“Get it right before you collect people’s money” - Harmon tells Dynamic Airways

“Get it right before you collect people’s money” – Harmon tells Dynamic Airways

Dec 24, 2014 News

…Tourism Minister expresses concern over service provision

Dynamic Airways’ return to Guyana has not seemed to improve its operations and the flying public using the charter is dissatisfied. This is according to Shadow Public Works Minister Joseph Harmon who in an invited comment asserted that the company should, “get it right before you (Dynamic) collect people’s money.”
Harmon was at the time addressing the woes being faced by passengers since it would appear that the service is constantly plagued by delays.
Dynamic’s problem-filled initial spell and subsequent return to the Guyanese market has seen several inconsistencies which, for the most part, have been blamed on maintenance issues. Passengers have been delayed in some cases; they were placed in hotels with other amenities being provided.
Numerous passengers have been engaging the media and lodging their complaints about the type of service they receive. Some have hoped that in the event of highlighting their problems, they would get some relief from the company, especially when many of them would have catered to return on either ends of the New York –Guyana route, in time for work and school among other obligations.
Harmon believes therefore that the Guyanese public is being “taken advantage of” given the fact that the country continues to face limited airlift constraints. The Public Works Ministry encompasses the aviation sector and is the oversight body for the smooth running of the sector. The Shadow Minister stated that the US-based charter company is obligated to provide a certain standard of service to the travelling public.
Harmon insisted that when a passenger purchases a ticket from an airline providing a service, this transaction is not just a purchase, but a contract between the two sides. He said that the company is therefore mandated to provide the service that it promised the passenger, which would be to take them to a location at the stipulated time, along with all other agreements.
Harmon said that given the problems being faced by Dynamic, it appears that managerial problems exist.
“From the inception, this company has been having problems and they continue to operate in this manner,” he told the newspaper.
Harmon believes that Dynamic is “preying” on the Guyanese market since they fail to provide the service promised. He added that the limited choices of airlift have left Guyanese to basically, “take a chance.” “But this cannot be the Tom and Jerry show, which the president had called it during the launch,” Harmon stated. “It is no joke when it comes to the people’s life!” Harmon stressed, while stating further that the company seems to be raffling the service it provides.
Harmon went further to criticize the Tourism Ministry for its silence on the issue.
“Dynamic’s problems are not just Dynamic’s problems, it spells negativity for Guyana given the tourist destination image that Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali is trying to portray. The country is also being touted as the new hub between the East and Western Hemisphere and the Caribbean given its position on the north eastern corner of South America. I am not convinced that the current service being offered is what Guyana requires to take it to where it wants to go.”
Harmon thus called on the Tourism Minister to address the issue and to intervene to regularize the service being provided.
Kaieteur News had initially sought the comments of both Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali and Public Works Minister Robeson Benn in an effort to understand what was being done to resolve the passengers’ plights. Benn was unable to be reached.
Minister Ali expressed his concern about Dynamic’s service provision. He told this publication that the Ministry has already engaged the company’s local representative, Gerry Gouveia, asking the aviation company to provide “stable and reliable” services. He said the representative was questioned as to the measures to address the constant delays and the Ministry was assured that additional flight services have been put in place.
The Minister also shared concerns about persons travelling on both sides of the route during the peak holiday season and being able to return to their jobs and other commitments on time. The Minister said that Dynamic has assured that its service is back up and running and the additional flights should aid considerably in terms of delays and setbacks.
As recent as Sunday, Dynamic passengers were delayed in New York for more than 24 hours. Prior to that, the company faced several such delays. One weekend every flight scheduled had been delayed as a result of mechanical failure, Gouveia had explained. At another point, a flight was delayed because one of the plane’s wheels had slid off the runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
The company’s troubles had first started however, when it first came to Guyana and did not have clearance to fly to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.