| Amidst growing concerns over the high price of air fares, Government yesterday announced that it summoned senior executive of the Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to meet no later than tomorrow.Government has also threatened to review CAL’s flag carrier status which was granted earlier this year,Jourdan Lewis Youth Jersey, a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce said.Guyana has summoned senior executives of Caribbean Airlines to meet tomorrow in Guyana over complaints regarding high air fares.“I have instructed the GTA (Guyana Tourism Authority) Director to call in the new CEO and Chairman of the Board to meet with us no later than next Friday (tomorrow). We are taking this issue very seriously and I have also advised my colleague Minister (of Transport) that my position would be a re-examination of the status that was given to them, if the situation does not correct itself in a timely manner,” Tourism Minister,Collen Warner Toronto Shirts, Irfaan Ali is quoted as saying.Top of the agenda for the proposed meeting, Ali said, would be the “exorbitant ticket prices” levied on Guyanese passengers coming from New York, Toronto and Trinidad.It would not be the first time that Government has criticised CAL, a Trinidad and Tobago based-air carrier, which is currently facing financial problems.Earlier this year, in the absence of other carriers, Guyana granted the Trinidad-owned airline flag-carrier status with the hopes that the prices for direct flights between Guyana and the North American destinations would be kept down. Guyana lost Delta this year and two low-cost airlines- EZjet and RedJet- folded last year.Ali said the high air fares currently being charged to Guyanese is “unacceptable,Rasul Douglas Womens Jersey, atrocious and disgusting and against the spirit of agreement in terms of CAL being a flag carrier.”“I personally am aware of persons who would have bought tickets at enormous price to come to Guyana. If you compare this to the prices other persons are paying from Trinidad, I find this to be a situation of abusing the present monopoly that they have in Guyana, and they do have a monopoly. This is why they are taking us for granted, they are taking this market for granted and they are reaping in great profits, maybe to make up for the deficiency in other markets.”The Tourism Minister also addressed the numerous complaints reaching his office over the treatment of Guyanese using the carrier, particularly when they are in-transit in Trinidad and Tobago.Alluding to the most recent incident where a flight out of Piarco International Airport was delayed for close to half an hour, after a New York-based Guyana national was escorted off the aircraft for alleged abusive behaviour,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, Ali noted that to date CAL has not submitted an official statement on the matter.“We cannot accept this; this cannot be in the interest of their business and in the interest of them having flag carrier status for Guyana. I intend to pursue the matter and the long, tedious harassment and delay that Guyanese go through as a result of CAL operation issues in Trinidad.”As to the impending entry of Fly Jamaica into the Guyana market and the possibility of this airline sharing flag carrier status,O. J. Howard Jersey, Minister Ali admitted this was the plan. He also said that Guyana will add a new airline very shortly.In June,Ryan Ramczyk Youth Jersey, Government announced that a new airline, Fly Guyana Airlines, is planning to start daily flights to the US from October.With a large number of Guyanese living in especially the New York area, that route has been one of the busiest for airlines serving Guyana over the years. |
