Quoting 9YCAL (Reply 49):

Thanks, that clears it up.

GUYAIR707

About the DAE article published in the curacaochronicle mentioned earlier. Isn't this newspaper (online paper) owned by one of the DAE manager ? As A388 mentioned most if not all things mentioned in the article are not true. Oh well these managers had a good life sucking the company's funds dry and are now sore losers because it's over. Up to the next project.

Time to move on.

PS. sorry I reacted so late to this post, as I only read it today. Was busy working  

Quoting GoAibusGo (Reply 51):

"klopt" we could figure it out! DAE had a very aggressive expansion plan, we were all asking ourselves until when they'd keep expanding, I just feel bad for the employees.

Quoting andrefranca (Reply 43):

I assume that contact with the nearby Guyanas is responsible.

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 47):

What I find odd about DLs attack on BW is that they entered the JFK POS martket, basically as a scheduled charter carrier for Travelspan. Their fares were considerably lower than BWs. And yet they will now want to blame their departure from the POS market as "unfair" competition from a state owned carrier. Well how many state owned carriers do they not compete against on flights to Europe? I am sure that every one will be shocked to think that BW is this powerful entity (thanks to govt ownership) with the clout to bully DL.

The issue is pure bullyism. GEO is in a weird situation in that it has a different profile from the rest of South America (less high yield). It is further than most other Caribbean countries, and lacks a leisure sector. So is more exoensive to service.

It is also unknown to most Americans and as such I suspect that US airline execs do not know what to do with it. Is it a Caribbean destination, or is it South American? DL seizes on this opportunity and is attempting to bully GEO to forcing BW off the nonstops, knowing that GEO cannot leverage their behavior with an approcah to other US carriers as many other Caribbean countries can.. They enjoyed a sweet thing having the only nonstops to JFK from GEO and feel entitled to it. I will be interested in seeing DL attempting to bully the Jamaicxan govt that way pn their JFK MBJ routes.

This is why it is important for BW to get its act together and work with the authorities at Piarco to ensure that Guyanjese (and Surinamers) have a smooth intransit experience, equivalent to that offered by CM at PTY. If they work this out then maybe they can flesh out the hub by improving connectivity in certain underserved markets in eastern Venezuela and northern Brazil, all of which lack direct service to JFK and YYZ.

BTW BW also need sto up its promotion. Thanks to the US DOT rulling many Guyanese think that BW no longer offers nonstop service. Indeed this is due in part to the fact that the nonstops always book up, and so many are forced onto the flights with POS stops. So people think that these flights no longer exist.

It seems that there is some rumbling about air service to the Caribbean and GEO in particular. A few points.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 53): Well how many state owned carriers do they not compete against on flights to Europe? I am sure that every one will be shocked to think that BW is this powerful entity (thanks to govt ownership) with the clout to bully DL.

Actually not many major European carriers are state-owned anymore, particularly in the EU / EEA. In any case, if one looks at DLK, they're closely tied with several EU majors such as KL, AF and AZ via SkyTeam.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 53): The issue is pure bullyism. GEO is in a weird situation in that it has a different profile from the rest of South America (less high yield). It is further than most other Caribbean countries, and lacks a leisure sector. So is more exoensive to service. It is also unknown to most Americans and as such I suspect that US airline execs do not know what to do with it. Is it a Caribbean destination, or is it South American?

Therein is the problem, you've hit the nail on the head. GEO simply does not "network" in a way many other Caribbean destinations do. Those islands with large tourist industries do "network" as visitors may fly in from other cities to JFK or MIA to go down, particularly if they are frequent flyers with the airline concerned. Also, note that the USA has little in the way of dedicated holiday airlines which Canada and Europe have; such holiday airlines tend to fly to many destinations from smaller origin points thereby bypassing hubs. This sort of pattern is largely absent from the USA market. The business destinations like POS, KIN and to an extent BGI also "network" well. As a result of this, GEO is very much a stand-alone route and while smaller airlines like NA were able to work it the majors would have had difficulty operating and marketing such a route. The strength of BW in all their forms in GEO, notwithstanding some very unfortunate problems and unsatisfactory treatment which some experienced also militated against US carriers setting up shop in GEO.

