Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Wednesday January 26, 2011 – By August 1 this year, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) nationals will require only a driver’s licence or identification card to travel through the sub-region. The decision was made at the just concluded two-day 52nd meeting of the OECS Authority in Grenada where, according to a communiqué, “Heads of Government acknowledged the pivotal role of free movement of people in the OECS Economic Union as a single financial and economic space”. They agreed that all actions necessary to give full effect to the free movement regime would be completed by August 1, 2011 at the latest. “By that date we expect OECS citizens to be moving in and out of OESC states without restrictions,” host Prime Minister Tillman Thomas said at a press conference yesterday after the meeting. “Once you have a driver’s licence or ID card you should not have any difficulty moving. We are removing all the impediments to restrictions.” According to the communiqué, it was also agreed that by the end of this month, a driver’s licence issued in one OECS country would be accepted for use in another for short term visits. Another deadline given at the meeting, which was held just three days after the Revised Treaty of Basseterre Establishing the OECS Economic Union came into force, was for domestic law to give effect to that treaty. Heads of Government agreed that all the necessary legislation would be enacted no later than June 18 this year.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding says the Caribbean region faces many of the same challenges requiring united action, one of which has to do with the decision of the United Kingdom to impose the Aviation Passenger Duty (APD) tax. He said the region was united in its position that this tax is manifestly unjust to the countries of the Caribbean region.
Mr. Golding was speaking at the opening ceremony of the two-day Caribbean Marketplace and awards presentation at the new convention Centre in Montego Bay this evening (Jan 16). Varying APD rates are dictated by the classification of worldwide destinations by the UK government – with passengers taking trips to the Caribbean being particularly badly hit.
Mr. Golding said several leaders from the region have impressed upon the British government that the tax is not fair and that it needs to be reviewed. He noted that representation has been made, the late Prime Minister of Barbados, David Thompson, Jamaica’s own Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and himself to the British Government about the negative impact of this new tax on travel to the region.
Mr. Golding said that in handing over the chairmanship of Caricom to Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, he provided a full brief on all the activities of Caricom including a detailed update on the efforts that have been made to adjust this increase and he is confident that Caricom will continue to make representation to the British government.
‘Going to London and pleading are not the only options we have’, Mr. Golding noted. He said he had consulted widely and there are other options that the Caribbean may have to consider in tackling something that ‘is not just unfair and unjust but is in conflict with established global rules of tourism’.
He noted that while he could not speak for Caribbean countries on the matter and while it would be premature to speak on the position that the Government of Jamaica will take, there is no option that is off the table. ‘We are going to secure justice in this matter one way or the other’ Mr. Golding added.
The Prime Minister said Jamaica was delighted to be hosting Caribbean Marketplace again and pleased to be welcoming so many participants to the Convention centre which is not yet completed. He paid tribute to the workers and the various agencies and individuals who worked hard to get the centre ready to host this first event to be staged at the centre that will, take Jamaica into a new dimension of tourism business.
SAO PAULO, Brazil – On Saturday, January 15, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A., the largest low-cost and low-fare airline in Latin America, completed ten years of regular operations, during which it expanded its operational fleet from six to 112 aircraft, achieving a Brazilian market share of close to 40% and establishing itself as one of the most profitable and fastest-growing airlines in the world.
“GOL was founded in 2001 with the mission of popularizing air transport in Brazil and South America. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our almost 19,000-strong workforce and highly efficient management, we have been extremely successful with our strategy of profitable and sustainable growth, based on a low-cost structure and exemplary customer service,” declared Constantino de Oliveira Junior, GOL’s CEO and founder. “This business model, successfully implemented by GOL for the first time in Brazil, has allowed us to offer lower fares, making air travel increasingly accessible to all.”
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has said the merger of Jamaica’s lovebird, Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines is a practical demonstration that the two airlines mean business. Speaking at the launch of the rebirth of Air Jamaica on January 14, Golding expressed appreciation to the government of Trinidad and Tobago, noting that there is a genuine spirit of collaboration between the two airlines. “The merger was tough and challenging. There were two questions that battled for supremacy, ‘why’ and ‘why not’ and at various times it wasn’t clear which of those two questions was winning the battle. The airline business is a complex and volatile industry. It faces various factors such as fuel prices, global and regional economies and the cost associated with the post 9/11 security arrangements that have impacted severely on airline operating costs,” the prime minister said. He said these factors made the approach of the merger a sensible one as the two airlines have a distinct advantage, having 110 years experience between Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines. “Caribbean Airlines has taken a strategic decision to retain, operate and promote the Air Jamaica brand,” Golding said. The merged airlines will be operating under the theme, ‘One Caribbean airline, two brands’. Golding noted that Jamaica is not abandoning Air Jamaica as it is a Jamaican brand and a national treasure. He added that it is a partnership between Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines and not a divestment. Air Jamaica will be dedicated to flying routes into and out of Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica to New York (JFK), Philadelphia, Toronto, Fort Lauderdale and Miami in North America and Nassau, the Bahamas. Caribbean Airlines with its hub in Port of Spain, Trinidad, flies to New York (JFK), Philadelphia, Toronto, Fort Lauderdale and Miami in North America; St Maarten, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, Tobago and Kingston in the Caribbean; Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela in South America.
Continental Airlines will begin nonstop flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on June 9.
The Houston-based carrier will have three flights a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Daily service will commence July 1, according to United Continental Holdings, which was formed last October through the merger of Continental and UAL.
“We are pleased to offer convenient service to Port-Au-Prince, Continental’s 27th Caribbean destination,” said John Slater, United Airlines vice president of sales-Americas. “Thanks to the combined fleet of both United and Continental, we are now able to offer more travel options to new destinations.”
