Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association president Reginald Mac Lean is anticipating teething problems following the removal of the domestic departure lounge at the Piarco International Airport.
In a media release on Saturday, the Airports Authority announced the merging of the International Gates and the Tobago Gate, effective April 24.
It said there will be one entry point for all passengers, who will traverse a centralised checkpoint, which has been expanded with additional lanes and advanced screening equipment.
The Authority said this change aligns the airport with international standards and will improve the efficiency and flow of passengers.
It said it is also consistent with the centralised system in the eastern terminal at the new ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago.
It said passengers will also be able to access a wider range of dining and duty-paid shopping options.
Mac Lean said there are positives and negatives to the change but believes it will take time for the public to get accustomed to it.
He said, “Because now you can’t walk in with your bottled water as you used to. Now you have to pay $13-$15 for a bottle of water upstairs.”
Looking at the positives, he added, “It’s good in the sense if you are doing international flights it makes it easier, people coming into Port of Spain connecting into Tobago don’t have to go back through the process and outside and all that.”
The Authority has clarified that international passengers heading to Tobago must pass through Customs at the first port of entry, Piarco, before taking their connecting flight to Tobago.
It said domestic passengers should arrive approximately two hours before scheduled departure, consistent with the existing Caribbean Airlines policy.
However, Mac Lean said, “A lot of people are gonna get caught off-guard. They gonna arrive at the airport and realise they may be late and they gonna miss their flight because (the gate) it’s not as close as it was before, so we wait and see.”