Ultimately the question that anyone pondering this issue should ask him/herself is, DL pulled out because it was not profitable. If they were to return to GEO, what would prevent them leaving again? BW are very much a local carrier and are less likely to withdraw - if they did, pragmatically, where would they go instead?

Trintocan.

Quoting trintocan (Reply 54):

Neither BW nor GEO can survive without each other. Despite the frequent squabbles that the Guyana/Guyanese travelers and BW staff /management have with each other.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 55):

Yes, the same way it will be a disaster to the surinamese if PY ever ceases it's services, CAY poor little, we can't even talk, at least AF is doing it's share to keep them connected.

"Emergency landing for AA flight from T&T"

"KINGSTON—Authorities in Turks & Caicos say an American Airlines (AA) plane yesterday made a safe emergency landing there after the pilot reported a fire in the cockpit and a smoking engine. The British Caribbean territory's disaster office says there were no injuries to the 175 people aboard the Boeing 757. Representatives of American Airlines did not immediately provide comment."

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2013-...-23/emergency-landing-aa-flight-tt

Glad to hear everything turned out okay.

Liat's 4th ATR 72-600, V2-LIH has been delivered today, It should arrive in ANU over the next couple days.

Quoting BW424 (Reply 57): "Emergency landing for AA flight from T&T"

Was it 1818 Again? I am convinced that flight is jinxed.

Quoting yellowtail (Reply 59): Was it 1818 Again? I am convinced that flight is jinxed.

LOL....1818 has been re-number 2282 outbound from POS. Anyway, I'm not certain weather it's the morning 2282 (formerly 1818) or the afternoon 1653.

Quoting BW424 (Reply 60): LOL....1818 has been re-number 2282 outbound from POS. Anyway, I'm not certain weather it's the morning 2282 (formerly 1818) or the afternoon 1653.

Yes, AA has completely changed the flight numbers to/from CUR as well. I don't know what the reasoning behind these flight number changes is. In any case, they are doing pretty good on both daily flights to CUR.

A388

Quoting BW424 (Reply 60):

Its the morning flight, which ever flight # it is. Very good loads too for a mid week flight at this time of the year.

Quoting BW424 (Reply 60): I'm not certain weather

My apologies on the absolutely embarrassing use of the wrong word.......whether...that's what I get for posting while my attention is concentrated elsewhere.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 62): Its the morning flight, which ever flight # it is. Very good loads too for a mid week flight at this time of the year.

Thank you for the confirmation. AA has good loads year round on both MIA flights out of POS. Got to remember that MIA is still a big connecting hub for POS with pax headed to the West Coast and even Europe.

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 58): Liat's 4th ATR 72-600, V2-LIH has been delivered today, It should arrive in ANU over the next couple days. Blast Reality, Burst it into shreds! Banishment, This World!

Yup, landed in SLZ today. Should be in ANU tomorrow afternoon (25/10).

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 64):

So how many ATRs does LI now have? And are they being allocated to specific routes, or just flying randomly? DO)M seems to be getting a lot of ATR service.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 65): So how many ATRs does LI now have?

They have 5 including the one just delivered:

4 ATR 72-600s
1 ATR 42-600

There's currently one ATR 42 listed on order at the moment and will probably be the next one delivered.

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 66): They have 5 including the one just delivered: 4 ATR 72-600s 1 ATR 42-600 There's currently one ATR 42 listed on order at the moment and will probably be the next one delivered.

That was quick, seems it was yesterday they decided to get ATR'S or are we getting old too fast? LOL

Quoting andrefranca (Reply 67): That was quick, seems it was yesterday they decided to get ATR'S or are we getting old too fast? LOL

If I remember correctly, the order was signed early this year (probably around January I think) because I remember how shocked I was about the June delivery date.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 65): So how many ATRs does LI now have? And are they being allocated to specific routes, or just flying randomly? DO)M seems to be getting a lot of ATR service.

As stated above, 5 are now in the fleet with one more due in December. They are mostly sent "down south" ie south of ANU. In fact, every island between ANU and POS gets at least one daily ATR flight. It's also sent to CUR and SJU. The lone -42 is used "up north" operating 521/310/315/512 daily which is basically EIS/SXM/SKB/ANU and return. A few ad hoc flights were operated to SDQ and GEO. The -72 is currently unable to operate into OGL (paperwork issue, not field performance related).

