Fire trucks welcoming the inaugural direct flight of LIAT from Barbados to Beef Island yesterday June 1, 2016. Photo: VINO

Head of Sales and Marketing at LIAT Egbert M. Riley. Photo: VINO

Outgoing passengers make their way to board the LIAT flight to Barbados yesterday June 1, 2016. Photo: VINO

Persons boarding the LIAT flight yesterday June 1, 2016, for Barbados. Photo: VINO

He was speaking to media personnel yesterday June 1, 2016 on the arrival of the inaugural direct non-stop flight from Barbados to Beef Island. The new flight will be three days a week; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“One of the reasons that we decided to do this is because we wanted to increase demand for the flight, even though it is a direct flight from Barbados to Tortola our major markets are St Vincent, Grenada, St Lucia and Guyana,” he said.

According to Riley, the flight time is as such that it allows for easy connections, thereby reducing the number of hops to Tortola, so it is beneficial for the Diaspora getting back to the south and those from the south getting north as well.

Riley said the decision to add the two-hour non-stop flight was a two-fold one. “We did do some research and recognised that this is a market that LIAT needed to be present in but one of the things that impacted the decision is the reality for aviation and the airline industry.”

He said LIAT's major challenge is that it has a very difficult job. “We have to transport passengers from very small markets to very short destinations. That means we're up and down... it is not easy on the aircraft and means it is also relatively expensive with regards to fuel,” he said.

Riley noted that in addition to the demand for this relatively long haul direct flight from Barbados, it was recognised that it is better for the aircraft and better for fuel consumption. He said the service is affordable within the price constraints that the airline is working with.

'It is a challenge'

When asked about the constant complaints that persons bombard LIAT with regarding unreliability of departure and arrival times and poor service, Riley said it is something that the aircraft acknowledges but noted that they are getting better.

“We have nine aircraft and 18 destinations. The markets are small so we just can't do two destinations per day per aircraft. That being said, it makes the network complex...if for whatever reason there is a delay in a segment it means that can have a domino effect right down. We are all Caribbean people and you know how seriously we take safety. If there is the slightest hint of the possibility of something being wrong LIAT is going to address that,” he said.

Riley acknowledged that things do go wrong and the airline does not always handle those situations in the best way possible. “But I can say that the team at LIAT tries to make the best decision that they can at that time,” he said, noting that the airline is in the process of restructuring with a view to making better investment and offering an improved service.

On time

While members of the media were told of a 2:25 pm arrival time yesterday, the aircraft arrived just about 5 past 2:00.
Riley explained that because of the longer duration of this flight the number of things that can go wrong was reduced resulting in an on time departure and arrival.

He said LIAT often gets negative press but noted that in the scheme of things the airline is not doing too badly. “We are not doing as good as we can and we should but I do know that LIAT is family and sometimes it is easier to pick on family and I do know that we have been around for 60 years which is a long time. I also know that many airlines said that we will come and do it better and they came and they have left. We are trying. We appreciate the patience of the public but I know that we will get there,” he said.