Luggage blues
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
December 23, 2004
`SHARING our warmth with the world’ is the motto of that longstanding airline of the Caribbean - British West Indies Airways (BWIA).
But those BWIA travellers here for days without their luggage and those stranded at other ports on their way here are not basking in the glow of that BWIA warmth right now.
Any warmth they have for BWIA at the moment must be red hot anger.
And they have every right.
Lost luggage and left behind luggage are the woes of travellers on airlines around the world but the Christmas story of BWIA passengers headed here is becoming too much of a horror.
From all accounts, the airline has not been able to cope with the influx of holiday travellers and it is not offering any satisfactory explanations to exasperated customers.
BWIA should by now have had enough experience of coping with the difficulties of travel at this peak season and avoid the pains of passengers getting to their destinations without their luggage.
The airline has done yeoman service to Guyana for years but its service on the lucrative Guyana leg has deteriorated.
The nightmares have been many for BWIA passengers coming here and it is time for the airline to take stock of its operations to and from Guyana.
About 70 passengers showed up at the BWIA office on Robb Street yesterday afternoon to voice their concerns that their luggage was still not here.
The angry group demanded to see BWIA Area Manager, Mr. Carlton DeFour who reportedly locked himself in his office and had them waiting for more than an hour.
Those passengers who received their luggage complained that some pieces were tampered with and they are counting their losses and seeking compensation.
One irate passenger said he came on a BWIA flight on Friday evening and it was only then he discovered that his luggage was not on the same aircraft.
"Because of my missing suitcases I missed a wedding and a funeral. I have no clothes and it has inconvenienced me a great deal and I have not been compensated", he added.
Another passenger told the Chronicle that he too has no clothes except for what he was wearing because he is still awaiting his luggage.
Hundreds of passengers heading here from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean for the Christmas holidays have been stranded by BWIA at various ports, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said on Tuesday.
The agency said that in a bid to address the problem, Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, Clement Rohee, spoke with Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, Kenneth Valley Tuesday morning.
In a telephone conversation, Minister Valley said a shortage of aircraft resulted in hundreds of passengers being stranded at various ports to Guyana, the agency reported.
Guyanese have had enough of this shoddy service and the Guyana Government should intervene to ensure something is done about this sad state of affairs.