Regional air travel continues to be out of the reach of the common man as leaders continue to talk. It has gotten so bad that Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told WPG10 in an interview that if leaders don’t act, Grenada is prepared to lease two aircraft to ease travel woes for Grenadians.
Imagine having to fly to St Lucia in an emergency from SVG. The cheapest LIAT flight you can book will cost you E.C $1,401.07. But guess what? Yes, you are reading correctly. Travelling from Saint Lucia to New York, a five-hour flight will cost you E.C 1,120.00. This is absolute madness if you ask me.
Mitchell told WPG10 that the regional airline sector needs urgent fixing and that there needs to be more decisive movement on the issue before year-end.
“I have made it quite clear we have to put money, if not into LIAT 2020, if not Inter Caribbean, then some other vehicle that is prepared to fly; it is as simple as that,” Mitchell added.
So what drove Mitchell to that point? Maybe he has just realized that there are just a lot of talking heads in the region, or is it the agony of getting in and out of Grenada?
“The truth is we can’t get to Trinidad,” Mitchell told WPG10. Mitchell is correct, a look at LIAT’s website comes up empty. That’s right, no flights from Grenada to Trinidad. However, you can be sure there are flights to New York, Miami, and Toronto.
Let me not get so far and bring you back to St. Vincent. What about our flights?
SVG-Barbados-E.C $1.277.00
SVG-Grenada-E.C. $672.00
SVG-Trinidad, Sorry to burst the bubble, but LIAT has no flights. Mind you, these are all flights from LIAT, and some of the prices are based on whether the seating is regular, basic, or flexible. I will leave you to do your own research on the other carriers if you can find any.
So how about Caribbean Airlines from SVG to Trinidad?
That flight will cost you round trip E.C $1,418.00. Talk about breaking the bank. But wait, how about SVG to New York round trip and guess what, that’s a whopping E.C $2,055.00. Good luck with getting a loan.
In August, regional leaders met to discuss the situation regarding air transportation in the Caribbean amidst concerns that both regional and international travellers are finding it very expensive and difficult to commute.
Mitchell said then it was agreed that a consultant would be retained to provide advice to the heads of the region as to how we can address the critical need to have, particularly air transportation resumed at a level that existed prior to COVID-19.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their summit in Suriname in July had agreed on a new modern Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA) that will allow for a new framework within which air transportation will operate in the region.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, who had served as LIAT chairman, said that countries, particularly those in the Eastern Caribbean were being severely affected by the loss of thousands of seats “because LIAT, as it was, is no longer before us.
Let the talking continue!
