Tobago tourism boss: Remove subsidies on domestic flights

TOBAGO Hotel and Tourism Association (THTA) president Reginald Mac Lean says subsidies should be removed from most Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) flights on the domestic route to facilitate greater efficiency on the airbridge.

He said removing the subsidy would be a way to address CAL’s existing booking system, which, he believes, is “damaging Tobago.”

Mac Lean, who was elected THTA president at the organisation’s AGM on April 8, used the $50 fee to change airline tickets as an example.

He told Newsday on May 17, “It stems from people blocking flights and the $50 change fee is not conducive to what happens. If you are a no-show for a flight, all it costs you is $50 to change the flight and that no-show could be for you, your wife and three children. So that is five seats you just blocked up that somebody coming to Tobago would have taken a room, a hotel, a guesthouse, a bed and breakfast and you messed that up.

“They need to put in a system where, if you don’t cancel your flight within 48 hours, your ticket becomes zero. It cannot be used again.”

Mac Lean claimed that Trinidadians who are unable to fly to Tobago or vice versa, at any given time, cannot even go online to cancel the booking to Tobago.

“It is almost impossible to cancel a flight. So again, seats are being tied up because people are not willing to make these changes.” Read More