Stranded Fly Jamaica passengers have left

Fly Jamaica representatives have confirmed that passengers who had been stranded in Guyana since Friday departed the country on Sunday evening.

When finally contacted after multiple attempts, a representative of the airline at its Ogle office confirmed that the passengers had left on Sunday evening, but was unable to say at what time the flight had left the country.

The person who refused to identify himself said that all flights are now on schedule but also refused to share how many persons had been forced to remain in Guyana.

Earlier, a staffer from the reservations department had told Stabroek News that the stranded passengers were scheduled to leave the country yesterday afternoon.

However, a check with an official at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) revealed that a Fly Jamaica flight had departed the airport on Sunday, sometime around midnight. The official believes that the stranded passengers were indeed on that flight.

Friday’s delay is another in a series that has hit the airline this summer. Passengers and travel agents over the weeks have complained of the airline’s tardiness. The airline has two planes and it is unclear what problems it is having that are responsible for its setbacks.

It was expected that with the emergence of three new carriers that there would be aggressive competition and airfares would in turn drop. While fares have indeed been significantly reduced, the newcomers are apparently struggling for consistent service.

The recently operational Dynamic Airlines had to suspend flights from July 17 to August 18 as it seeks to iron out administrative issues and secure a gate slot at the John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York.