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 68): If I remember correctly, the order was signed early this year (probably around January I think) because I remember how shocked I was about the June delivery date.

Correct, but LI and ATR were in cohorts long before.

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 69):

Hopefully the OGL problem is solved soon as the dash 8 isnt enough since the began service to that airport.

Have they stopped doing OGL?

Quoting guyanam (Reply 70): Hopefully the OGL problem is solved soon as the dash 8 isnt enough since the began service to that airport. Have they stopped doing OGL?

Oh no, OGL is doing quite well, even during off peak. In fact, during summer and coming up in December, LI adds an evening BGI-GEO and subsequent morning GEO-BGI flight. Ideally these flights should be operated to OGL, but logistical problems again prohibit that. Perhaps in the future.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 70):

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 71):

Glad to hear OGL is so much more convenient.

GUYAIR707

Quoting guyanam (Reply 62): Its the morning flight, which ever flight # it is.

that would have been the old delay prone 1818.....leopard never changes his spots.

Quoting yellowtail (Reply 73): that would have been the old delay prone 1818.....leopard never changes his spots.

I have probably taken that flight about 20 times in the past 4 years and I don't remember a single delay on it.
But I think I've been lucky over the years with flights!
Will be on the AA morning flight on Nov. 9th (AA2282).

AA1818

Quoting aa1818 (Reply 74):

can't say the same  

on NK I had an aborted take off due to computer berserk in the middle of the runaway: Panic.
on AK a lady had a heart attack on board we had to land in the middle of alaska and wait on the tarmac for the ground crew to prepare a new flight plan etc...
on UA another aborted take off due to lightning we had to return to the gate.
on B6 air traffic controllers went on strike we had to return to the gate and had the flight cancelled.

After the second time I flew Air jamaica, it ceased ops
After the second time I flew dutch antilles express it ceased ops
After the second time I flew TACA they were taken by Avianca and disappeared

I flew it 8 times...problems / delays all 8 times. Ditto for my wife. She was on the one that had the nose wheel stuck in POS.

Quoting andrefranca (Reply 75): After the second time I flew Air jamaica, it ceased ops After the second time I flew dutch antilles express it ceased ops After the second time I flew TACA they were taken by Avianca and disappeared

So I guess the rule is you should only fly airlines once.

Quoting aa1818 (Reply 74): I have probably taken that flight about 20 times in the past 4 years and I don't remember a single delay on it.

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 71):

OK. I was worried when you said that they sometimes use the ATR, but that it couldnt land at OGL, at least for the time being. OGL is a god send. I expect LI to start POS OGL, unless BW beats them to it, once their refleeting is completed.

Quoting yellowtail (Reply 76):

Why is a flight which begiins its day with a fresh crew so consistently late?

I can see that being true of the afternoon flight, which might encounter delays as it arrives in MIA, from some other point, and then proceeds to POS, prior to its return flight to MIA. Either the plane or crew might be delayed in this case causing consistent late departures from POS.

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 69): As stated above, 5 are now in the fleet with one more due in December. They are mostly sent "down south" ie south of ANU. In fact, every island between ANU and POS gets at least one daily ATR flight. It's also sent to CUR and SJU. The lone -42 is used "up north" operating 521/310/315/512 daily which is basically EIS/SXM/SKB/ANU and return. A few ad hoc flights were operated to SDQ and GEO. The -72 is currently unable to operate into OGL (paperwork issue, not field performance related).

That's correct V2-LID has been passing thru SKB almost daily for the past 2-3wks. It seems odd though that the ATR's spend at least 30min or more on the ground whereas the 8's are in and out in about 15min time. I've also noticed the flights operated on the ATR arriving as much as 2hrs late. Why is this so?

[Edited 2013-10-25 17:29:11]

Quoting LimaFoxTango (Reply 71): Oh no, OGL is doing quite well, even during off peak. In fact, during summer and coming up in December, LI adds an evening BGI-GEO and subsequent morning GEO-BGI flight. Ideally these flights should be operated to OGL, but logistical problems again prohibit that. Perhaps in the future.

Yes, I've heard of the logistical problems. The ground service @ OGL is provided by indigenous and profitable bush-flying carrier TransGuyana. From my friends at TGA, they said the trial LI DHC8 flight was a mess in terms of their organization and flow. Even after LI started regularly scheduled flights there, TGA were still ironing out all the logistical issues as they never dealt with an aircraft with that many passengers in the past.

