Caribbean Travel

Stabroek News : "There is a situation at the Barbados International Airport that is in dire need of attention. Consistently, LIAT/Caribbean Sun and Star airlines have been delaying or postponing flights to Guyana. No doubt this has caused much inconvenience to travellers. There is often a scheduled wait of several hours in between flights. "

Jamaica Gleaner News - Court gives all-clear for Caribbean Star takeover talks - Friday July 20, 2007 : "The Industrial Court in St. John, Antigua has reversed its earlier ruling, and has now paved the way for cash-strapped LIAT to resume negotiations regarding the sale of the regional airline, Caribbean Star."

A new twist in LIAT/Star talks - CBC.bb : "The industrial court in Antigua has issued an order which effectively blocks LIAT’s planned buyout of Caribbean Star’s assets. The buyout plan was confirmed by Tourism Minister Noel Lynch Friday. Mr. Lynch said the two Antigua-based carriers were close to finalising the deal that would see LIAT purchasing the remaining airline assets held by Caribbean Star’s owner, Sir Allen Stanford. "

Antigua Sun : "The proposal that the Stanford Group be paid cash instead of shares for transferring its assets to LIAT will not substantially change the deal between the two airlines in any other way. Caribbean Airlines Services Corporate Communications Manager Laura Cotton, Caribbean Star’s spokesperson, said the final results will be the same, with LIAT getting the assets which it would have gotten in the original scenario and the staff programmes remain the same."

The Nation Newspaper New airline 'should get first call' : "A rationalised Caribbean Star/LIAT alliance should have the first option on the lucrative St Lucia/Barbados route and not American Eagle. That's the word from Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch, who described as 'unreasonable' the proposed introduction of the service scheduled to start from September 4. He termed it 'cherry picking' the best routes. "

: "Cash-strapped regional carrier LIAT, will not have to pay over cash to acquire the assets of its former rival, Caribbean Star. LIAT's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Darby, says the Stanford Financial Group of Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, which owns Caribbean Star, would be given 35 per cent of the stake in the new airline in exchange for the assets. "

The Nation Newspaper LIAT'S NEW ROUTE : "LIAT IS BUYING OUT the assets of Caribbean Star Airlines. This was confirmed last night by LIAT's chief executive officer Mark Darby who noted that 'the deal bringing the two airlines together is still happening'. His comments came after reports out of Antigua had indicated that the merger between the two intra-regional airlines was off. "

Radiojamaica : "Regional carriers LIAT and Caribbean Star will not meet Friday's expected target for them to merge operations. LIAT's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Darby, says some aspects of the merger between the two former fierce competitors were taking longer than had been anticipated."

Antigua Sun : "Caribbean Star has taken steps to implement a separation programme for its staff in preparation for the finalisation of plans for the airline to be bought out by former rival LIAT. According to Laura Cotton, Caribbean Airlines Services Inc. manager of corporate communications and a spokesperson for Caribbean Star, the airline announced the details of its severance offer to its employees on Tuesday. "

Radiojamaica.com : "At least one regional leader is asserting that fluctuating regional taxes on airline tickets is one of the factors contributing to high airfares. St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, said the taxes should be considered in the regional debate on the high cost of air travel in the aftermath of the LIAT/Caribbean Star commercial alliance. "

SUN St.Kitts & Nevis : "Caribbean Star is to offer its employees a voluntary separation offer as the airline works towards the 15 June deadline for the finalisation of its merger with LIAT. Tuesday, LIAT and Caribbean Star announced the completion date for the merger, something that Caribbean Star President and CEO William “Skip” Barnette hailed as offering “closure and forward movement” for employees who have been left in limbo since the beginning of the year. "

SUN St.Kitts & Nevis : "Regional carriers LIAT and Caribbean Star will finalise their merger 15 June, officials of the two carriers announced Tuesday. The announcement followed a meeting in Bridgetown which was attended by the leaders of Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados – two of the three shareholder countries – and Sir Allen Stanford, the sole shareholder of Caribbean Star Airlines."

The Nation Newspaper High air fares a concern for AAA : "Welch said that in April last year the AAA booked a 50-seat charter from Barbados to Guadeloupe for US$10 000 (BDS$20 000). This year, the same charter to Martinique, which is not as far north, to take a connecting flight to the Turks and Caiços Islands cost US$22 800 ($45 600). 'That is an increase of 128 per cent. Last year when there was competition, I was able to go to Caribbean Star and get a competitive rate. The cost of travel has gone up, but not to that extent. Someone has to do something about it.' "

Antigua Sun : "According to LIAT CEO Mark Darby, “There were many concerns about whether LIAT and Caribbean Star could handle the excess demand created by CWC. However, with our dedicated staff working around the clock and with our tourism partners, we were able to meet challenges as they arose and contribute to the production of a world class event. LIAT and Caribbean Star were able to put in place in excess of 6,000 additional seats for the March to April period of CWC.” Darby further stated that he “would like to thank the LIAT and Caribbean Star management and staff for going the extra mile to ensure the success of the airlines in this exercise.” "

The Nation Newspaper SATURDAY'S CHILD: Come fly with me : "I remember going on a Caribbean Star flight from Trinidad, island-hopping my way to Antigua. There was only one bottle of water on the flight and we drank it out on the only 'leg' that was long enough for a 'beverage service'. I remember asking myself if this was owned by a billionaire and all it had on board was one solitary bottle of water, what would have happened if he was a mere millionaire? " There is, of course, the old saying that if you want to become a millionaire you first become a billionaire and then buy an airline. Clearly that is not a mere flight of fancy since Caribbean Star proved that BWIA, Air Jamaica and LIAT were not the only Caribbean airlines that were leaders in losses.

BBCCaribbean.com Government charges inflate ticket prices : "The chief executive officer of LIAT and Caribbean Star has pointed to government taxes as one of the reasons why travellers are paying more for their airline tickets."

Antigua Sun : "Tomorrow was identified as the deadline for the completion of the merger between regional airlines LIAT and Caribbean Star, but LIAT’s CEO Mark Darby now says that a more practical deadline would be the end of April. In a recent interview with the Antigua Sun, Darby made it clear that the end of March is merely a deadline to get the legal aspects of his airline’s purchase of Caribbean Star complete. It is not yet clear if this aspect of the merger of the carriers will be wrapped up before the month ends, but Darby indicated that, having implemented a commercial alliance in February and successfully merged the operations of the airlines, there is no great rush to resolve other organisational issues this month."

: "“I have to be suffering because of the merger between Caribbean Star and LIAT and right now I don’t really have a choice because it is the only flight going there. I have to pay the money because I want to so…” said Ms. St. Helen. Caribbean Star and LIAT announced a commercial alliance earlier this year while inter-regional travel has soared. "

"Benefits of airline alliance begin to show AntiguaSun , Antigua and Barbuda - Mar 29, 2007 Final details for LIAT’s purchase of Caribbean Star are still being worked out, but feedback from LIAT CEO Mark Darby indicates that the benefits of merging ..."

The Nation Newspaper | Caribbean Airlines adds 1 000 more flights : "Caribbean Airlines, the Trinidad-based carrier formed this year to replace BWIA, has added 100 extra flights – totalling over 2 500 seats – to its schedule in anticipation of the huge increase in travellers within the region between now and the end of next month."