Fly Jamaica Airways has committed to process refunds for its customers by July 1st, the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission’s (CCAC) announced yesterday.
The pledge follows a meeting that was held on Thursday at the CCAC Office at Sophia, between CCAC and Fly Jamaica representatives on refunds to consumers following last November’s crash landing of a company plane that resulted in the cancellation of its flights.
On November 9th, 2018, six people were injured when the airline’s Toronto-bound Boeing 757-200, with 118 passengers and eight crew members aboard, made an emergency landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The crash put further strain on the company as its other aircraft was reportedly undergoing unscheduled maintenance and resulted in numerous flights being delayed before eventually being cancelled.
A CCAC press release issued yesterday said complaints filed by consumers requesting refunds from Fly Jamaica and the company’s repayment were discussed at the meeting and it noted that the CCAC has been in receipt of 46 complaints with an estimated value of $8,316,504.
The release added that as a result of the discussion, Fly Jamaica has committed to working with the CCAC to process refunds for consumers by July 1st and reported Fly Jamaica Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul Reece as saying that he regretted the situation and looks forward to bringing closure to the matter. “Refunds to consumers is at the top of the company’s agenda,” he was quoted as saying.
In addition to Reece, Fly Jamaica’s Operations Manager Carl Bowen represented the company at the meeting, while the CCAC was represented by Director Dawn Cush, the Consumer Affairs Officer Feyona Austin-Paul and Senior Investigator David Kaladin of the Consumer Affairs Unit.
The CCAC said it remained committed to ensuring the consumers are kept abreast of the developments as it relates to their refunds. Consumers requiring further information can contact the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission on 219-4410-13.
The Kingston, Jamaica-based airline was also slapped with two class action lawsuits for injuries and losses sustained in the crash landing on behalf of passengers in Canada. It has since laid off its staff. An 86-year-old passenger reportedly died one week after as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
