcing several airlines to pull out of the market. REDjet and EZJet were two airlines that offered low cost fares, but their operations fell through after a year in the skies.
Recently, Dynamic Airlines cancelled operations just after a few flights, saying approval from the JFK to land as the main reason. In the case with Travel Span which has re-entered the Guyanese market, its suspension comes after a fallout with Vision Airline from whom they least their aircrafts.
The company is however, hopeing to returning to business once it secures another company from which to rent an aircraft.
TravelSpan has noted its dissatisfaction with the services of Vision Airlines. It was reported that while TravelSpan staff, including flight attendants, and management have worked diligently to offer a much-needed solution for an alternative airline within the market, its rented planes have been plagued by mechanical issues, which resulted in unsatisfactory service on the flights.
The decision to let go of Vision Airline was due to the lack of consistent service, proven by the significant amount of cancelled and delayed flights that caused major inconvenience to TravelSpan’s clients and the continued losses to the airline. TravelSpan suspends operations on September 27 last.
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