Passengers left stranded

Irate BWIA passengers were yesterday threatening to never again travel with the airline after their flights had been delayed without further notice of a confirmed departure time.

BWIA flights to the US and Canada were affected following a blackout in these two countries on Thursday, which resulted in the closure of airports. However, recent reports revealed that the power in many areas in the US and Canada had returned to normalcy. BWIA flights 484 to Miami, 425 to Georgetown, 790 to Barbados and 254 to Tobago were delayed leaving a number of passengers at the ticket counter calling for some official announcement from the airline about when their flights would be leaving. Among the passengers were foreigners, some of whom had been stranded in Trinidad for four days. B790 was delayed for six hours from 7.25 am to 1.45 pm. Anxious passengers were left with the sole option of depending on flight monitors for information which revealed no rescheduled time for flights to Miami, Georgetown and Tobago.

A spokesperson at BWIA Reservations told Sunday Newsday that the delay in flights are a result of the power outage abroad and BWIA was now focussing on “relocating flights and rerouting passengers.” This, he said, would take a day or two. When asked what passengers were expected to do until their departure he said: “We (BWIA passengers) have to bear with it. It’s the sad state that we’re in.” A very incensed Cheryl Burgess, who was returning to the US after a short stay in Trinidad, said that after confirming a seat on her flight BW424 she was told on reaching the ticket counter at Piarco International that she was booked on BW426. She was also told that BW426 was not scheduled to depart yesterday. “I am leaving here today (Saturday), no matter what they say. I booked this ticket since July and I confirmed my flight and now they telling me it full. If 426 is not leaving today what do they expect me to do. This is it with BWIA,” lamented Burgess.

Frederick Hamilton complained that his family, seven of whom were returning to Canada, called BWIA to enquire if there had been a flight change. “We were told there was an hour delay from 3.30 to 4.30 pm for our flight BW604. But coming here now there’s nobody to give you any kind of information,” Hamilton said. “I was supposed to leave here for New York since Friday,” said S Winston who was booked on chartered flight BW520. “Due to the outage I’m on standby and I’m not sure to leave because I keep coming back all the time. This is the fourth time and right now I’m on standby. Not even the (travel) agency could confirm the time of the flight, is call this number and call that number and nobody answering. You just getting the answering machine,” Winston told Sunday Newsday. Canadian national R Krishna said that he has been stranded in Trinidad for two days. “My flight, BW602 was cancelled on Thursday. We were taken to Antigua and stranded there and then they brought us back here and no one in BWIA could tell us when we can get a flight to Canada. You go to them and they tell you I’ll let you know at 5 pm, you go at 5 pm and they say I’ll let you know at 6 pm, and then at 8 pm. I just had to pay $2,000 Canadian to get a one way to Toronto on Air Canada. I have my job to return to. If this is going to continue, I’ll never travel with BWIA for the rest of my life.”

Crystal Worrell feared that her nephew’s (12-year-old American national Shaking Smith) ticket would expire before he could leave Trinidad. “He was supposed to leave at 1.05 am bound for JFK International, New York but his flight was delayed,” Worrell said. It was 2 pm at the time. “When I spoke with BWIA office and those at the counter they said they could do nothing but put him on standby. They said the next flight was at 4.05 pm.” Ravi Pancham of Couva became agitated and was close to tears when he saw no sign of his 73-year-old wheelchair-bound father who was scheduled to arrive at Piarco from New York at 12.12 pm. “It’s two hours now and when I go to the clerk at the counter to find out what happened they say that is confidential.” According to one American Airlines agent with whom Newsday spoke, AA flights were back to normal. They maintained their four flights a day to Miami, New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, the flight monitor revealed a two-hour delay on AA2046 bound for New York.