BWIA delayed again

THE Piarco International Airport became a makeshift home for many passengers who were delayed on BWIA 484 flight to Miami yesterday. Children played on the floor, while adults took off their shoes and grabbed the opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Many of them had been at the airport since 9 am but by early afternoon, they were still waiting. The delay was due to a mechanical problem on the airplane, and while many passengers agreed these circumstances do arise, it was the manner in which it was dealt with that had them frustrated.

“Management is telling lies and lies do not work!” This was just one of the angry responses from the irate passengers. The scene at the airport was even one of despair as the majority of BWIA passengers had to be transferred to an American Airlines flight that was scheduled to leave at 4 pm. One man, Shaffi Mohammed, a BWEE club member, said that this would be the last time that he was travelling with BWIA. He said that one of the benefits of the club was that members would be able to check in first class. Mohammed however, claimed that the treatment he received was quite the opposite of this and said that he would now relinquish his BWIA club membership for that of American Airlines.

One businesswoman, Diann Bissessar, who owns businesses both in TT and in the United States, said she arrived at the airport on time and when she checked in, she was not informed of any flight delays by the attendants. She added that the last announcement made by the airline at 10.30 am  never informed the passengers that they were being transferred to another airline. It was only when checks were made at the airline counter that passengers were informed that they were being transferred to an American Airlines flight. Bissessar added that the way BWIA handled the situation was “ridiculous and very unprofessional, and I will never travel with BWIA again.”

The abuse the national carrier received came not only from those travelling with them, but also from persons travelling with other airlines, as one man yelled to Newsday that “BWIA is the worst!” Another man, Shamudeen, an American Airlines passenger, said that he travelled to Guyana with BWIA for this holiday period, and was appalled at the service. He said that while flight delays sometimes cannot be helped, some form of compensation such as refreshments, or even a phone call during the delay could ease the situation for many passengers. In spite of all this, there remained quite a few passengers who maintained their loyalty to BWIA.

In fact, while delayed BWIA passengers queued in the American Airlines line, a few loyal passengers lingered in front of the BWIA counter, opting to wait until 6.15 pm, the scheduled departure of the flight that was delayed since nine o’clock that morning. This hiccup in the airline’s flight arrangements adds to the troubles of the carrier, as there continues to be baggage delays, with people receiving rotting hams and turkeys when their baggage finally arrives, and whenever there is an increase in flights, the situation becomes worse. Prime Minister Patrick Manning last week called on BWIA to “buck up” or face the consequences.