This week’s announcement that the CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC) has launched a market study to determine how persons in the region have been affected by flight disruptions arising out of the advent of COVID-19 could answer some questions about airline service standards that go beyond the pandemic itself.
While the study will seek to gather information on issues such as customer feelings on flight cancellation and refund policies, as well as experiences relating to claiming refunds on account of COVID-19-related cancellations, customer responses almost certainly, in many instances, will dwell on the wider issue of customer service woes particularly arising out of the entry into the regional market of small airlines not used to flying regional routes.
The online survey which reportedly targets customers in CARICOM member countries is reportedly available on the websites of participating national Competition and Consumer Authorities and Ministries responsible for competition and consumer protection in the various member states, The CCC study could raise issues that challenge the refund policies of privately-run airlines in the region, including Guyana, where numerous controversies have arisen between such companies and passengers arising either out of substandard passenger service or out of sudden and ill-explained flight cancellations. Some of the controversies which have involved significant numbers of airline users have, in the instance of Guyana, warranted the intervention of the local authorities to facilitate amicable settlement.
Stabroek Business understands that the CCC has already issued a questionnaire seeking to collect information from airline customers on these issues.
There have been suggestions that the completion of the study may be followed by a call from the CCC for changes in policies governing flight cancellations.
Substantively, the study was motivated by customers’ COVID-19-related flight cancellations, airline ticket pricing, as well as the legal and regulatory framework governing competition among airlines operating in the region and consumer protection issues affecting regional airline customers.
