Aviation Authority summons Fly Jamaica to meeting over disruptions

Jan 08, 2018 News

Following weeks of public outcry from passengers, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is seeking answers from Fly Jamaica Airways officials over flight delays and cancellations.
GCAA Director General, Egbert Field told Kaieteur News that while there are no formal complaints made in writing to the Authority, he has received calls about flight disruptions over the past weeks.
“I have been getting a few calls from passengers with regard to the flight delays and disruptions. Fly Jamaica has not communicated formally with us, but having received the informal complaints, I will be calling a meeting with them this week to explain what are the reasons for the disruptive service,” Field explained.
Given the urgency of the situation, Field expects that the management of the airline will be ready to meet as early as Tuesday to discuss the issues and to find solutions to the ongoing disruptions.
Several frustrated passengers have reached out to Kaieteur News, including, Ameer Ali, who was scheduled to return to Canada on Thursday via Fly Jamaica.
According to Ali, check-in time was 10:30 p.m. at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
“When I got there, I panicked because I saw that the board listed my flight as being delayed. I tried to call the airline, but instead got a call centre in Guyana. They told me that there was no further information to share,” Ali stated.
Ali, who is a pharmacist in Canada, is worried that he may lose his job due to the flight delays. When the call centre was contacted yesterday, they told Kaieteur that there was still no further information available.
The centre stated that an update from the airline operations may be available by tonight.
“Where is the plane? Did it fall from the sky? We are not getting answers. There is no snow storm in Canada and should not be any delays,” Ali stated.

GCAA Director General, Egbert Field

He criticised the airline for not communicating properly with customers. Ali stated that at no time did he receive a call nor email indicating that his flight was cancelled. He is also unaware of the new departure date.
According to Ali, he paid CAN$1,450 for the return flight. A competing airline he said has a return flight to Canada for over CAN$1,000.
“Everyone is disrespecting Guyanese and taking advantage of us. We got to do better,” Ali concluded.
There are scores of customers who shared similar experiences via social media.
Field stated that communication between the airline and the passengers is one issue that the Authority intends to address during this week’s meeting.
An advisory posted on the airline’s website indicated a total of four flights between Guyana and Jamaica had been delayed all of Saturday and Sunday. Passengers were advised not to proceed to the airport until further notice.
Flights as far back as January 2 between Guyana and Jamaica had been cancelled. Flights into New York from Guyana, were advertised as cancelled due to weather conditions.
In a statement, the airline admitted that it has been experiencing some operation setbacks. According to the statement, their aircraft are currently undergoing scheduled and unscheduled maintenance checks.
“As a result, we have had and continue to engage third party entities to assist with our operations. Unfortunately, several of these third party entities are also experiencing difficulties due to the adverse weather conditions in North America,” the airline stated.
Fly Jamaica has assured passengers that the airline is working to restore regular service.

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