Could this be the week of the long-awaited announcement on the possible purchaser(s) of cash-strapped Air Jamaica, the government-owned national carrier? The March deadline for that news came and went with no official comment except that a new deadline had been set for June 30. A rumor fleetingly surfaced some weeks ago that both British tour operator Thomas Cook and Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines were potential acquisition partners, but that disappeared faster than a Red Stripe at a reggae concert. Meanwhile, losses now total more than $600 million, and the carrier has cut dozens of jobs and eliminated its Miami, Atlanta and Los Angeles routes.
Many people were surprised to hear that Carnival Corp. chief Micky Arison had joined the Sarah Palin-bashing brigade. According to reports, during a press conference aboard the newly launched Seabourn Odyssey, Arison told reporters that Palin "needs to concentrate on Alaska and stop running for president." So what is it that Palin did to earn Arison's ire? It's not clear, especially since Arison donated $3,000 to the Alaska Republican Party in November 2008, according to campaign finance records. But one answer might be that Palin is the missing "leadership" Arison has referred to when he's said that the industry has unsuccessfully "tried everything we can to get leadership in Alaska to address the issue" of the state's onerous $50 head tax.
So what's up with the long-talked-about $200 million cargo-cruise port development project in George Town, Grand Cayman, that trumpeted four new cruise ship berths, including two $80 million berths for Royal Caribbean's gigantic, 5,400-passenger Oasis-class ships, at the existing Royal Watler Terminal? A memo of understanding, signed a year ago between the government and the project developer, has gathered dust but not much else. Public hearings were held, with many residents voicing concerns about the environmental impact and increased traffic congestion in the downtown area. Power changed hands in May following national elections, which might signal activity of some kind in the near future. Time's a-wastin'. Those Oasis-class ships set sail in December.