Currently, from what I'm hearing, TGA and OGL seem to be handling the daily flight well now.

[Edited 2013-10-25 18:14:00]

Quoting 8b775zq (Reply 78):

8b775zq, the longer handling time and the longer delays probably have to do with the ATR being a totally new aircraft for LIAT and their handling agents. We also experience longer delays here in CUR of two hours or more at times. Over time all these things will be ironed out throughout the if network and everything will be running normally again. I expect one year for them to get a full grip on the ins and outs of the new ATR.

A388

ArkeFly expands to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao
ArkeFly will start flying to Curacao with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in July of next year. This is according to a report from the company. With the advent of the new aircraft, the company also extends the number of seats available to the ABC islands.

The Dreamliner is manufactured by Boeing and is a more efficient plane than the Boeing 767-300 which is currently being used by the company. The Dreamliner is also equipped with more long-haul flights. Arkefly currently flies seven times a week in Curacao.
http://www.curacaochronicle.com/avia...ands-to-aruba-bonaire-and-curacao/

Bahamas airport completes overhaul
"After four years and $409 million spent, the renovation and expansion of Lynden Pindling Airport in Nassau, Bahamas, is finished.
With the final bolt in place, the ribbon was cut on Oct. 23 to open a 105,000-square-foot terminal for domestic flights and international departures.
A terminal for U.S. departures opened in March 2011, followed by an international arrivals terminal in October 2012."
http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-N...ahamas-airport-completes-overhaul/

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 81): Bahamas airport completes overhaul "After four years and $409 million spent, the renovation and expansion of Lynden Pindling Airport in Nassau, Bahamas, is finished. With the final bolt in place, the ribbon was cut on Oct. 23 to open a 105,000-square-foot terminal for domestic flights and international departures.

New Airport   

Now I want to know when Air Bahamas will expand to the caribbean/central/south america? They seem to have the same Bajan behavior, "there's only market in the USA" (period).

Quoting guyanam (Reply 77): I can see that being true of the afternoon flight, which might encounter delays as it arrives in MIA, from some other point, and then proceeds to POS, prior to its return flight to MIA. Either the plane or crew might be delayed in this case causing consistent late departures from POS.

Its always been technical issues when I have had delays on it.....windshield wipers, engine refusing to start, blown fuse etc etc.

Quoting andrefranca (Reply 82): New Airport

It is very nice.

So my mum just took a flight to BGI on one of Liat's new ATRs (V2-LIC). She enjoyed it and describe it as a real upgrade for Liat. Something positive for LI for once   

"Increased Tourists from Suriname and Brazil in CUR"

Quote: WILLEMSTAD – The number of tourists, who in the first eight months of the year came to Curaçao, has increased by 13,000. This was announced the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB). In total there were at that time nearly 290,000 tourists who came the island. They accounted for more than two million overnight stays. However, there were a lot less tourists from Europe, but that loss was offset by an increase in the number of tourists from North and South America. They came mainly from Suriname and Brazil.

Source: http://www.curacaochronicle.com/tour...tourists-from-suriname-and-brazil/

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 84):

I think many would agree. From all Ive spoken to, have not heard one negative comment yet.

Quoting 8b775zq (Reply 78):

In all fairness, LI had 25+ years to perfect the Dash 8 turnouaround. ATR wise, It's taking a while for ground staff to become au fait with the aircraft. A little too long IMO. Turnaround times are upwards of 25 minutes, but are getting better in some stations.

Anyone know how Aruba Airlines is doing?

"AJW Aviation to Provide Power-by-the-hour Support for Caribbean Airlines' Fleet of 15 B737NGs"

"Miami, 29th October 2013: Caribbean Airlines has signed a second power-by-the-hour contract with AJW Aviation, the leading independent complete aircraft spares support specialist, to support its fleet of fifteen B737NGs. This new contract complements the existing five year PBH support that AJW currently provides for the airline’s two B767 aircraft, signed in November 2012.

