Caribbean Airlines takes to the skies

Yesterday saw scores of New York and Canada-based Trinbagonians converging at BWIA’s check-in counters at Piarco for what many described as a sad farewell to an airline which has served Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean for 66 years.

BWIA’s final flights included journeys to London, Toronto, Suriname, Miami and St Lucia.

With luggage and winter coats in hand, passengers filled the BWIA queue at midday yesterday for flight BW 424 to New York and BW 600 to Toronto. Several North America-based Trinis lamented the bitter-sweet end of the BWIA era and expressed hope for improved efficiency from the new entity, Caribbean Airlines.

“Today is historic and sad because BWIA is truly the Trinidad and Tobago airline,” said Trinidad born Dennis Marshall who has lived in Canada for the past 30 years.

“It is sad in the sense that you grew up with BWIA. I have a relationship with the airline. When I have to come back I will be flying with Caribbean Airlines and I hope that Caribbean Airlines will be better in terms of being on time,” said Marshall as he filled out a passenger document.

New York-based medical student, Liana Barrow, who recently lost luggage on a BWIA flight said, “I can tell you what my hopes are. I hope that there is more efficiency.”

In a release from airline officials, BWIA has promised more competitive pricing and increased efficiency.

Members of the Gosyne family, who have been flying back and forth from Canada since 1984, expressed optimism regarding the proposed improvements in airline efficiency.

Regarding the closure of BWIA, one Gosyne family member, Canada-based Metro News columnist Kavita Gosyne said, “It’s really sad because for all the years BWIA was connected with Trinidad. Whenever we are coming back, the BWIA flight was part of the experience.”

When Newsday pointed the proposed improvements in airline service with Caribbean Airlines, Gosyne highlighted BWIA’s sale of the Heathrow landing slots and resultant loss of the Piarco to London route.

Although she expressed concern over the loss of the London route, an optimistic Gosyne said that she expects improvements in the airline under the Caribbean Airlines name.

Gosyne added, “It should be better, I think the airline is going to change. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

One BWIA employee who stood at the airline’s ticketing counter, with a large Caribbean Airlines banner behind her, said, “All I didn’t do so far was cry. When that last plane takes off tonight I will feel like part of my navel string gone with it. It’s like a tabanca thing.”

The final farewell was almost given a drastically bitter twist as on Saturday Industrial Court President Cecil Bernard granted an injunction to the Aviation Communication and Allied Workers’ Union (ACAWU) restraining BWIA West Indies Limited from disposing of assets.

The injunction restrains the airline from disposing of assets up to the value of $3.7M (US $588, 397).