LIAT apologises over flights, baggage woes

(Barbados Nation) LIAT has apologized to customers travelling to and from Dominica and St. Vincent who have been experiencing an increase in cancelled flights and delayed baggage.

In a release today from the regional airline, it was stated: ”Over the past two weeks customers travelling to/from Dominica have faced an unusual number of cancellations, especially at nights; while customers travelling to/from St Vincent have experienced delays in receiving their baggage”.

Head of Corporate Communications at LIAT Desmond Brown said the cancellations were due to high seasonal winds at both airports. He explained that the Dominica airport currently has a tailwind limitation of 15 knots for night landings and aircraft are not permitted to land there beyond these limits.

“LIAT sincerely regrets the inconvenience that many of our customers have had to endure as a result of the strong seasonal winds but the decision to cancel flights is taken in the interest of the safety of our flight crews and our customers. For all of us at LIAT, the number one priority is to run a safe and reliable operation throughout our network,”   Brown said.

“While we will continue to do our best to provide our customers with a smooth travel experience, we must operate within the limitations set by the aircraft manufacturer and occasionally we will have no alternative but to cancel a night service due to the high winds.”

He also emphasized that the airline still provides a number of flights to and from Dominica during the day light hours which are normally not affected by tail winds.