LIAT, we need better service

Editor: For the past 10 years I have been travelling with LIAT, but on December 19, last year, I checked in at the LIAT counter in SVG to board my flight 332 scheduled to leave at 2:55 p.m. with connecting flight to Montreal. I never left SVG until 4:35 p.m. that same day, an hour and 30 minutes late. {{more}}

My connecting flight out of Barbados was at 5:45 p.m. and knowing it’s about 40 minutes by air to Barbados, 10 minutes to clear immigration, 10 minutes to get my luggage and 15 minutes to get through customs and reach the other airline counter.

Mr. Editor, you can see that if I leave at 4:35 p.m. in SVG and my next flight is at 5:45 p.m., there is no way I can make it to the Air Canada check point to connect with my onward flight, looking at how I breakdown the time I have.

When we finally landed in Barbados a ground crew from LIAT arrived at the plane calling for persons with onward connections (specifically Air Canada) to follow her. To my surprise the LIAT rep took us from where we’d arrived straight out on the air strip without checking into the Air Canada desk to get our boarding passes. When we arrived on the airbus with no boarding pass the captain had no other choice but to refuse us. We had to get off the plane, which was the only flight to Montreal from Barbados that day. I was surprised at the type of accommodation they provided, which was way beyond my expectation. Kudos to you LIAT, but that doesn’t mean you give a 100 per cent service; don’t be fooled.

On Monday 20, I checked in at Air Canada and to my surprise LIAT had FAILED to make the necessary arrangements to rebook my flight. Eventually that was taken care of and I finally got my boarding pass. Air Canada’s three o’clock flight never left until 6:45 p.m. because of bad weather in Toronto; our next connecting flight from Toronto to Montreal had left by the time we arrived and that was the last flight until the next day to Montreal, Tuesday.

All because of you I finally arrived at my destination very late.

So Mr. LIAT, with all the hustle and bustle you put me through, I want you to promise us (Caribbean nationals and visitors) that with all of the taxpayers money you collect from our country/countries:

PLEASE GIVE US A BETTER SERVICE. YOU ARE MESSING UP too much NOW, LIAT.

Roy Mack