Eastern Caribbean Aviation

[tropical wave]

I know the alliance between BWIA/LIAT is on hold due to the Trinidad Gov not having controll [private shareholders asking a high price] of BWEE.Liat's finances, in the mean time, is becoming critical.TABEX pilots are at long last, standing up for their rights.C/Star's marketing is really good.....and they have deep pockets.Does anyone have good info [not rumours] on the BWIA/LIAT alliance ???? The Caribbean airlines MUST come closer i they intend to survive...even with Gov help.

[tropical wave]

WOW...27 'VIEWS' and not a reply......

[cordy]

This is the first time I saw this posting and it is the first reply. Yes you should be suprise that hardly anyone reply to the posting, I submited 2 postings and only got 1 reply. Do you think that people are sceared to say things or they can't be bothered to reply to postings? All the best in your furture postings.

On your subject I realy do not have any info on the merger between Bwee and LIAT, to tell you the truth I realy think it is a bad move for the 2 of them, because if 1 goes down it will drag the other and we can't afford that in th EC. We need a lot of compition so that the consumers have good choices and people need employment.

4 years ago the O.A.S. did a series of serveys and came up with the conclusion that air travel in the Caribbean and Laten America was expected to quaddrupel in the next 20 years.

[flufdriver]

As a strong proponent of Caribbean airline integration, who has expended considerable energy on the idea, I can tell you that it is a herculean task to just try and get "the powers that be" to eventhink in those terms.

Everybody is afraid that they may loose their "special" priviledges if there was a no-nonsense business approach to the regions Air-transportation needs.

Since I am not a big-shot with a directly vested interest, I'll save my strength for more promising activities, (which could be almost anything)

Good Luck!

[sandy helmet]

There will never be one regional airline in the Caribbean for the same reason that there was never a functioning federation - too much insularity and parochialism, with a generous helping of self-interest thrown in. Just take a look at what is going on between Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana, and you'll see why.
Not to mention all the top level management with their fingers in pies etc etc. (Catering companies, outsource companies etc etc)
As for 'survival ' of the individual airlines - I don't believe you will ever see LIAT, BWIA or Air Jamaica ever go under, despite how much fiscal or other mismanagement may go on. Its too political.
Ooh have I said too much?
I hope I don't lose my job.