Liat no better

THE EDITOR: It would be remiss of me if I did not pen this letter amidst the continued battles facing our national airline BWIA to inform the general public that as bad as we think BWIA is, there is one right here in the Caribbean whose service leaves a lot to be desired. I travelled to Anguilla in May 2004 and while the flight out was uneventful, the return flight had all the makings of a classic comedy of errors.

As per international regulations I attempted to check in well before the 1 pm departure time only to be met with a closed counter and no visible staff to begin the process. The counter eventually opened and upon handing over my travel documents I was met with a blank stare and told quite curtly that I was not booked to return on that flight. Imagine my consternation when I was further informed that not only was I not booked on that flight but that I had never left Trinidad in the first place!

I presented my boarding pass from Trinidad to verify that I had traveled on an airplane belonging to the airline in question and not teleported myself but I was again informed that I was a “no show” and as far as the airline was concerned my ticket was invalid. The agent in question refused to even acknowledge that maybe an error had been made by the airline staff which had resulted in a valid passenger being removed in error. Attempts to resolve the already deteriorating situation were further hampered when I was rudely told that there were other passengers to be checked in and I should wait to resolve the issue after they had been processed.

I never made that fateful flight but what stays in my mind is that for all of the new security arrangements in place this suggests that many dangerous people could well be slipping through the same security measures. Secondly in an airline that is struggling to stay afloat, the management of LIAT would be well advised to ensure that all staff understand that customers, especially paying ones have certain expectations when it comes to how they are to be treated, and when these are not met they can and will take their business elsewhere. An inter-island trip originally scheduled to take about three hours eventually took eight due to weather delays out of St Maarten where I had been re-routed. Given the size of the Caribbean this is absolutely unacceptable and when one considers that not even a hint of compensation was ever afforded, my express unwillingness to ever fly with LIAT is understandable.

I would strongly recommend that the management of LIAT: send all employees, especially front line staff immediately to a Customer Service Excellence course to refresh their skills; a line manager be present at all times to hear the complaints of the public for often managers are better to understand where rules can be bent to save time and face and have the authority to do so, most importantly; and that compensation for loss of time and undue stress be made a matter of policy especially when the airline is at fault. This letter may be a bit late but despite the obvious challenges they face, BWIA must  be commended for maintaining the true Trini warmth and hospitality that has become their hallmark. Keep up the good work and continue flying our red, white and black high.

JENELLE   MAYERS
Belmont