Disgruntled LIAT passengers have been expressing their disappointment after a strike by the airline’s pilots left them stranded at the Grantley Adams International Airport for several hours.
Leonora Pompey, a Vincentian national residing here, said she was trying to return home for the funeral of her aunt, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“I really wanted to see her face, I really wanted to go the funeral,” said Pompey, who who has been at the airport since 7 a.m. She was originally scheduled to be on the 6 p.m. flight to St Vincent on Friday.
Members of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) took strike action on Friday over what the airline said was the union’s disagreement with a company decision.
The company said its services have resumed and it is working to restore the scheduled flights for today.
“The airline expects to have some delays as it works to resume its full normal schedule by tomorrow November 12,” LIAT said in a statement.
Christine Francis, a Vincentian national residing in New York said she was returning home for the first time in 27 years to attend the funeral of a cousin. Although the funeral is scheduled for Sunday, she is extremely upset about by the lack of communication from the LIAT staff.
“I came here, and nobody could tell me where to go whether left right or center. I was so exhausted and tired,” she said.
“I don’t know if they are just going to just throw the board down again and say no flights. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing,” she added.
Another LIAT passenger who requested anonymity, said that the industrial action had completely altered her plans. The passenger who was coming from Brussels, Belgium was supposed to be on a connecting 8:30 p.m. LIAT flight to Grenada and then a JetBlue flight to New York.
“The persons going to Grenada on the same flight . . . they are in Trinidad right now and they have to wait until 9 p.m. to get a flight to go over to Grenada but if I had chosen that I would have missed my scheduled JetBlue flight at 2:30 p.m. in Grenada,” the passenger explained.
Reeling from this bad experience and previous ones, the passenger indicated that she would not encourage anyone to travel with LIAT. (Barbados TODAY)
