Dynamic Airlines does it again…Hundreds left stranded at CJIA, JFK

Dec 20, 2016 News

After a series of flight delays and cancellations, more than 300 Dynamic Airlines passengers – Guyana and United States-bound – were stranded at the Cheddi Jagan and John F Kennedy International Airports (CJIA, JFK)

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roraima Airlines, and Local Representative of Dynamic Airlines, Gerry Gouveia (Left) and Captain Learie Barclay during the press conference yesterday.

over the weekend.
The setback saw angry passengers taking to social media to vent their frustration whilst many here at home, sought intervention from media outlets after claims of calls to Dynamic went unanswered. The frustration intensified after the airlines’ representatives on the ground were reportedly unwilling to provide information to the stranded.
During a news conference yesterday at the Duke Lodge, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roraima Airlines, and Local Representative of Dynamic Airlines, Gerry Gouveia, said that the company is pulling out all the stops to ensure that normalcy returns as soon as possible.
He told media operatives that the aircraft which was slated to carry out flights on Saturday and Sunday last, had developed a mechanical issue with one of its flaps. This forced the aircraft to undergo a series of maintenance works.
Gouveia said the maintenance crew thought that it would have been a “quick fix”; however, the works took longer as they sought to recalibrate the flight controls. A snow storm, he said, also contributed to the delay. Over 230 passengers were affected by this cancellation on Saturday and Sunday alone.
Gouveia added that this aircraft was actually the “standby plane’ which had been set in motion after the primary plane, had experienced damage to its engine casing following an incident with a ground-handling truck.
“We are extremely sorry and apologise to the passengers for the delay and the cancellations. Both Dynamic Airways and Roraima Airways are committed to safety and we could not fly that aircraft until it was cleared by the maintenance team,” he said.
Captain Gouveia said that the team has already received the necessary tools and that aircraft was expected to be up and running by yesterday.
“We are extremely sensitive about the effect that the setback is having on passengers particularly because during this season – the Christmas season – all of the flights are rammed, jam-packed; Guyanese are coming home in mass to enjoy a Guyanese Christmas. We feel very, very bad that this would happen at this time but this was beyond our control,” he empathised
Meanwhile, Dynamic has diverted a 767-300 aircraft which normally plies the Ecuador/New York route, to shuttle the stranded passengers. This aircraft, he said, has the capability to shuttle 280 passengers.
The aircraft departed New York around 14:00hrs yesterday afternoon and arrived in Guyana around 20:40 hours last night where it spent two and a half hours on the ground before its scheduled departure back to New York.
Gouveia, whilst admitting that Dynamic needs to improve its service, said that the company remains committed to Guyana. He added that since the service began operating in Guyana, it has contributed to the stabilisation of the “air-fare prices”.
“Like every airline, we do have challenges and we work very hard to recover from those challenges and as we’re doing now.”
He added that when the two planes are back in order, the company is going to work harder to ensure that passengers are given quality service for their money.
Asked how he would grade the service, Gouveia grade seven out of 10 for its overall service, but admitted that the in-flight service needed lots of improvements. He offered a failing grade to this particular aspect.
Gouveia hopes that once the airline gets the stranded passengers to their destinations, then the service should be back to a state of normalcy by midweek.

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