St. Lucia: Before heading to the CHTA Marketplace, which took place last weekend on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Tourism Minister, Lorne Theophilus, paid a courtesy call to American Airlines (AA) senior executives Peter Dolara and Gary Alfson in Miami on Thursday; with hopes to renegotiate the deal made between the previous government and the airline, according to a St. Lucia Star report.
A few weeks ago, Theophilus told the Star, in an exclusive interview, that the deal made between AA and St Lucia had plunged the country into debt and added, “it cannot continue in its current form.”
Last year during heated election campaigns, the St Lucia Labour Party had accused the then Tourism Minister, Allen Chastanet, of signing a bad deal with American Airlines, however, according to a press release from the St Lucia Tourist Board, Theophilus expressed gratitude to the senior executives of AA, stating “American Airlines has undoubtedly contributed immensely to the record levels of arrivals we have seen from key gateways out of the US. My team and I eagerly look forward to building on that collaboration in 2012 and beyond,” adding that AA is a “valued partner”, the Star report said.
American Airlines filed for bankruptcy in December last year creating fear of possible increases in fares for consumers. While fliers wait to see how the bankruptcy case will affect AA’s schedules and fares, the incoming CEO of AMR said the airline would probably reduce its flight schedule “modestly” while restructuring in bankruptcy court.
The Star report said that the President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Josef Forstmayr, in addressing the opening of Caribbean Marketplace at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas said ticket prices are still too high and remain insufficient to sustain the industry. This statement comes after airlines from the US raised ticket prices nine times in 2011 to Caribbean destinations. Forstmayr further estimated in 2010 the Caribbean Governments “collectively paid US$45 million to secure airlift—only to find that our airlift is still inadequate and way too expensive for our visitors.”
Former president of the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, Anthony Bowen, says St Lucia should not worry too much if the carrier maintains its full flight occupancy. “One cannot imagine American Airlines not coming into St Lucia,” he said. “It is a legacy carrier with a huge gateway out of Miami and therefore it is in everybody’s interest that we try to get some sort of meeting with the present Tourist Board and the airline.”
Bowen applauded the Tourism Minister for taking the initiative to open talks with the carrier in an effort to build on the country’s relations with AA.
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