'Tis The Season - Caribbean Aviation Thread 103

A388 · Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:25 am

Quoting TriniA340 (Reply 98):
Probably SAS, since they are the flag carrier of Sweden, Norway & Denmark.

SAS doesn't do charter flights to the Caribbean. Thomas Cook Scandinavia, does.

A388

BW424 · Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:55 am

"Bad news this year, better news next year."

Those eight words pretty much sum up the past and future for Antigua-based regional carrier Liat, which expects to record a loss of $8.5 million in 2012.

LIAT seeks to end losing streak

On the brighter side, it projects a profit of $2.5 million in 2013 and $14.7 million by 2017.

CEO Ian Brunton and Chairman Jean Holder recently unveiled a new business plan to reverse the carrier's fortunes, a plan that includes revamping and downsizing its management structure to a team of six executives headed by the CEO and upgrading the fleet to 50-seat and larger turboprop aircraft.

The airline, which was established in 1956, making it the longest-surviving Caribbean carrier, has been in the red for several years, losing $7.4 million in 2010 and $15.8 million last year.

Brunton placed the blame on higher fuel costs, combined with lower passenger traffic and an aging fleet, plus high maintenance and employee costs."

http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-N...r-Liat-seeks-end-to-losing-streak/

LI is definitely the hottest item to look at in 2012. They project a profit for 2013 and really seem to be moving full speed ahead. Exciting to hear of "mid-size jets" to come way down the road. At least they appear to have their priorities set unlike other carriers.

http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-N...r-Liat-seeks-end-to-losing-streak/

"CAL Chairman: Don’t expect profit soon"

(Trinidad Express) Don’t expect national carrier Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to turn a profit within the next 24 months.

That’s the word from airline chairman Rabindra Moonan.

In an interview with the Sunday Express yesterday, Moonan said the airline had embarked on several initiatives to rationalise assets and turn CAL into a more efficient operation.

Even so, it will be a while before the airline can become a profitable enterprise.

“Caribbean Airlines is at present not performing above the line, but there are many reasons for this situation—funding for the ATR fleet and wet leases to adequately satisfy the demands of the traffic throughout the system are just two instances which have impacted the bottom line. Rest assured, however, that everything is being done to reverse the situation in the shortest possible timeframe,” he told the Sunday Express."

http://www.stabroeknews.com/2012/new...-chairman-dont-expect-profit-soon/

Another CAL article filled with half-truths and paltry facts/analysis by the speaking official. Imagine, this is what BW has descended to. We've gone from developing a respected sustainable and responsible corporate citizen of the Caribbean to a helter-skelter lease frenzy politically abused air taxi now featuring its own BIG planes (yay!) to bring in travellers to POS where gains will not immediately reflect positively on the airline balance sheet, but indirectly on the state's GDP......wow....how delightful (sarcastic tone). It burns my heart to see CAL in this state........but....bullsh### is bullsh###

A388 · Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:17 pm

Quoting BW424 (Reply 101):
and upgrading the fleet to 50-seat and larger turboprop aircraft.

Seeing is believing.

A388

andrefranca · Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:31 pm

Quoting BW424 (Reply 101):

I don't know how price sensitive caribbean people are, but have you checked LI prices recently? I had to cut by 3 destinations on my list cause they're just too expensive, I don't know where they expect to get if pax numbers keep dropping, saddly they know people don't really have a choice!

BW424 · Mon Dec 24, 2012 12:24 am

Quoting A388 (Reply 102):
Seeing is believing.

I agree. But, I still think LI should be give a good positive outlook as they are talking sense.

Quoting andrefranca (Reply 103):
I don't know how price sensitive caribbean people are, but have you checked LI prices recently? I had to cut by 3 destinations on my list cause they're just too expensive, I don't know where they expect to get if pax numbers keep dropping, saddly they know people don't really have a choice!

I hear your frustration. One thing that must be said is that Brunton himself has identified those challenges and what are creating those challenges. Rome wasn't built in one day and a new, mean and lean LI isn't any different. The first step to turning around the corner is recognizing your weak areas, their causes and tailoring a plan that can hopefully mitigate/eradicate those weak areas. I'd say look at LI about 2.5 yrs from now provided Brunton and management is allowed free and full reign over ops and hopes of reduced taxes materialize.

I remember when the new BW started, people were still in their backward mindsets about the carrier with all sorts of reasons why CAL wouldn't succeed. Albeit the current political climate that has ruined the carrier, BW was very successful up to that mid 2010 point. Everything takes time and personally, I'm seeing the right signs for a much better LI in the medium term.

guyanam · Mon Dec 24, 2012 8:27 pm

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 92):

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 93):

I assume the high density seating will be used. I get the impression that BA and VS attract a very different market. VS getting the more price conscious folks who dont want charters. BA the more upscale and the VFR. So as BA offers a premium product tosome islands like BGI and UVF/POS, I doubt that VS will

Quoting TriniA340 (Reply 98):

More likely a Scandinavian charter.

