The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce yesterday said that it was concerned about the recent delays and flight cancellations by American Airlines and it called the quality of service “untenable.”
In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry noted that on average 44% of flights from Guyana over the last six months have been delayed and at least two flights per month have been cancelled.
“The Government of Guyana has received numerous complaints about the manner in which customers are treated when there are cancellations,” it added.
Earlier this week, Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond, while responding to queries from this newspaper, said she was not aware of the issues passengers faced as her ministry did not receive any official complaints.
However, she urged customers to lodge official complaints with the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC).
“…if the passengers have a complaint they can send an email or reach out to the CCAC in their numbers. Whoever it is that is affected, we encourage them to come forward and make their complaint so we have a basis for an investigation,” the minister said.
However, this newspaper learnt that many of the affected consumers vented their frustration via telephone at the Office of the President. Efforts are now being made by the ministry to contact those persons and have them file complaints with the relevant authorities.
The ministry in its statement yesterday said while government is appreciative of the fact that the airline continues to serve the Guyana route, “this quality of service is untenable and not in keeping with government’s business, tourism and developmental agenda.”
The statement said that the government supports the airline operating in Guyana but stressed that poor treatment of passengers is unacceptable.
Several instances of passengers from the Corentyne area being forced to return home after turning up at the airport and spending hours awaiting a flight were brought to the attention of Stabroek News. They were not compensated by the airline.
The customers would go to the airports then spend hours waiting due to the flights being listed as delayed until they were inevitably cancelled.
In July, a Corentyne family of four travelling to Miami was forced to return home on two occasions before having the opportunity to fly.
In October, a woman from Number 60 Village Corentyne had to return home as her flight was cancelled and postponed to days later. The woman had to make alternative travel arrangements with another airline.
At the end of October Reuters reported that more than 1,739 flights were cancelled globally by the air service provider.
Airlines have been tight on staffing due to the coronavirus pandemic that drastically reduced demand for air travel. As normal life resumes, many are ramping back up.
The airline had offered voluntary leave to some employees to help weather the pandemic. It also furloughed 17,500 employees, though those people are now back to work, a company spokeswoman told Reuters.