Caribbean Airlines, the national airline for Trinidad and Tobago, began operations in January 2007 and acquired the routes operated by Air Jamaica in May 2011. It now serves sixteen markets in the Caribbean, South America and North America, operating a core schedule of 530 weekly departures with a total fleet of 21 aircraft and a headcount of more than 1,000."

http://www.aviationpros.com/press_re...bbean-airlines-fleet-of-15-b737ngs

Seems BW has switched from Boeing itself for its spare part inventory. I really do not know if this is a forward or backward step. For some reason, by gut says it is backward. Why switch from most likely the best inventory provider, the manufacturer? I know that cost comes into play, however, I do hope the same quality of service is provided.

Quoting BW424 (Reply 88):

Well 2014 is going to be a tough year for BW. In addition to not having the fuel subsidy they will face more intense competition on its FLL (into MBJ and POS) and JFK (into POS), from B6. Also FJ wil also provide competition on the YYZ KIN/GEO, assuming that the routes rights problem is resolved.


So concentrating suppliers in a cost effective manner might make sense. Apparently this company already handles the 767s.

One can only wonder what will happen on the FLL as BW reduced frequencies on that route, and will face even more intense competition on it next year.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 89): Well 2014 is going to be a tough year for BW. In addition to not having the fuel subsidy they will face more intense competition on its FLL (into MBJ and POS) and JFK (into POS), from B6. Also FJ wil also provide competition on the KIN/GEO, assuming that the routes rights problem is resolved.

More competition is very good, especially from the more established B6 and the current WS. It will give BW more of an impetus to get their financial act together and have it stay together. People like to say that BW isn't accustomed to competition. Truth be told, what got them into their monopolized position back in 2010-2012 was as a result of the prudent management of 2007-2010. In 2007, BW had to contend with TravelSpan, Constellation Travel and DL on JFK; AC, TS and Zoom on AA on MIA when they increased frequencies to a sometimes 3x daily service to push the very young new BW out of the South Florida market. Oh, and we cannot forget NK with their super cheap red-eyes to FLL on a 3x weekly basis. Suffice to say, BW handled itself well, but that was as a result of proper management.

The two-year period of complete executive level chaos that followed has caused people to be very discontent with the carrier and rightfully so, because chaos at the top will always eventually trickle down to the operational aspects of the company. B6's "all in" entry in early 2014 will be some nice solid competition for BW and like WS, I do not see them leaving anytime soon.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 89): So concentrating suppliers in a cost effective manner might make sense. Apparently this company already handles the 767s.

Then why they didn't go with Boeing for the 767 part solutions if they were already with them for the 738s? The 767 fleet is a fiasco...plain and simple. One of the 767s is in Ohio on heavy checks. This leaves just one in the operational fleet to do LGW and JFK rotations. What if it were to go tech? You see the problem it presents. I assume BW has contingency plans in place for the wet-leasing of a second widebody to cover such instances, but the reality remains, this is extra money being spent as a result of a very small sub fleet.

Quoting acws777 (Reply 87): Anyone know how Aruba Airlines is doing?

Possibly our Dutch Caribbean friends can find an answer for you. The company is very young so I doubt anyone has any concrete info on their operations at this early stage.

[Edited 2013-10-30 22:05:39]

Quoting BW424 (Reply 90): The two-year period of complete executive level chaos that followed has caused people to be very discontent with the carrier and rightfully so, because chaos at the top will always eventually trickle down to the operational aspects of the company. B6's "all in" entry in early 2014 will be some nice solid competition for BW and like WS, I do not see them leaving anytime soon.

Quoting BW424 (Reply 90): The 767 fleet is a fiasco...plain and simple.

I really wish Caribbean Airlines well as they once were the most profitable and well-run airlines in the Caribbean back in 2007. They were an airline that was admired at the time in my opinion so I really hope they will bounce back and become that efficient airline they once were in 2007 and I say this with Caribbean Airlines keeping those widebody aircraft  

Quoting BW424 (Reply 90): Possibly our Dutch Caribbean friends can find an answer for you. The company is very young so I doubt anyone has any concrete info on their operations at this early stage.

You are right my friend. I also don't know anything about this new airline other than that they started operation and their eventual plan is to fly to Brazil and the U.S. as well. They have two A320's if I remember correctly and they now fly to Venezuela and Panama. Whether they are profitable now I do not know and as you rightfully said, this airline still is in its early stage so I think it is too soon to say whether they are doing well or not. Most likely they are still running at a loss because they simply need time to have a smooth and efficiently running airline, both operationally and financially speaking. Any airline will have to go through this phase when just established. I am however happy to see them operate modern aircraft (A320) and I hope that one day Insel Air will also go in that direction. For now they are hooked on the MD80 as they will get another MD80 and a few Fokker 70's next year.

