The airbridge is once again on the front burner. It is reported that two of the ATR aircraft are out of service and that the parent company has loaned CAL one to assist in alleviating this shortfall.
Is the public aware that when the ATRs were first brought into service to replace the Dash 8s, which had given good service, that the CAL captains, who had preferred the 78-seater Dash 8 Q400 as the replacement, expressed their dissatisfaction with the performance of the ATRs to the management.
The reaction from the management was a request to the captains to immediately withdraw their letter of complaint or face disciplinary action. Remember that the captains were flying the aircraft while the management were happily esconced in their air-conditioned offices at Piarco.
In my opinion the management should have been pleased to receive a list of aircraft "defects" for forwarding to the manufacturer.
The airbridge has been operating at a loss even with the Government's subsidy. The flying public has been complaining of poor service, frequent delays and inability to obtain a seat especially during the peak periods of Carnival, Easter, August vacation and Christmas.
But there is no money available to upgrade the service and to lease aircraft for short periods. Now CAL is proposing ancillary fees to increase its revenue.
In my opinion if there are approximately 800,000 passengers using the service annually, a minimal increase of a paltry $50 on a one-way ticket will increase CAL's revenue by $40 million. The $150 one-way fare was introduced in 1994, 23 years ago. Are you aware of any commodity which has retained the same price for the past 23 years?
Why is the Government reluctant to implement a small increase in the fare while maintaining pressure on the CAL management to reduce the burden on the Government purse? It is stated that the cost to CAL per passenger is $600 to $800 for a round-trip ticket. Let's be realistic and accept a small increase of $50 on a one-way ticket while at the same time demanding an improved service.
IAN LAMBIE,
TOBAGO RESIDENT FOR 18 YEARS