THA: ATLA must approve ‘cancellation fee’

BWIA and Tobago Express must get the approval of the Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) before they institute any fee to penalise persons who book flights to travel on the domestic airbridge but do not show up. That was the word yesterday from Secretary of Tourism/Transportation/Enterprise Development/Settlements at the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Neil Wilson. The question of the implementation of what is being widely referred to as a “cancellation fee” has become the subject of much public debate in Tobago since the proposal was put forward by the affected airlines who claim that the no-show among booked passengers had now escalated into a serious problem. In fact, Tobago Express has reported that some 25 percent of booked passengers regularly do not travel nor call to cancel their flights.

This, the airline claims, results in persons wishing to commute on the airbridge having to do so on standby tickets. It is against this background that the airlines proposed the implementation of a penalty/fee — $100 was suggested — for these no-show passengers. However, responding to a Newsday query at yesterday’s post-Executive Council meeting press briefing, Wilson explained: “The airlines who intend to use the ‘‘cancellation fee”, and most likely it will be BWIA and Tobago Express, would have to make an application to the ATLA who has the jurisdiction over fares: over passenger fares, over cargo fares, mail charges and so on. So they need to get permission from ATLA in order to do this; it isn’t automatic, it doesn’t operate that way!” he told Newsday. Wilson acknowledged that as things stand at present, it is “only a proposal.”