Up to yesterday morning some 73 persons had made alternative arrangements to get their stranded children home from Cuba via the Jim Bacchus Travel Service though it was accused of botching the original bookings for 212 students.
Officials of the travel agency were still not available yesterday to comment on the complaints by parents.
However, Vibert Parvatan, Executive Director of the Laparkan Group of Companies, which is the parent company of the travel agency, told Stabroek News that the process of refunding sums paid for tickets started last Saturday and the service made special arrangements to accommodate persons. He said that up to yesterday morning 81 refunds totalling $12.8M were made. He said that the process is continuing and persons understand the situation.
The Executive Director said that besides persons seeking refunds, a number of them have been trying to make regular travel arrangements “which carries a higher cost”.
He said that up to yesterday morning, 73 persons had sought and obtained alternative routes on regular airlines. He noted that because of Carifesta no large number of persons can be taken on any flight. He asserted that all efforts were being made to assist students and their parents.
Parvatan, however, declined to comment on why parents had been assured that their children’s flight arrangements had been taken care of when in fact it had not been. He said that he could not comment because the manager of Jim Bacchus was not there. He also declined to comment on other aspects, when questioned.
It was anger and tears last Friday when parents of the students were informed that the arrangements for their children’s flight home had not been properly made as they had been assured. Some 212 students, who were returning home for the first time in two years, were affected.
Instead of all the students journeying to Barbados on one flight, as had been the understanding, it was discovered that arrangements had been made for them to travel in five batches. And while flights had been booked from Havana to Barbados, no arrangements had been made to get them from Barbados to Georgetown. The parents had paid $158,000 for each student.
On Saturday, some parents met with Public Service Minister, Jennifer Westford who reinforced the fact that there were no flights available and told them that arrangements were made for them to receive refunds from the travel service. (Gaulbert Sutherland)
