Some one hundred and fifteen passengers were seriously inconvenienced and forced to remain in Guyana yesterday, after a Caribbean Airlines flight was grounded owing to the malfunction of a computer on board the plane.
General Manager of Caribbean Airlines, South America, Carlton DeFour told Stabroek News that flight BW424 to JFK in New York with a stop in Trinidad was scheduled to leave the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri at 12:30 pm yesterday, but had to be cancelled when problems developed with a computer on the plane.
He said that the plane was in take off mode and was taxiing down the runway when the problem developed. There was an attempt to fix the problem and another try at take off, he said. However, it was realized that the problem could not be fixed in a short period of time and in the interest of safety the flight was cancelled.
DeFour explained that the parts and technicians would have been flown in on the airline’s last flight around 10:30 last night and repairs instituted.
He said that the flight should be on around 3 or 4 pm today.
Admitting that there would have been disgruntled passengers at the delay, DeFour said the airline moved to minimize such; passengers were put up at hotels and transportation provided to and from the airport.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has also learnt that last Saturday another Caribbean Airlines flight was delayed for more than two hours after a computer glitch at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport slowed check-in to less than a crawl.
Audrey Bacchus, a passenger scheduled to leave on BW424 to JFK, New York with one stop in Trinidad, told Stabroek News that there were two Caribbean Airlines flights – the second one was going to Toronto — and a large number of people checking in when the computers at the check-in counter went blank. Bacchus said that after some time an airline official informed passengers that there was a problem with the computers and asked them to be patient.
Bacchus, a pensioner, said that after the computers came on again, they spewed out undecipherable boarding passes and baggage tags for a while before finally printing the correct information.
The passenger said when she enquired, the check-in clerk told her that it was the inclement weather at Timehri that had affected the computers. There was heavy rainfall and flooding on Saturday. Despite being frustrated at the delay, however, Bacchus commended the Caribbean Airlines staff on duty that day for operating professionally and courteously under what were clearly difficult conditions.
Disgruntled????? I rather be alive than dead…the pilots did the right thing by grounding the flight…who know what could have happen…….i dont wanna be sending a comment when bradappp …… a plane fall om my house……..hahahahahahah
First of all, I applause both the news reporter, and Mr. Bacchus. The News Report for using the interview of someone who had a positive comment to make. And Mr. Bacchus, for having a wise outlook on the situation. No smart comment was said, and no putting down of Guyana or Customs for what took place. Thank You, Both!
Well thats true, but what are the chances of a plane dropping on your house, not if you dont live close to the airport; SandHurst you’re a hot mess.
Keep the good laugh going through this seriousness king for without it we will
consume into ashes.
Your sense of humor reminds me of Capt Davidson. For he was a serious one that
knew how to laugh and make small talk.
I remember coming to Gt to bury my dad only to have the plane return to ground
after 5 mins in the air. That was scary so I drank myself into oblivion at 10am.
Missed all connections but am alive to laugh again.
“Keep it “LIT”
Well the main thing here is safety,never mind the delay,this airline is really struggling,but there are many others in the same situation,they are trying their best to stay in business,I wish them all the best!!!
A delay like that is understandable….safety comes first. The airlines did the right thing with the hotel etc…but some of them would make you wait for long periods without explaining what the situation is.
Hope Caribbean continues flying to Guyana as only Delta and TravelSpan are making the flights from NY. I am not sure about Delta but TravelSpan is very unreliable in my experience with them. Can someone explain why TS gets so many bad reviews and what are they doing to improve the service? I do miss North American.
Better late than never, the passengers would definately be annoyed, but safety is always a priority..
its better to be safe than sorry.. that pilot could have took a risk and flew those ppl but he had to be brave knowing ppl would be angry at him and delay the flight. what ppl need to think about was what if…..
guyanese will continue to be inconvienced from this airline, we depend too much on carribean airlines to take us in and out of guyana, and come to think of it at least in the burnham and the hoyte era’s we had guyana airways to call our own, we are being laugh at for not owning our own airlines, it’s time this govt start realising that guyanese are suffering from this constant inconvience which was going on for years.
TIGER.
I MUST AGREE WITH YOU ON DELAYS ECT.
