Dear Editor,
I was due to travel to Toronto on July 30, 2014, using Fly Jamaica Airline; the flight was to depart at 7.30 am. Having read in the newspapers that passengers using Fly Jamaica were facing delays, and some had to leave Toronto by Caribbean Airlines, I called the airline at 4pm on July 29, and was told that the plane had developed mechanical problems and they would call me at 6 pm to say when the flight would leave. At 6.05 pm they called to say that they would call me in the morning.
At 9 am on July 30, I called my travel agent and was told they were not aware of the situation but would check and call back. I got the call saying the flight would leave at 5pm, check-in time 2 pm, but would confirm this at 11 am. At 11 am they called and confirmed. At 11.30 am I left for the airport. At 11.50 am I was by Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice, when I got a call from Fly Jamaica telling me what the travel agent had already told me.
I checked in and went to the Departure Lounge at about 3.20 pm expecting to depart at 5 pm. From about 4 pm there were announcements on the PA system asking passengers on the flight to clear immigration and security for a 4.30 pm boarding. That was the good part; the bad was to come.
From 4.30 pm there was total silence from the airline officials; 5 pm, 6 pm and 7 pm came and went without any announcement. Passengers became restless and noisy. No airline personnel were available to tell us anything. Airport cleaners said that was the normal situation with Fly Jamaica. Some of us tried to go out to get something to eat but were told by security that we could not go since they would have to do security checks all over again and they were not prepared to do that.
At about 7.45 pm a few airline officials came and said that the plane had left Toronto but had to divert to Jamaica and would now arrive at 9.30 pm. One said it had to divert to Jamaica because of a mechanical problem, another said it was a medical emergency. Later we got sandwiches and coffee/tea.
At about 9.35 pm the plane came and departed at about 11.50 pm.
The pilot apologised, saying things were getting from bad to worse. We were later advised that the plane would be making a stop at Jamaica; a non-stop flight was now a stopover flight with a further two hours delay. A male flight attendant shared Jamaica immigration forms, and I told him that I was not going to Jamaica. However, he said we would have to clear immigration, and a few minutes later a female attendant came and said that we should fill out the bottom part (Departure Record). I told her that I had already filled the entire form, so she took it, tore it and crumpled the top part, and returned the bottom part.
I still have it. Total confusion.
One-and-a-half hours into the flight we were served ‘dinner’. The food was reasonably good, and we had a choice of fish or chicken.
A female passenger asked for a pillow and blanket but was told there were none. There was little leg room as the space between two seats was less than my finger span, and my finger span is eight inches; it seems as if additional seats were put in.
We arrived at Toronto at 7.30 am, exactly 24 hours after the scheduled departure time.
In Canada I was told that some travel agents were refusing to book persons on Fly Jamaica as their reputations were at stake.
While Guyanese welcome other airlines, Caribbean Airlines treats Guyanese with contempt. These airlines must uphold certain standards and not try to make as much money as possible by merging two flights into one, cramping passengers by cramming the aircraft, etc.
The Ministers of Communication and Tourism must screen airlines properly before allowing them to operate; they must sign binding commitments and the ministries must monitor them to ensure compliance.
I flew from Buffalo to New York with Jet Blue. The flight was on time and went well but the cargo handlers cut the lock on my suitcase and removed items; it was just a one hour flight. Our local cargo handlers can take a bow.
I came from New York with Travel Span. It went well, good leg room and with friendly attendants.
At Timehri, passengers had to wait for a long time before disembarking as it was raining heavily; we had to walk through a light shower to get to the terminal building. I hope the Airline Expansion Project could be expedited so that passengers would not have to be inconvenienced by the elements.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Akeel
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Fly Jamaica for any comment they might with to make.
