Such spiteful behaviour puts us off visiting Guyana

Jan 28, 2012 Letters

Dear Editor,
I read Mr Harry Gill’s Open Letter to Minister Clement Rohee and was appalled.
As a former frequent overseas traveller – I have not travelled for the past three years – I feel very strongly about the indignities and irritations certain passengers are exposed to for one reason or another. However, I have never heard of anything so bizarre happening to a citizen who happens to visit the country of his/her birth. How can any Government have such power over an airline not of its country?
First of all, if Mr. Gill holds an American passport, ‘Uncle Sam’ might be able to do something about it. Secondly, if he had an insurance policy to cover the duration of the visit, the insurers might be able to help.
I have had an internet squint at the Conditions of Carriage of Caribbean Airlines (28/5/99) and they mention such guides as The Warsaw Convention, 1929; the Amendment in The Hague, 1955 and The Montreal Convention, 1999. The foot of the page also carries a section on ‘Baggage Liability, Tips and Information’ (2007).
I also accessed a Transport Security Administration (TSA), American Department of Homeland Security document. A part of their briefing states “The TSA is allowed to open and search air passengers’ luggage for security screening in the U.S. They are also allowed to cut open, destroy, or otherwise disable locks during a search.
The agency has sanctioned two companies to make padlocks, lockable straps, and luggage with built-in locks that can be opened and relocked by tools and information supplied by the lock manufacturers………TSA agents have these tools, as do certain authorized security agencies such as HM Revenue and Customs. TSA agents sometimes fail to replace locks or close them properly. Passengers who find their TSA-approved locks missing can file a claim with form SF-95……..”
An illustrative picture shows a Samsonite suitcase with 2 locks. In addition, there is a PDF/Adobe Acrobat file called “Terrorist Watchlist Checks and Air Passenger Pre-screening”.
All these are worth reading. However, since Mr. Gill’s graphic letter has been given publicity, the pressure may be eased a bit. Having said that, all airline briefings advise against putting valuables and money in suitcases destined for the hold.
In my own case a few years ago, after visiting Hong Kong, when my suitcase was deliberately gouged at the base, the UK air transport users’ outfit took up my complaint and got me compensation. In fact, my complaint started an internet ‘moan forum’ about the particular airline.
Such spiteful behaviour, allegedly from on high, puts us off visiting Guyana. How do they get away with it?
Geralda Dennison

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