BUT THINK OF IT THIS WAY GUYANA AIRWAYS TRIED LIKE SO MANY MORE,
BUT THROUGH THICK AND THIN BAD /POOR SERVICE AND ALL BWIA / CARIBBEAN AIRLINES STAYED THE FULL 9 YARDS
SOME CAME IN AT THE PEAK PERIODS MADE MONEY AND THEN LEFT,
BWEE IS THE ONLY AIRLINE THAT IS ALLWAYS THERE FOR US.
MYSELF AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL STAY WITH BWEE.
SO COME THICK OR THIN BWEE IS FOR ME.
tiger,we cannot have an airline now too much BAD BUSINESS,if we had one would you fly with it? I would’nt take that risk…I am a law abiding citizen,and I want to keep it that way!!!
Chronic mismanagement prevails throughout the Caribbean. GT sold their airways, Jamaica about to sell theirs
Ethiopia on the other hand, poverty and all have a first class airlines from the days of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I to the present.
Makes one wonder about this mismanagement and whom it benefits.
“Keep it LIT”
An inconvenience but safety must be paramount. This is the best airline flying to Guyana now and for as long as I can remember. The staff have always been very professional when I am checking in an the flight attendants are superb.
My only problem with this airline is why no direct flight to Guyana? Having to spend that hour on the plane in Trinidad coming to and leaving from Guyana could be avoided, even worst that they try to clean the plane with Guyanese still sitting onboard. Maybe the Guyana government can do something about that.
Lovely airline though, please keep on serving the Guyanese travellers.
the guyana gov’t need to give them clairance to fly direct to guyana, they tried already but the gov’t refused to give permission
That is a direct flight, sir, as opposed to a non-stop flight, which is self explanatory.
Here we go again blaming the government for something that the private sector is best suited for. Anyone with enough friends with money could step up and get an airline going, and could name it Guyana Airways or Guyana Something/whatever.
Tiger, get some of your friends together and start up your own airline and call it GUYANA TIGERS or something along those lines. And when you get rich don’t forget who gave you the idea. (LOL).
My whole point is that, even with a better government in place, they could not be expected to be everything for everyone at all times. And remember, there are many people who still think that Burhham and/or Hoyt did nothing good for Guyana…….at any rate, they cannot come back…let’s focus on how best to use what we presently have and how can we improve on it for the future.
ok richard will try to remember the nod.
Caribbean Airlines authorities treat the Guyanese travelling public with visible prejudices. It is time now that the Guyana Government make plans to acquire its own Carrier. The hassle and fatigue it takes out of a passenger to reach Guyana from Toronto or New York does not worth a journey to Guyana if there is no good reason to go. I have had a personal embarassing search done to me at the Piarco Airport having had to go through security again before boarding that Flight to Toronto. It is over three years now and I have not gone back to Guyana and I have vowed not via Trinidad.
ITS WORST NOW THAN THEN…SECURITY CHECKS ARE A MUST AND THEY ARE EXECUTING IT WITH GREAT PRECAUTIONS BECAUSE PEOPLE LIVING OVERSEAS BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN OUT SMART THE SECURITY SYSTEMS IN THE CARIBBEAN….IF THEY ARE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT YOU………WELL …THEY CAN MAKE THINGS REALLY DIFFICULT…………..ALL BECAUSE OF THE TERRORIST INVASION OF THE UNIVERSE………………DON’T BLAME THEM …LET THEM DO THEIR JOB.
Not that I am contradicting you Zapata, put the few times I have flown with Caribbean Airlines, I have had excellent service and was really impressed with the professionalism of the flight attendants The fatigues with all of the security checks are evident at all airport since Sep 11, 2001. It is a major pain to travel in and out of JFK . It is even worst flying out of Germany or the UK. I am a firm beliver that when it comes to flying – they can take all the time they want to fix the problem because if they do not, folks will become “ashes to ashes” and being remembered as “being a good person”
zapata.
i go home every year i tried zoom and guess what i travelled on zoom 3 times that was the first the last and never again.
lucky me look at zoom now.
i am now a member of bwee frequent flyer programe and it is great.
some of my friends loined up too.
zapata you can try BWIA ON GOOGLE and enjoy too.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. SAFETY COMES FIRST. GUYANESE WILL HAVE TO LEARN & ACCEPT THOSE SIMPLE RULES.