Dear Editor,
Please permit me to express my concern and get answers on a matter in which I strongly believe that I am being treated unfairly by the Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), formerly BWIA.
I became a frequent flyer in 1996 with BWIA, and ever since I have ensured that when travelling I use that airline since there were benefits to be derived. I received tickets on several occasions to travel to destinations based on miles accumulated over time. The last time I received a ticket was 2010. On June 16, I approached CAL to be updated on my status to get a ticket to travel; I gave my membership card 1302777, and after checking I was informed by the clerk that I had enough miles to get a return ticket GEO to JFK. The clerk gave me some numbers to call Caribbean Airlines Call Centre where I would get information on the taxes I need to pay, after which I would return to pay. Needless to say I was elated until I made the call, only to be told “You don’t have any miles; your account is dormant.” I was amazed and questioned this, indicating that I should have been informed if this was to happen. I used the service to JFK in 2011, 2012; in 2013 to Jamaica and 2014 to Miami. In the case of all the tickets I received I used my membership card to check in so that the miles will be recorded, and there was no indication during those check-ins that my card had become dormant.
I would be grateful if some official from CAL could inform me as to when this new policy came into effect, and what really happened to my miles. Why wasn’t I informed? Was it given to someone else? I need to get my miles restored. The other news was that there are no discount fares for seniors; you have to pay full fare. I will have to now review using this airline since these actions seems discriminatory and not friendly to my family and myself.
Yours faithfully,
Hazel Halley-Burnett
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Caribbean Airlines for any comment they might wish to make.
