Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:14 hours 7 min ago
THA official laments poor airbridge service
Published: 17 Aug 2009
Oswald Williams
A senior Tobago House of Assembly (THA) official believes that service on the airbridge between the islands is not being effectively utilised to promote domestic tourism. In fact, he is blaming Caribbean Airlines for the problem. Secretary of Tourism and Transportation with the THA, Oswald Williams, said the aircraft from Caribbean Airline’s Bombardier Dash 8 fleet were being taken away from airbridge during the peak season.
Speaking with the Guardian at his Sangster Hill office on Saturday, Williams said, “People are unable to receive bookings to come to Tobago on weekends, particularly holiday weekends and when there are events. “So we have that challenge and it appears to us that we have reached that point where there is need for additional seats, certainly on busy occasions and those seats are not forthcoming,” he said. “The present situation can be managed by Caribbean Airlines if all the equipment that they have that is supposed to be used on the airbridge, that is the Dash 8, is used on the airbridge it can more than manage the situation.”
Williams said another carrier on the airbridge would not be viable. He said Dash 8s were being used to schedule flights to Guyana, Suriname and Barbados. “This is taking away from Caribbean Airlines’ ability to increase the supply to the airbridge when it is required,” he said. Efforts to get a response from Caribbean Airlines yesterday proved futile. Williams said Virgin Airlines was not pulling out of Tobago. He said Virgin was planning to take Tobago off its Web site because it was not generating returns. Williams said the Web site was receiving a lot of hits on Caribbean destinations.
“In terms of converting those inquiries into bookings to come to Tobago, they were doing the worst among Caribbean destinations,” he said. He said Virgin Holidays, the company doing the advertising, pulled Tobago off the Web site because it had to pay for each inquiry. “It was costing them a lot to leave it on the Web site,” he said. Williams said it was too early to determine if the chopping of British couple Murium and Peter Greene had any significant impact on the flow of tourists to the island. “For the last two weeks or so, arrivals out of the United Kingdom have actually shown a bit of an increase,” he said.
William said there was now a stronger police and army presence in Tobago. He said Tobago had seen fantastic growth in local tourism. Williams said there were complaints from people using the inter-island ferry such as long lines at travel agencies selling ferry tickets. Passengers had also complained to the Guardian that the system to purchase same-day tickets only at the ports was time-consuming and suggested that the Port Authority of T&T institute an online booking system similar to Caribbean Airlines.
Ludicrous, ludicrous,
Ludicrous, ludicrous, ludicrous!
This is a ridiculously reckless and irresponsible blame game coming from this official.
It is time these officials start taking serious responsibility for their incompetences and either give up their underserved position or start showing us results and progress!
Blaming everybody else will not get us anywhere! Everyone reading this must remember that Tobago's tourism woes started long before today, before falling oil prices, before recession or Swine Flu, and certainly before this latest scapegoat of CAL not providing enough seats!
The THA, TDC and it's tourism officials are only using the current circumstances as a cover to hide under! Tobago's tourism woes has none to blame but it's own tourism officials and the TDC!
Stop the blame game and take responsibility now! How long will the public and tourism stakeholders tolerate this ludicrous behaviour?
You really don't know what
You really don't know what you're talking about with respect to the service that should be provided on the airbridge. There is supposed to be a dedicated airbridge service, like the water taxi to San Fernando, that is what the DASH 8 aircraft were acquired for. Remember Tobago Express and BWee Express?
Happy birthday PM Manning,
Happy birthday PM Manning, now this does not mean I am giving you a brake today!
Ryan4Party@live.com
Patrick Augustus Mervyn
Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (born 17 August 1946)
ryanfor, why would we want
ryanfor, why would we want to know that its Pats B'day. I am so surprised to hear this from you, whats the relevance? You are usually so pedantic, this came out of the blue!!!!
Because I got a real nice
Because I got a real nice present for him! What do you think?
www.uncnothingyet.ning.com
I Love Tobago and i will
I Love Tobago and i will keep going to Tobago again and again for holidays, but it really has become ridiculous to get a seat on a plane at short notice or to get a boat ticket, the hassle is too much, at least Caribbean airlines have an online booking system,but at least for the July-august school vacation they should make more seats available for local tourist. I give the THA right to slam caribbean airlines
Confused I am
Confused I am
According to the article, Virgin Atlantic is not pulling out of Tobago, but it is taking Tobago off it's website for enquries/bookings? Does this mean that if a traveller wants to fly Tobago London/London Tobago return, they have to make a telephone booking? Sounds a bit weird, considering that they and BA have been most conscious to force travellers to book online to get the 'cheaper' rates.
La Diva
Air Caribbean must shake off
Air Caribbean must shake off the old BWIA attitude of being more hospitable to foreigners than locals. From the disinterested ,rumfled up look of the staff at Piarco, passengers are left to feel that they take local business for granted. I cannot understand how I cannot take up the phone and cancel if I cannot make a flight.The staff tell travelers to "Just leave it so, It go come off de system when you ent show up". This lack of 24 hour booking system by phone is the root of travelers misery.I still also contend that there should be a connection and a courtesy shuttle to usher people onto the ferry if the plane cannot take them.
Gloria, get with it! Air
Gloria, get with it! Air Caribbean went out of business many years ago, it was owned by Lucky Samaroo. And as for your take on old BWIA, don't be so ungratefull BWEE gave yeoman service to the Caribbean that is why the current carrier CAL is still using the Bwee flight designation BW.
P.Craig I will take this
P.Craig
I will take this opportunity to say happy birthday to my sister Pauline she is 36 today.
She is loving, kind hearted, respectful, honest and truthful. She opens her home to the homeless. She feed the people in need of food. She works hard and smart for a living. She pays taxes. Thank God that she is healthy and does not seek medical attention at the health facilities. These are some of the good qualities of my Sister.
Not because we may share the same birthday we have the same qualities.
Hence the reason I do not believe in horoscope.
Yes Mr Astley thank for the
Yes Mr Astley thank for the correction. I turned the name of the airline around by mistake. However, I am not being ungrateful to BWIA . Air Caribbean or any other T&T inter island carrier. They all provided poor service. I could tell you of all the suffering for us Tobagonians in the Trinidad airport. I have had the undignified opportunity to sleep on the floor in Piarco when I had a confirmed booking . Did you?
Yes Auntie (my aunt's name
Yes Auntie (my aunt's name is Gloria), I have slept in the airport in Tobago many times, flight overbooked, flight cancelled, flight late etc. I have also slept in the airport in the US, Canada, UK, Zurich, Geneva, Sao Paulo, Caracas for the same and many other reasons. But I was always thankful after all that sleeping that Bwee always brought me safely home!
Be thankful too and stop the bashing the thing is dead and buried nearly 3 years now!