BWIA adversities spoil our vacation

THE EDITOR: This is an open letter to the management of BWIA International. “We are writing to you to voice our extreme displeasure and dissatisfaction with recent adversities we suffered at the hands of your airline and staff. Please be informed also that copies of this letter are being sent to every major newspaper. The following chain of events occurred starting last Thursday July 29, 2004:

• Upon arrival for our flight to Grenada that was scheduled for 1 pm, we were informed that, since our flight was over booked, we were required to return Friday morning at 6.20 am. Hence, an entire day out of our holiday was lost.
• We arrived in Grenada at 7 am on Friday July 30 and received our luggage at 7 pm Sunday August 1.

During this 60-hour period (2 ? days), we had nothing but the clothes on our backs and were therefore forced to put off all plans. Buying clothes and personal items were not viable options since obviously we did not walk with adequate funds for a shopping trip. Our scheduled return flight was Monday August 2, but your Grenada staff was professional enough to allow us a one-day extension to return on BW847 on Tuesday August 3. We therefore had a one-day holiday instead of our scheduled five-day holiday. Returning to Trinidad, we were met with the news that our luggage was still in Grenada. The service that was given to us by your representative in Baggage Claim on Tuesday August 3 at approximately 4 pm was nothing like the service we received in Grenada. Upon inquiry as to the compensation we would receive for the 60-hour delay we suffered, we were told, “She cannot pay us for that since we did get our bags.”

Expressing confusion at the process of leaving bags in one country when passengers are in another and the resulting 2 ? day loss brought her response that, “We obviously know nothing about the airline business.” We have always been under the impression that your airline’s business was concerned with keeping its promise to get passengers and their luggage to a destination at a specific time after taking their money. The level of your workers’ rudeness, lack of concern, un-professionalism and antagonism was shocking and appalling to say the least. Apart from losing four days out of our five-day holiday, I was forced to search for and purchase in Grenada the medication that was in my luggage... medication that I must take daily.

I was again forced to purchase this same medication a second time due to the delay to receive our bags from Grenada. We cannot emphasise enough the distress, inconvenience, and cost, both emotionally and financially, these events have put us through. This is compounded by the fact that we paid almost three times the normal price of a ticket. Apart from being forced to miss the majority of our holiday, we are also unfortunately seriously re-considering our loyalty to your airline. Professional service and concern for your loyal, paying customers is not meant to be delivered on personal and sporadic whim or fancy... it is required of your airline and staff! When a service that was paid for, is not delivered and results in severe inconvenience and loss, then adequate compensation is also required.

NEOLA ZAMA
Port-of-Spain