MERGER SLIPPING AWAY
Liat Chairman Jean Holder does not hold out much hope for a merger between BWIA and the regional airline, saying that they both had different objectives. Speaking at a press conference at Sandals Hotel in Antigua last week where fare reductions and new strategies were announced in an attempt to rejuvenate the airline, Holder said while a merger with Liat with any regional entity was in itself good, it was something that had to be worked out carefully. He said too that business strategy and policy had to be worked out, noting that Liat was completely different from other airlines like Air Jamaica and BWIA. He described Trinidad and Tobago as getting into the tourism market with BWIA branded as a tourism carrier, along with other responsibilities. Air Jamaica, he said, was mostly to support the island’s tourism industry. "Liat," he stressed, "is the bridge that joins the Caribbean economic community," noting that it was truly a regional carrier and served as a bridge for other Caribbean islands. He said while a merger might sound good on paper, the reality was that all the regional carriers were being reconstructed but "always on the cusp of destruction." "Talking about a merger is a lovely thing but one has to be practical," he told reporters but "there must be functional cooperation with other airlines where it serves mutual interests." He added that when talks of merger came up, Liat was always the first at the table but never had anything to show for it and likened it to a bride that never had a groom. He said while Liat was putting its house in order, it remained open to any opportunity that could take it forward.
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"MERGER SLIPPING AWAY"