Quoting andrefranca (Reply 103):

There is a very boring and unending discussion by Caribbean govts about "high intra regional fares". What is not discussed is that 40% of this fare is due to taxes levied by these govts. While they scream at the UK govt for "stifling" travel between that country and the Cbn, they happily stifle intra regional travel by doing the same thing. SXM is a particularly bad example of this.

So what can be a lucrative market (multi destination tourism) by people originating from outside of the region is stifled. They all blame LIAT, but I am confident that if some one does an inflation adjusted fare comparison of current levels with 2000, one will note that fares (excluding taxes) have not significantly increased.

So people wanting to visit several Cbn islands, much as many visit several Hawaiian islands, or several European countries, cannot do so.

BW424 · Tue Dec 25, 2012 5:36 am

A very Merry Christmas to all our contributors and observers!!

817Dreamliiner · Tue Dec 25, 2012 1:19 pm

Quoting BW424 (Reply 106):
A very Merry Christmas to all our contributors and observers!!

Merry Christmas to you and everyone else!

Quoting guyanam (Reply 105):
I assume the high density seating will be used. I get the impression that BA and VS attract a very different market. VS getting the more price conscious folks who dont want charters. BA the more upscale and the VFR. So as BA offers a premium product tosome islands like BGI and UVF/POS, I doubt that VS will

While that may be true, i'll find it very strange if they didn't offer upper class on these routes, but who knows...

817Dreamliiner · Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:49 am

Just found this video of a CAL 767 doing a touch and go at ANU. Anyone know when this was and which aircraft (reg) it was?

http://youtu.be/SEVoSPuMqKs

caribbean484 · Wed Dec 26, 2012 3:22 am

Quoting BW424 (Reply 106):

Merry Christmas to everyone!! Got some snow out in Long Island last night and some more are likely tomorrow.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 105):
I get the impression that BA and VS attract a very different market. VS getting the more price conscious folks who dont want charters.

I get that impressions also, however it seems from the link in this forum VS will indeed reposition a 3 class A333 to service BGI from next year.

Quoting TriniA340 (Reply 98):

Quoting A388 (Reply 100):

I get the feeling that its Thomas Cook, it is indeed much needed lift for the winter and hopefully that they can convince VS to have 2w A333 from next winter.

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 108):

It was done in October I believe when they were doing transatlantic proving flights.

817Dreamliiner · Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:28 pm

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 109):
It was done in October I believe when they were doing transatlantic proving flights.

Interesting, thanks.

Read this from a thread in this forum, I assume this is the same thread 484 was referring to:

Virgin LGW Fleet Update (by cipango Dec 25 2012 in Civil Aviation)

Quoting sevenheavy (Reply 5):
G-VINE will be reconfigured in March, in time for operating trips to BGI throughout the summer. G-VKSS and G-VSXY will be reconfigured in September and October. They will then be rotated between LHR and LGW on higher yielding routes to the Caribbean as well as LHR to JFK/ORD/BOM/DEL/IAD/BOS/MIA

LimaFoxTango · Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:23 am

Dominica becomes LIAT shareholder

ROSEAU, Dominica, Dec 28, CMC – Dominica will attend its first shareholders meeting of the regional airline, LIAT, on Friday after making an initial payment of three million dollars (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) to the cash-strapped Antigua-based airline, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced.

Skerrit along with financial secretary Rosemund Edwards are attending the shareholders meeting in Barbados.

Prior to his departure, Prime Minister Skerrit defended the decision to put funds into the airline, whose other shareholder governments are Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados.

“The government of Dominica has made a payment to LIAT in the amount of three million dollars that will go towards our contribution and participation in the redevelopment of LIAT.

“As we have maintained we see this as an important venture. We recognise that LIAT itself has certain challenges, but the question is which airline in the world does not and we believe from a government standpoint we are looking at a wider benefit of LIAT to Dominica and the wider Caribbean,” Skeritt said.

Prime Minister Skerrit, who has promised to address the nation on the issue, said Dominica regards the investment in LIAT as a means of “safeguarding and protecting the investments the government has made in tourism ....”

“So Dominica shall attend the shareholders meeting in Barbados on December 28 and so we will be able to sit on board and assist with the continued presence of LIAT flying into Dominica and the wider region,” he added.

Earlier this month, LIAT unveiled a new business plan it said would help reverse an EC$43 million loss last year while projecting a two per cent profit in 2013.

Recently appointed chief executive officer Ian Brunton said that the airline is expected to record EC$23 million in losses at the end of this year.

“The projections show strong revenues and significant bottom line improvement. LIAT is projected to reverse its current losses and record a profit of EC$7 million in 2013 and by 2017, profits in excess of EC$40 million are projected,” said Brunton, who noted that since 2009, the airline has had to deal with high fuel costs and lower passenger traffic that has seriously affected its finances.

