With Fly Jamaica’s operations being severely affected by the recent crash landing, which has left the company with only one operating aircraft, management has made provisions to lease planes to continue serving their passengers, a source says.
These preparations, Stabroek News was told, are meant to cushion the load of the demanding Christmas season, and come at a time when passengers have been heavily criticizing the airline’s operations.
Following the November 9 crash landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Timehri, which has now left the Kingston, Jamaica airline with only one operating aircraft, many persons have publicly complained on the airline’s Facebook page about cancelled flights and the lack of information being provided to them by the company.
The comments range from complaints on the lack of information regarding flight availability and cancellations, to the 6-8 week waiting time for refunds.
Mohendranauth Ganesh, who penned a letter in Saturday’s edition of this newspaper, stated that the current pattern of cancelled flights leaves him unsure about whether he will still be able to use the airline ticket he purchased for a trip later this month.
“I wanted to bring to your attention a situation that has arisen with Fly Jamaica after the recent crash landing in Guyana. The airline company operated flights out of Toronto to Guyana using only a single aircraft which was involved in the incident. Since then, the company has cancelled flights to Guyana and has stopped selling tickets,” Ganesh wrote.
“I had purchased a ticket before the incident to travel to Guyana on December 21 and return to Toronto in January. I contacted Fly Jamaica to find out if my flight will be cancelled and if I can get a refund. They claimed that the flight will not be cancelled and therefore I will not be getting a refund. Since they only have the one aircraft, it is doubtful that they can resume flights from Toronto any time soon. My problem is that I still want to take the trip, which I have scheduled vacation time for from my job for, but I cannot make any other arrangements at this time because Fly Jamaica cannot guarantee they will have another aircraft operational before December 21st. There are other options to travel to Guyana for me to visit my family, but I can’t purchase another ticket because my funds are tied up for a flight that I paid for which may or may not be cancelled,” he added.
However, an official from the airline who spoke with Stabroek News, confirmed that though cancellations have been made, the airline has been working with other carriers to accommodate passengers.
Additionally, it was related that arrangements have been made to lease aircraft to cushion the demand during peak season, and though those aircraft had initially been booked for mid-December, Fly Jamaica has been trying to bring the bookings forward to earlier in the month. This, however, is said to be a difficult task, since the other carriers would have already been booked out for this period.
In response to the letter, though, it was explained that the airline does not normally contact a passenger unless there is a cancellation.
Notwithstanding, the representative noted that persons who are desirous of having their monies refunded to them, can do so. They then thanked customers for their patience and understanding.
Commenting on the availability of flights for those who had been involved in the accident, this newspaper was told that all except for two passengers have been able to make it to their destinations either via Fly Jamaica or other carriers.
As it relates to the two that remain, it was explained that one is scheduled to fly tomorrow, while the other has requested that her reservation be held until she is ready to travel.
