I ARRIVED in the country two days before Christmas Day and was shocked with what I saw at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). As a passenger on Travelspan, I could not enter the arrivals lounge because of the overcrowding. You see two Caribbean Airlines flights had arrived about 30 minutes before us.

So in the rain my husband and I had to wait on the walkway for a painfully long time before we were able to enter the lounge. As a Guyanese visiting after 10 years, I found this utterly distasteful.

Three and a half hours later, I vented my frustration to my relatives who informed me of the plan to expand the airport. While I dismissed what was said initially to catch up on family business, several days later I am penning my frustrations on paper.

For the life of me I can’t imagine why there is so much resistance to expanding the airport. I read that critics of the project supported the runway extension but not the construction of a new terminal building! It makes me wonder if these individuals have the interest of the country at heart.

I was nearly soaked when I left the aircraft – an uncomfortable experience that could have been avoided if there were boarding bridges; spent over an hour and a half in the immigration line [ a larger immigration area would be nice], and what felt like an entire day [1 ¾ hours] to uplift our luggage – more carousels please!

Ironically, those Members of Parliament who are leading the charge to block the airport expansion would not feel the squeeze, since they travel VIP style!   They do not have to endure what we ordinary people go through.

So it is my fervent hope that this letter sheds some light of our plight and that those stubborn politicians who have their heads buried in the sand to wise up and do the right thing.
2014 is fast approaching; we need to see major developments in this country I am proud to call my home.

ANGELA JOHNSON