To discuss airfare structure, customer service
President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds met with officials from Caribbean Airlines at State House yesterday to discuss the airline’s airfare structure and its customer service.

President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds hold discussions on international airfares and customer service with officials from Caribbean Airlines at State House

At a post-Cabinet briefing late last month, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon had said that Cabinet was unhappy with the cost of international air travel from Guyana, and the Administration would be meeting with the airline carriers to express its concerns.

“It was pointed out at Cabinet that Caribbean Airlines would have grave difficulties in explaining how the cost of an airfare from Trinidad to JFK in New York could compare so unfavourably with the airfare from Georgetown to New York or even Georgetown to Trinidad,” Dr Luncheon stated.

The group of Caribbean Airlines officials at the meeting with the President yesterday included Philip Saunders, Chief Executive Officer, Professor Jean-Frédéric Mognetti, Strategic Adviser to the Board of Directors and the CEO; Robert Corbie, Commercial Vice President; Dayanand Birju, Director, Network and Revenue Management; and Carlton De Four, the Guyana General Manager.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Hinds explained that it went well, with the Caribbean Airlines officials explaining that they have a flexible price structure, with a range of prices from which customers can choose, depending on the services they require.

“They hope to get back to a situation where international flights to Guyana cost maybe only US$60 more than the same flight to Trinidad,” the Prime Minister stated.

This means that a flight from, for example, New York to Guyana would only cost US$60 more than a flight from New York to Trinidad.

Caribbean Airline CEO Saunders explained that his company is extremely committed to Guyana.

“We work very hard to provide, I think, an excellent service and very good value for money; and I think today’s meeting has helped us build further on that platform,” he said.

He also stated that the President and Prime Minister had raised the issue of the service provided Guyanese travelling on to New York and other destinations, at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad, and explained, “that’s something we’ll act on and (see) how we can continue to enhance our in-flight service”.