Liat and Caribbean Star's combined flight
schedules took effect Feb. 1 in a key step toward finalizing the
proposed merger of the two carriers that will be called Liat-The
Star of the Caribbean.
Top executives of
both carriers were present at airports to greet passengers and
provide customer assistance to facilitate the
transition.
Mark Darby, CEO
of Liat, said that "teams from both Liat and Caribbean Star have
worked feverishly over the past few weeks to ensure that a smooth
transition takes place. We're looking forward to the benefits this
alliance will bring to our customers, staff and
shareholders."
The commercial
agreement means that the flights of both airlines will be marketed
as Liat and identified by the LI airline designator although some
planes will clearly be branded as Caribbean Star. Both Liat and
Caribbean Star will continue to operate as separate carriers under
their own management until the proposed merger of the two lines is
implemented.
William "Skip"
Barnette, president and CEO of Caribbean Star, said that "the
combined schedule is the best thing for our customers as it will
allow us to provide a broader range of services, timing and better
connections."
Both executives
addressed the issue of fares in a joint statement, noting that "The
fare structure in use today is the same one that we have been using
since early December. We are approaching a very busy time with
Cricket World Cup [March 5 through April 28] and Easter [April 8],
and the limited seats offered at lower prices quickly are booked.
If our customers can be flexible with dates and times of travel,
and book further in advance, cheap fares are available." the
statement said.
Darby added that
"we constantly monitor fares and now that the new schedule is
established and patterns of travel demand have become clear, we
have refined our fare program and reintroduced lower fares across
the system and will offer special promotions in the near
future."
In the wake of
the first combined flights came the harsh reality of staff cutbacks
and office closings.
Caribbean Star,
which earlier trimmed its fleet by four aircraft -- leaving it with
seven -- and reduced its flights to correspond with the smaller
fleet size, had to cut its staff in its Antigua base by 188
employees or 40%. However, salaries and benefits are being provided
through the end of February.
In addition,
Caribbean Star's four ticket offices (two in Antigua and one each
in Barbados and St. Kitts) have closed.
To contact the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail
to Gay Nagle Myers at [email protected].