[Caribbean Airlines] Joint THA, CAL c’ttee on $50 change fee

[bimjim]

http://newsday.co.tt/2018/05/29/joint-t ... hange-fee/

[Caribbean Airlines] Joint THA, CAL c’ttee on $50 change fee
Kinnesha George
2018/05/29

A joint committee between the Tobago House of Assembly and Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) has been set up to monitor the recent $50 change fee introduced by CAL.

The five-member committee, which comprises Gerald McFarlane as chairman, Nigel Wilson and Richard Edoo as THA representatives, along with Neil Gajadhar and Nirmala Ramai as CAL representatives, received its letters of appointment on Monday, as the first meeting was convened at the head office of the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation in Scarborough.

Speaking with Newsday Tobago on Tuesday, McFarlane said the mandate of the committee is to review and evaluate the $50 fee implemented by CAL in November 2017.

“This committee will also look at the operations and some of the statistics and process flows which involves Caribbean Airlines operations, looking at the statistics in terms of the domestic route, and we also will look to finding ways in which we can improve the passenger experience on the airbridge, the domestic airbridge.

"Also, the mandate indicates also that it is not limited to those specific things, so we are looking at any possible way while reviewing the $50 change fee, we are trying to work along with Caribbean Airlines to see if we can improve the service and improve the passenger experience on the airbridge.”

McFarlane noted that there has been a lot of confusion about the change fee, along with a lot of misinformation, as this issue was raised during the committee’s first meeting on Monday.

“I did gather a lot of information. We are talking to a number of the stakeholders, that process has started, and it would continue. We would be reporting to the THA and Caribbean Airlines periodically over the next six months. This committee was set up by the THA following an agreement between THA and Caribbean Airlines because there was need to have some committee or some group to monitor what is happening and to see what fallout there is and to recommend and suggest changes where necessary to image the situation with passenger travel,” he said.

He said there had been a number of issues apart from the change fee, but this is one of the problems that will have to be addressed soon.

“Part of the problem seems to be lack of communication between the counter staff and passengers, and we are looking forward to that being addressed. We have just started, (and) we have a pretty long way to go,” he said.

McFarlane said previously, when a crisis developed with regard to CAL, the Chief Secretary or the minister would issue a press release or host a media briefing to give their side of the story, and as a result they agreed there should be a joint committee.

“In that way, they would have both parties working together to find solutions to improve the traveler experience on the airbridge. That is the main objective."

The committee will operate for six months from June 1.