LIAT told to learn from REDjet

(Barbados Nation) LIAT is doing no better than REDjet and should work some of the grounded low-cost carrier’s good points into its own model, says Minister of International Business George Hutson.

Noting that LIAT – which is owned by the governments of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Vincent and the Grenadines – had suffered substantial losses in the last two years, Hutson called on the airline to “look at some of the things REDjet was doing that were good”.

“LIAT should probably look at the experience of REDjet . . . for instance, there is a demand for special pricing, holiday and family specials and so on.

“There’s also a lot of excess capacity on the aircraft. LIAT’s load factor is about 60 per cent, while REDjet’s is less than 50 per cent on average.

“So LIAT needs to look at some of the things REDjet was doing . . . and adapt them into its model. LIAT also has variable pricing but doesn’t market it,” he told the DAILY NATION in an interview.