Jagdeo's comments come amid ongoing discussions with officials of Caribbean Airlines, which maintains that its airfares are not discriminatory and that recent price hikes do not apply to Guyana alone.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Bharrat Jagdeo administration says it is determined to break the ‘unconscionable” air service monopoly that currently exists between Guyana and Trinidad, as it continues to point the accusing finger at the Port of Spain-based Caribbean Airlines.
“At the Cabinet we discussed this matter again and this unconscionable monopoly on increases in fares, particularly by Caribbean Airlines, where you pay sometimes more to travel from Guyana to Trinidad and Tobago than people pay from Trinidad and Tobago to get into the US simply is not sustainable,” the President warned this week.
“If the argument by Caribbean Airlines and the others is that they have to charge lower fares from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados into North America because they have competition there then we can operate a shuttle to these two countries so that our people can have cheaper fares there too,” he added.
Jagdeo also hinted again at the strong likelihood of increased competition on the Port of Spain-Georgetown route, saying the local economy is now in a much better position than it was at the time when the operations of Guyana Airways Corporation, which had employed over 500 persons with one chartered plane, were made defunct.
His comments come amid ongoing discussions with officials of Caribbean Airlines, which maintains that its airfares are not discriminatory and that recent price hikes do not apply to Guyana alone.
The airline is expected to publish an advisory for passengers shortly apprising them of airfares, including taxes and will be monitoring the situation with the Guyanese authorities to ensure that passengers are not exploited, Manniram Prashad, the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce reported following recent talks with the airline.
The meeting resulted from complaints by passengers that it costs over US$300 to fly from Guyana to Trinidad, which is more than the price of a ticket from Trinidad to New York.