A388

By the way guys, I don't think it was mentioned here yet and it surprises me a bit but the FIFA Worldcup/Coca Cola MD80 will or should be in POS today. That is one very nice looking aircraft. It will be in Curacao tomorrow so I'm very much looking forward to it.

If anyone takes pictures, please share them here with all of us 


Cheers,

A388

Quoting BW424 (Reply 90):

While competition is good these markets are not growing. If BW had to cut its FLL POS to 4X and the FLL MBJ market isnt huge then how many passengers are there to share? B6 has an advantage of feed thru FLL so doesnt only have to rely on O&D business. Yes I know on the FLL MBJ NK is probably gone. I am curious about the FLL POS though.

I am not as concerned about the B6 entry into JFK as that route needs competition, with BW unable to cope with the peak loads. Also marketing pyschology suggests that if people fly BW because they WANT to (they can also fly B6) there wil be less resentment towards them than if they HAVE to (the current situation of offering the only direct service to JFK). There are enough passengers to share, especially as some probably use AA and might now shift over to B6.

Quoting BW424 (Reply 88): Seems BW has switched from Boeing itself for its spare part inventory. I really do not know if this is a forward or backward step. For some reason, by gut says it is backward. Why switch from most likely the best inventory provider, the manufacturer? I know that cost comes into play, however, I do hope the same quality of service is provided.

Not sure why this should be of a concern, AJW is one of the most respected supplier of parts logistics and MRO management around the world. They have over 800 clients which includes SQ, EK, QR, BA, LH nd many others. Actually in the same day Air New Zealand signed off on a similar agreement with them.
If they are offering the same solutions as Boeing (Which they have been doing for years) at a cheaper cost, any company would do the same.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 89): Well 2014 is going to be a tough year for BW. In addition to not having the fuel subsidy they will face more intense competition on its FLL (into MBJ and POS) and JFK (into POS), from B6. Also FJ wil also provide competition on the YYZ KIN/GEO, assuming that the routes rights problem is resolved.

Not sure how tough it will be, CAL has been seeing significant improvement in finances this year thus far and loads are high along with higher yields. For instance the airline this summer has said to made US$13m and September the airline made a decent profit for a low period. Last year the airline lost US$7m during the same periods.

B6 feeds little transfer between FLL and the Caribbean, not until the new Terminal 4 is completed anyways, and their proposed schedule shows that they are looking at the O&D market.
FLL is no MIA and likely will not be because of the constraint area in which it is currently in. Broward county is not looking to make the kinds of investments MIA did to attract international traffic, which will drive up cost at the airport significantly.

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 94): Not sure how tough it will be, CAL has been seeing significant improvement in finances this year thus far and loads are high along with higher yields. For instance the airline this summer has said to made US$13m and September the airline made a decent profit for a low period. Last year the airline lost US$7m during the same periods.

I think what guyanam wants to say is that Caribbean Airlines will get affected once JetBlue starts their flights. In your above post you're talking about the current situation. I can also see that Caribbean Airlines feel the JetBlue presence once they have started, especially since JetBlue has a much better inflight product that works very well, even if you have to pay for a lot of things on board. You also pointed out the JetBlue is probably aiming at O&D traffic which again is what guyanam is also saying. If this market indeed will not grow much in the coming years, than Caribbean Airlines will definately feel the pain as there will be a new player in town now and a very big and strong one. The good thing is that Caribbean Airlines will have to work on their service and pricing in order to effectively compete with JetBlue, especially on the golden route to JFK that so far is Caribbean Airlines territory. To think that an airline like American Airlines has decreased its presence due to the large and aggressive expansion of JetBlue to the Caribbean (even before their codesharing), tells you enough on what type of animal Caribbean Airlines will be facing starting next year. Even so, I wish them both all the best and as I said before I hope Caribbean Airlines will one day again be that successful airline they were back in 2007 and with widebody aircraft 

A388

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 94):

Remember that summer 2013 was an unusual year when BW had virtually no competition on the JFK GEO/POS routes. Come 2014 B6 enters and will be strong enough to have impact on yield, even if it doesnt on loads.

