American Airlines (AA) has apologised to the Guyana Government over a more than four-hour delay in the departure of a February 27 flight to Miami on which President Irfaan Ali was a passenger.
In a letter to Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and aviation officials, AA’s Regional Manager Rafael Sanchez and John B. Williams, International Government Affairs apologised for the inconvenience which was occasioned by the failure of the number one engine.</ p>
After the plane eventually left Timehri, AA apparently did not undertake the necessary steps to enable the expedited departure of the President and his delegation from Miami International Airport.
The officials stated in the letter of March 16, “Although we made arrangements on behalf of the President and his delegation, we failed to ensure this was communicated planeside on arrival in Miami. Our actions did not support an expedited departure from the Miami International Airport, nor did we convey directly to His Excellency that all arrangements were in place. We own this failure and have taken immediate actions to ensure it does not happen in the future”.
The letter also signalled changes in its local team.
“We have installed a new Regional Manager with oversight for Guyana and there will be changes within our local team. We have implemented a direct line of communication to headquarters, all hubs, and our operations centre which will ensure that the failures of February 27 are not repeated. Our government affairs manager and local management will provide the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the respective protocol offices with frequent updates should there be a flight delay or any issues in the future”, the letter stated.
AA flights to Miami have been lucrative as they have ferried hundreds of oil and gas workers and their families who fly from Houston, Texas to Guyana. AA now faces stiff competition for this route as Caribbean Airlines has started a direct flight between Timehri and Houston.
The text of the letter follows:
March 16, 2022
Hon. Bishop Juan A. Edghill
Minister of Public Works
Guyana Ministry of Public Infrastructure
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Egbert Field
Director General
Guyana Civil Aviation Authority
Mr. Ramesh Ghir
Chief Executive Officer
Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation
Dear Minister Edghill, Director General Field, and Mr. Ghir,
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to provide these details regarding American Airlines flight 1512 from Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) to Miami International Airport on Sunday, February 27, 2022. As you are aware, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, and other very important dignitaries were passengers on this flight.
Unfortunately, this flight incurred a delay of four hours and thirteen minutes due to a mechanical failure. The number one engine failed to start and remained unresponsive after the application of two air start units.
The captain in command of the flight made an announcement from the cockpit to all passengers on-board the aircraft at approximately 0745. The captain then proceeded to communicate directly with the President, where he offered an apology. The President requested to be deplaned at 0822 and this request was facilitated as quickly as possible.
The American Airlines General Manager at CJIA, Ms. Sacha Persaud, and the team of lead agents provided updates on the progress of the repairs to several airport executive management and liaisons and officials traveling with the President.
To minimize the delay, our local team at CJIA was in close contact with our operations centre in Fort Worth, Texas. They discussed several options to find an alternate aircraft to complete the flight while continuing to troubleshoot the mechanical issue on the ground. One viable option was given at 1012 to utilize the aircraft from the inbound New York-JFK flight. Ms. Persaud communicated this option to airport management. There was also a discussion about ferrying an aircraft from Miami in order to complete the flight should the on-ground troubleshooting not succeed, or if the JFK aircraft would not be able to complete the mission.
At 1058 we were able to successfully start the engine and the President and his delegation were informed. He requested to board last and this was facilitated.
All customers were provided with frequent updates, alternative booking options, and a customer service agent for queries. Our customer relations teams in Fort Worth and Phoenix were involved, and our automated customer recovery tools were activated.
Although we made arrangements on behalf of the President and his delegation, we failed to ensure this was communicated planeside on arrival in Miami. Our actions did not support an expedited departure from the Miami International Airport, nor did we convey directly to His Excellency that all arrangements were in place. We own this failure and have taken immediate actions to ensure it does not happen in the future.
We have installed a new Regional Manager with oversight for Guyana and there will be changes within our local team. We have implemented a direct line of communication to headquarters, all hubs, and our operations centre which will ensure that the failures of February 27 are not repeated. Our government affairs manager and local management will provide the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the respective protocol offices with frequent updates should there be a flight delay or any issues in the future.
American Airlines is proud to serve Guyana and we are committed to offering the best product and service possible, especially when welcoming someone such as His Excellency on-board our aircraft. We did not live up to that commitment and wholeheartedly regret and apologize for the inconvenience caused.
We remain available to you.
Sincerely,
Rafael Sanchez
Regional Manager
John B. Williams
International Government Affairs
cc: Andre Kellman, Director of Operations, CJIA
Jose Mario Giraldo, Managing Director, Mexico/Central America/Caribbean, American Airlines
