Dear Editor,
This is in reference to your EZ Jet news item (SN Mar 10) on the press conference called to respond to several unfair, unsubstantiated commentaries (attacks) in another newspaper in recent days on the air charter’s owner Mr. Sonny Ramdeo. I have no affiliation with (or know) Ramdeo or EZ Jet company. But I am fully supportive of the charter service which the country badly needs given the limited travel links with our country with the outside world. The Guyanese community I have spoken with in New York, travel agents in particular, are greatly appreciative of the EZ Jet service. Seats have been limited from North America given that only two carriers have plied the route for years. EZ Jet increased the seat loads and also offered lower fares than the other two airlines. The competition subsequently led to lower than usual fares from the two other airlines. So passengers benefited from the service.
I was at the press conference in New York in early December when Ramdeo announced the launching of the EZ Jet charter service to Guyana from JFK. Ramdeo expressed optimism that the service could be transformed into a regular scheduled air service and that he was in for the long haul and hopes to expand to Miami, Trinidad and Toronto. He was cheered although those present expressed concerns about sustainability of operations given the brief tenure of air service to Guyana by some fly by night operators.
Ramdeo informed travel agents as well as the media that he was the owner of the service and that he was investing his own personal money to finance the operation. He appealed for support to make the airline a success informing listeners that everyone had a stake in the service as it would help to transform our nation. He also announced that the aircraft owners had committed themselves to Guyana for the long run and that if the demand for the service was not there he would reduce flights. As I understand it, flights were reduced on off peak periods but reintroduced in the busy Feb period and again for Easter.
Ramdeo is investing his personal money into a business. The media should not make insinuations about the man’s finances unless there is evidence to substantiate them. There is nothing shoddy or shady about the man or his finances. Ramdeo has earned his money from hard work and he chooses how to spend it. If he wishes to “misspend” his money on helping Guyanese travelers rather than pay his mortgage, that is his business. But no one, least of all anyone from the media, should indulge in unfounded character assassination. Media people should know better to back up allegations with supporting evidence.
Guyana needs more airline service which is good for the country as travelers would benefit from cheaper fares and our tourism sector will be boosted.
EZ Jet has been a God send to Guyana. Its presence in the market has led to lower fares from New York. More Guyanese were able to visit Guyana from NY since EZ’s December launch pouring millions of dollars into the economy.
Since the airline began service, it has flown about 10K into Guyana. It is estimated that each person spent about US $2K, that is US$20M injected into the economy as a direct result of Ramdeo and EZ Jet. The government also benefited from taxes and landing fees as did tour operators and taxis, hotels, etc. The media also benefited from EZ Jet service through ads and readership by those who came down from abroad. It is therefore unfair and unwise for the media to engage in a scurrilous attack on EZ’s owner Sonny Ramdeo. We should instead be praising him for his investment risk from which we are beneficiaries.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
