New Caribbean air service
 

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

Certainly if they are cheaper than the rip-off merchants disguised as Cayman Airways. Gangsters.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

Just took a look at the service and the sort of 'fares' being charged. Looks like it mainly operates on Saturdays but the total fares are actually higher than Cayman Airways but of course it isn't about the fares any more. Now, on short haul flights within the Caribbean, what can make up to 65-70% of the overall cost is taxes and fees (not including fuel surcharges). Try this for size:

• Total Taxes/ Fees/ Charges and Carrier-Imposed Fees per passenger
• Grand Cayman (KY): Terminal Charge (GXAP)
  USD1.25
• Grand Cayman (KY): International Airport Departure Tax (KYDP)
  USD37.50
• Grand Cayman (KY): International Passenger Facility Chge (LZEB)
  USD15.85
• Grand Cayman (KY): Security Tax (SUAE)
  USD13.13
• Jamaica: Passenger Service & Security Fee (EKSE)
  USD26.20
• Jamaica: Airport Improvement Fee (ELAE)
  USD10.00
• Jamaica: Tourism Enhancement Fee (HGTO)
  USD20.00
• Jamaica: Passenger Facility Charge (JTAP)
  USD3.00
• Jamaica: Airline Passenger Levy (QKCA)
  USD20.00
• Jamaica (JM): Passenger Aviation Service Charge (UCCB)
  USD4.00
• Jamaica (JM): Passenger Aviation Service Charge (UCCO)
  USD4.00
• Jamaica: Travel Tax (WDDP)
  USD35.00

• Total per Adult
  USD189.93

The Jamaican tourism enhancement fee of USD 20 is good for a laugh. Reminds me of the Boston Tea Party.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

Interesting - where do you get the breakdown in charges from?

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

Just click on the taxes and fees element of the charge when you've entered the booking on the website. As far as I can see, it's on most airline websites - certainly Cayman, Liat and BA.

In my opinion, taking the former arrangement where Caricom passengers paid a reduced amount actually at check-in for departure tax to where we are today where airline passengers carry the entire load for tourism and airport development and it's buried in the ticket price for everybody has gone a long way to burying airlines in the Caribbean such as Liat, BWI Express and Carib Express. They have enough to deal with what with poor economies to scale, seasonality and Sahara dust.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

LIAT is something of a joke, as are most commercial enterprises run not by just one govt but a group of them... The whole thing is about a few countries extracting ridiculous profits from passengers. Its about which country gets the employees and who manipulates charges for their benefits - not just passenger fees, things like landing charges. I really hoped they would go under so caribbean air could asset strip them and rebirth it as something properly managed.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

Just checked the GND to UVF (Hewanorra) return fare construct on BA.

Actual pure fare is US 99. Fuel surcharge (incl in taxes and fees) is US 61 and other taxes are approx US 120 incl a big departure and airport development charge (total US 60) for St Lucia. Total Approx US 280.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

When LIAT were deciding on new planes some years ago, they couldnt decide which of the 3 sizes of airbus ATR to lease. Caribbean air bought the biggest, because they had calculated the load factors and produced financial justification. LIAT bought the middle size because a committee of politicians couldnt decide.... Im serious - i know someone who was involved - and it has cost them profits.

The notion that you run loss making routes and the governments involved pay the cost is decent, trinidad has always donr that with tobago, but they actually pay - countries fudge payments to LIAT and try to get the customers to pay more while running a hopelessly inefficient company. I believe the only way is zero subsidy, and let LIAT fail as BWIA did and let a single entity with a single management structure take it over.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

I do agree with that but the resentment caused by the perception of their airfares being what they are when in actual fact the biggest culprit is loading all sorts of charges in there, which most assuredly doesn't help.

At issue is whether ANY airline is sustainable in the region. Air Jamaica was really handy when Butch Stewart was using it for airlift to the various Sandals resorts. These things come and go.

Indeed we see Virgin gone in St Lucia for example. Simply not enough airfare to make it viable for them on their frequency.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

I disagree about viability, caribbean air make real profits, and they open new routes regularly. I bet they could run liat far more profitably by losing the hubs, losing the ‘mngement and consultancy fees’ and rationalising the routes. If a government wants a loss making service they can have one if they pay for it, simple. How do you you think fares from trinidad to tobago are about 25us total? The ferries cost 7 us return, or 25us with a car... Tourist flights from europe to tobago are subsidised by about 150us a seat, it makes sense... Why can trinidad to florida cost half of the AA fare, why if you fly from most places in the southern caribbean to florida, the flight to trinidad is pretty much free.

I fly on the ba or virgin flights to grenada via st lucia regularly, fewer and fewer people seem to get off in st lucia, i think their tourism is suffering as their crime is increasing, not surprised flights are going to antigua instead.

Here there are currently 5 new 5* hotels in construction.

Re: New Caribbean air service
 

matrix.itasoftware.com

It is a google company now. When you select the fares from the result page, it will breakdown all taxes being charged. Since matrix is not the site for buying tickets, it is a very good tool for researching fares. It however, does not list Low Cost Carriers.