In 2010, LIAT recorded losses of EC$20.2 million, which increased to EC$43 million in 2011 “largely driven by higher fuel costs combined with lower passenger volumes”.

http://www.nationnews.com/articles/v...dominica-becomes-liat-shareholder/

LimaFoxTango · Sun Dec 30, 2012 2:29 pm

LIAT given green light to purchase new aircraft

Shareholder governments of the regional airline, LIAT, have given the green light to plans to renew the airline’s aging fleet and the expansion of its operations.

The shareholders-St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda- met here on Friday and according to St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, part payments have already been made for the new planes.

“We have made some payments already some shareholder governments towards the fleet renewal and the idea is to have a mix of 48 and 68 seaters between next year and 2014,” Gonsalves said, adding LIAT was also looking at a mixture of purchasing and leasing the French-made aircraft.

“We have given a tentative yes to the board exploring a jet service beyond the 68 seaters and we are looking for strategic partners in that regard,” he added.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer described the meeting as “a sort of watershed if you like in the history of LIAT in the sense that we have now come to terms with the fact that LIAT is a living organism in this region and in order for us to become or remain relevant and to be able to deliver the service for this region then we have to move in a particular direction”.

Dominica which recently became the fourth major shareholder of the Antigua-based regional airline defended its decision to pump millions of dollars into the cash-strapped company.

“I have asked those who criticise us to close their eyes for a few seconds and picture LIAT not flying to Dominica for one day, not for one week, for one day and one can appreciate the implications for our economy whether it is bringing people into Dominica or getting people out of Dominica or getting our agricultural produce out of Dominica.

“The Dominica government recognises that we cannot continue only having Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines carrying the weight of this very important element of the economy,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said.

Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, said his island is committed to the efficient functioning of LIAT and that his administration would make sure that opportunities for wastage were minismised and that the airline remained viable.

“And, it can only remain viable if it is financed, and Barbados, therefore, has had no difficulty in committing itself to that course of action. So, as the largest shareholder at the present time we felt that it was our duty to live up to our regional obligations and we are doing just that,” he added.

“LIAT, over the last 56 years has contributed in no small way to the deepening of the regional integration movement, making regional integration not an abstraction but a lived experience for the people of the Caribbean.

“And, since Barbados has always been in the forefront of promoting regional integration, of course we have a natural attachment to LIAT and its success,” Stuart said.

Recently appointed chief executive officer, Captain Ian Brunton, said a decision had been taken to reduce the “number of airplanes that we are going to immediately purchase to five” resulting in a savings of millions of dollars.

“We are definitely getting four starting somewhere between May or June 2013 but we are looking to change the entire fleet and have 12 new airplanes by the end of 2014,” he said, adding that the company has negotiated a commercial loan “that will be very favourable because of the significant developmental effort that LIAT makes in the region” in order to carry out its expansion plans.

LIAT flies to 21 destinations in the region and has 1,000 flights weekly.

http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=85728

andrefranca · Sun Dec 30, 2012 2:48 pm

I'm surprised to see that at least on this matter, some caribbean nations are getin' together! this is the chance to LI recovers itself, now more than ever no time for silly mistakes!

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 112):
“And, since Barbados has always been in the forefront of promoting regional integration, of course we have a natural attachment to LIAT and its success,” Stuart said.

OHHHH REALLY? Are your immigration officers at BGI aware of this Mr. Stuart? haaaammmm waaaait... eehmmm better stay quiet otherwhise they'll fingerape me! LOL

turk223 · Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:47 am

Not a very profound addition to the forum, but just gotrback from a trip back home and got to fly Caribbean's ATR POS-BGI-POS; really impressed with the whole thing from the service at check-in, on-board, and the punctuality! However, I can't imagine a drinks serrvice would be a bad idea... Caribbean is a very different animal from the BWIA I remember!

BW424 · Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:23 am

Quoting turk223 (Reply 114):
Not a very profound addition to the forum, but just gotrback from a trip back home and got to fly Caribbean's ATR POS-BGI-POS; really impressed with the whole thing from the service at check-in, on-board, and the punctuality! However, I can't imagine a drinks serrvice would be a bad idea... Caribbean is a very different animal from the BWIA I remember!

Glad to hear you had a good experience. Nowadays, it's a hit and miss with their service. Sometimes they are on point and other times they leave a lot to be desired; all symptoms of almost non-existent executive team. But kudos to CAL for making your trip an enjoyable one.

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 111):
Dominica becomes LIAT shareholder

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 112):
LIAT given green light to purchase new aircraft

Appreciate the articles LFT! I'm glad to see a territory realizing the importance of LI to its economy and tangibly contributing to its survival. So by May/June 2013 they sould have 4 new ATRs or is it when they plane to start receiving them? Either way, I would imagine flight crews being removed from the roster as we speak to start initial training on the ATRs.

A388 · Wed Jan 02, 2013 1:47 pm

Hello All,

First of all, Happy New Year. May we all have a prosperous 2013!!! Due to fatherhood, I'm not going through the forum that much anymore but here are my latest photos added to the database (some of them have been on the site for some time now though):

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Click here for bigger photo!