Fly Jamaica explains irregular operation

Aug 09, 2017 News

– says safety is its first priority

Having experienced mechanical and other challenges, Fly Jamaica has, for the past week, been subjected to an irregular operation. However, passengers can expect normalcy by tomorrow [August 10, 2017]. This is according to Fly Jamaica’s Director of Marketing, Ms. Kayla Reece.
Reece revealed that on Thursday last [August 3], Fly Jamaica Airways was forced to ground its Boeing 767 prior to departure from Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. This, according to Reece, stemmed from the development of mechanical problems. “The cockpit crew became aware of a mechanical issue prior to departure…and the aircraft was subsequently grounded,” related Reece.
She related that after safely returning to the gate, passengers were fed on board before being transferred to the airline’s Boeing 757 aircraft. But the challenges did not stop there.
Reece said that last Thursday’s circumstances were compounded by external factors at the ports from which Fly Jamaica Airways operates in and out of on a daily basis.
She revealed in a statement that “an ongoing strike by ground staff of Swissport Canada Handling Inc., Fly Jamaica Airways’ contracted handling company at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, continues to adversely affect the operations of all airlines they service and have resulted in ramp congestion and significant delays in the offloading of baggage and deplaning of passengers upon arrival at Pearson.”
Further she revealed that at the JFK International Airport in New York, prolonged baggage screenings and checks conducted by the US Customs and Border Protection on all flights out of Jamaica and Guyana, added several hours onto the turnaround times, causing additional delays.
“Disruptions to the airline’s scheduled service to and from Toronto are expected to continue to some degree as long as Swissport Canada Handling Inc. continues to strike at Pearson International,” Reece related.
But the Director of Marketing has assured that Fly Jamaica Airways’ reservations staff have been working around the clock to ensure all passengers are contacted via telephone with revised flight information.
“For updated flight schedule information please visit www.fly-jamaica.com and click on the Customer Advisory: Updated Flight Schedule banner at the top of the page. All flight schedule updates will be published to this page,” Reece informed by way of a statement.
She added that, “updates to flight times are constantly being made based on actual operation times and are subject to change after customers have been advised or updates have been published online.”
“While these delays to the airline’s services are regrettable, the airline remains committed to making safety its first priority,” stated Reece, who pointed out that Fly Jamaica has also been offering compensation to passengers where necessary.
“Fly Jamaica Airways did initially, and very quickly, book as many passengers as possible on other carriers to their final destinations, based on seat availability. Additionally, a number of delayed passengers at the airports received some form of compensation including but not limited to: food vouchers for purchasing meals within the relevant airport terminal, hotel accommodation and transportation vouchers for taxis, based on their individual needs and circumstances.”
In light of the disruption of its operation, Reece said that “Fly Jamaica Airways wishes to extend its sincerest apologies to all passengers affected by the irregular operations.”

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News