The four-hour flight will leave Newark at 9:25 a.m. and land in Port-Au-Prince at 12:15 p.m. The return flight will depart at 1:20 p.m. and arrive in Newark at 6:15 p.m. The airline will use a Boeing 737-800, which can seat 160 passengers.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding yesterday officially opened the island’s third international airport at Boscobel in St Mary.
Named in honour of late British author and journalist Ian Fleming, who created James Bond, the Ian Fleming International Airport will primarily handle private jets with specialised service for scheduled charters.
The former Boscobel Aerodrome has been significantly upgraded and boasts, among other things, a completely resurfaced and extended runway. It is expected to cater to the needs of high-end tourists and the general aviation market.
Several government officials, representatives from the tourism sector, including chairman of Sandals Resorts Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, hotelier and former music mogul Chris Blackwell as well as members of the Fleming family were present to witness the opening.
Here, Ian Fleming’s niece Lucy Fleming and Prime Minister Bruce Golding unveil the plaque at the Ian Fleming International Airport yesterday. At right is Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaica-opens-third-international-airport_8289002#ixzz1B2Froi2K
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is close to adding new routes to its daily schedule using Dash-8 aircraft in direct competition with regional carrier LIAT, informed sources said here today.
An official who spoke with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak to the Press, said CAL is planning to operate regularly scheduled Dash-8 flights between Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent and Barbados.
The official said plans were well advanced and flights could commence as early as February or March.
The official explained that CAL has already trained it pilots to land at the E.T. Joshua Airport in St. Vincent as, unlike LIAT pilots, they were not accustomed to landing there.
Late last year, former CAL chief executive officer, Captain Ian Brunton, said that the Trinidad-based airline would begin twice weekly return services from Trinidad to Grenada and New York.
Last month, the Trinidad and Tobago government gave the green light for the state-owned CAL to spend US$200 million on purchasing nine aircraft from the French–based manufacturer ATR ending weeks of disagreement between the Transport and Works Minister Austin Jack Warner and the CAL board of directors.
The Kamla Persad Bissessar government has also sanctioned the agreement reached with the cash strapped Air Jamaica last year.
Under the agreement, the Jamaica government owns 16 per cent of CAL as part of the conditions for the CAL taking over the lucrative routes of the Air Jamaica.
The deal also allows for Trinidad and Tobago agreeing to a US$300 million transition plan for CAL to acquire and operate six Air Jamaica aircraft and eight of its routes.
LIAT, whose major shareholders are the governments of Barbados, St. Vincent and Antigua and Barbuda, enjoys an almost virtual monopoly on inter-regional flights. (CMC)
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS–The Virgin Gorda Airport has officially reopened. The airport will resume receiving flights from carriers including Island Birds and Fly BVI, both offering air charter flights throughout the Caribbean.
Rosewood Little Dix Bay offers a complimentary transfer to the hotel from the airport, which is about five minutes by car. In 2011, guests can experience the new Wellness Retreats at Rosewood Little Dix Bay, with four-day sessions in January, April, June and November.
CASTRIES, St Lucia, Thursday December 30, 2010 – The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) has stopped the St Lucia-registered CARICOM Airways from flying in the Eastern Caribbean until it gets legal.
The ECCAA has informed the operators that the airline is operating illegally as it does not have the necessary Airline Operation Convention (AOC).
“The ECCAA therefore instructs CARICOM Airways to immediately discontinue its operations until such time that it has been issued with the appropriate AOC by the ECCAA,” the Authority’s Acting Director General Donald McPhail wrote to the airline’s Chief Executive Officer Rory Chin-A-Kwie.
The ECCAA correspondence confirmed what St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves had been telling St Lucia’s Tourism and Aviation Minister Allen Chastanet for weeks.
Gonsalves had insisted that the airlines was in breach of ECCAA operating procedure when Chastanet threatened, last month, to stop Vincentian airlines SVG Air and Mustique Airways from operating in St Lucia, unless approval was given to CARICOM Airways’ application to fly to St Vincent and the Grenadines.
He insisted that the airline was operating under the AOC from Suriname which, under CARICOM Convention, allows member countries to accept each other’s AOC.
But in the letter to Chin-A-Kwie, the ECCAA noted that even though CARICOM Airways has an AOC from the Civil Aviation Authority in Suriname, its principal place of business is St Lucia and “as such, and by virtue of the Civil Aviation Regulations of St. Lucia, CARICOM Airways must apply for and obtain an AOC issued by the ECCAA before commencing commercial air transport operations”.
It added that Chastanet’s application to have CARICOM Airways operate as a foreign operator could therefore not be granted.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, December 16, 2010 – LIAT wishes to advise the general public of our new booking policy effective 3rd January, 2011. All travellers (including infants and children) will be required to provide additional information when making a reservation or purchasing tickets.
The new requirements are driven by LIAT’s compliance with the Secure Flight Programme recently introduced by the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Effective January 3, 2011, all travellers (including infants and children) to and from all of LIAT’s 22 destinations must provide the following information when making a reservation or purchasing tickets:
A passenger’s full name, including middle names (as it appears on the passenger’s non-expired government issued photo ID) Date of Birth and Gender. In addition to the above information, all LIAT passengers travelling to and from San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Croix will be required to provide a redress number, if applicable.
All of the above information must be provided whether bookings are being done at a LIAT Ticket Office; through the LIAT Call Centre; on the LIAT website, www.liat.com; or through a Travel Agency. Customers should take note that they will not be able to complete a booking transaction until they provide full name, including middle names; date of birth, gender and where applicable, a redress number of all the persons for whom reservations are being made or tickets are being purchased.
Customers are therefore urged to have this information readily available at the time of booking. For further information on Secure Flight visit www.tsa.gov/secureflight. Information about a Redress number is available on the US Department of Homeland Security website www.dhs.gov/trip.