As to FLL. Remember that many West Indians who live there have strong ties to the NY area and use B6. B6 has emerged as the biggest carrier into KIN from FLL, will be into MBJ once they start. Given that BW has had to cut frequencies on the FLL POS to 4x, and will not keep the entire market to itself, it is indeed going to be interesting as to what will happen once this route has two carriers. FLL is more like JFK/YYZ, where most of the market is outbound to the caribbean rather than inbound from.

The pricing power that BW had in 2013 will not transfer over into 2014 because of increased competition with the entry of B6.

Quoting A388 (Reply 95):

Yes you got my point. .

Quoting guyanam (Reply 96): Remember that summer 2013 was an unusual year when BW had virtually no competition on the JFK GEO/POS routes. Come 2014 B6 enters and will be strong enough to have impact on yield, even if it doesnt on loads.

I know what you are saying, what I am saying is that the board of CAL is currently overseeing a significant number of cost cutting initiatives that have resulted in CAL becoming leaner and will continually improve the airline's bottom line. What you have not heard about is that the airline is actually putting plans in place for the competition. You have to also remember that CAL competes with BA, AA and WS and does fine with them there.
WS has not had any real effect on CAL and they are still commanding the higher fares on the route.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 96): As to FLL. Remember that many West Indians who live there have strong ties to the NY area and use B6. B6 has emerged as the biggest carrier into KIN from FLL, will be into MBJ once they start. Given that BW has had to cut frequencies on the FLL POS to 4x, and will not keep the entire market to itself,

There is a reason why, FLL is not MIA in that yields to FLL are much lower than that of MIA. CAL's flights to FLL do not attract the business clients that MIA has so the airline is forced cut back flights into FLL. If you looked at MIA flights the airline's business class is always 90% loads.
CAL can basically leave MIA at 50% loads but once Y is 90% the flight breaks even. Economy is just added profits for them.

B6 is proposing their E190 to POS, not sure how that would work out but they also know the market from FLL is small.

JFK however is much larger O&D market for Trinidad and Tobago, there is where we will see if CAL will adapt or B6 face a true competitor.

Quoting A388 (Reply 92): By the way guys, I don't think it was mentioned here yet and it surprises me a bit but the FIFA Worldcup/Coca Cola MD80 will or should be in POS today.

And in BZE next weekend!

Quoting A388 (Reply 91): I really wish Caribbean Airlines well as they once were the most profitable and well-run airlines in the Caribbean back in 2007. They were an airline that was admired at the time in my opinion so I really hope they will bounce back and become that efficient airline they once were in 2007 and I say this with Caribbean Airlines keeping those widebody aircraft

You got this very right. Since it is long gone now, I can say that the Bahamian Government did approach BW in late 2009/early 2010 to look at restructuring UP into a CAL subsidiary. I believe the Lok Jack board at that time said no (for the time being) because they had their hands full with jet fleet renewal plans and the JM acquisition.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 93): While competition is good these markets are not growing.

I beg to differ. The amount of pax travelling between POS and JFK/MIA/YYZ has steadily increased over the last decade due to more trade and wealth. This past summer was a very good indication of that. BW was running on restricted capacity with up to 30 weekly flights into JFK from POS, 14x weekly into YYZ and dailies into MIA/FLL. Though these markets are mature, they still haven't seen their peaks yet.

Quoting caribbean484 (Reply 94): Not sure why this should be of a concern, AJW is one of the most respected supplier of parts logistics and MRO management around the world. They have over 800 clients which includes SQ, EK, QR, BA, LH nd many others. Actually in the same day Air New Zealand signed off on a similar agreement with them. If they are offering the same solutions as Boeing (Which they have been doing for years) at a cheaper cost, any company would do the same.

I stand corrected. Thanks for the enlightenment on AJW and their reputation.

Quoting guyanam (Reply 96): The pricing power that BW had in 2013 will not transfer over into 2014

The pricing power BW had in summer 2013 wasn't due to them not wanting to add capacity. Because the Moonan board was fired and the mandate of the new board was to do a comprehensive financial diagnostic, they put a hold on all plans regarding routes and increasing frequencies until they completed their report. Hence, BW was inevitably capacity restricted to the detriment of of the travelling public.