LIAT CEO responds to ‘complaint letter’

CEO of LIAT Ian Brunton
CEO of LIAT Ian Brunton

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LIAT, Ian Brunton, has broken his silence concerning an open letter penned by Arthur Hicks and which went viral after it was posted on Twitter by owner of Virgin Airline, Richard Branson.

Brunton assured the traveling public of the company’s continued commitment to raising the level of customer service offered by the airline.

A press release from LIAT stated that when the letter was brought to the company’s attention an investigation was launched and LIAT’s Director of Commercial and Customer Experience, the Department which is charged with handling all customer issues, made telephone contact with Hicks.

“Based on the information provided by Mr. Hicks during the telephone call, it is important to point out that the substantive letter was not by way of a complaint, but a light-hearted Facebook entry to his friends,” Brunton said. “However, the letter was publicised when someone posted the Facebook entry as a letter in a newspaper in the British Virgin Islands.”

The company noted that it has received many emails and comments on social media following the publication of the letter.

“To our employees, our millions of friends and valued customers, we have taken note of all your comments and suggestions. We appreciate all of them and express profound thanks,” Brunton said.

The CEO continued by saying that: “in the face of serious challenges, our focus remains on improving customer experience and achieving profitability.”

Hicks’ letter was first published in a British Virgin Island newspaper earlier this year. It was picked up by Branson who tweeted it to his over 3-million followers who in turned spread it all over Facebook.

The letter which poked fun at LIAT’s services was subsequently published in a number of major media houses around the world.

CLICK HERE TO READ COMPLAINT LETTER

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47 Comments

  1. Edgar
    March 5, 2015

    Hi I would like to know if I have two suitcases ,how much do you charge for the extra piece

  2. Jay
    July 16, 2013

    Dear Mr. Brunton,

    Your commercial director may be better connected than you but honestly, you need not find any excuse for her. She is obviously of the opinion that she can speak, not only for herself but for the entire airline, making a spectacle of herself and Liat a laughing stock in the process.
    What ever you say, dear Sir, the reactions to that witty letter from one of your frequent travellers make it overwhelmingly clear that his letter was one of complaint, albeit it wonderfully phrased. Bite the bullet Sir, admit it and we shall all applaud you for making Liat truly the airline of choice.

  3. July 16, 2013

    You all speak from my heart and everybody else’s.
    Just let me add a few more outstanding Liat performances over the last few days:
    Wednesday, July 10th: Last Liat flight arrived at 01.20am in DOM.
    Friday, July 12th: a group of 14 tourists left Grenada on the first flight, was left sitting in Barbados for 12 hrs (without any vouchers for whatsoever)and instead of arriving in DOM at 10.10am they landed after 8pm.
    Saturday, July 13th: A family of four from Trinidad was left sitting in Barbados for over 5 hours and instead of arriving in DOM at 6.50pm they landed around 00.30h am.
    And yes, these people are all tourists, inner Caribbean travelers, people who have decided to spend their summer holidays in the Caribbean, spending their money in the regional economy. I do not blame them if next time they decide otherwise.

    • Jay
      July 16, 2013

      I have come to the conclusion that it is often easier, certainly cheaper and frequently not much faster flying from London to Australia than from London to Dominica (…not to mention the headaches, abuse and discomfort along the way).

  4. Shawty
    July 16, 2013

    well DA massive I think the most wealthy of us will have to raise some funds and get our own airline…. how about that… we train people to give good and reliable service with smiles all over….

  5. Justice and Truth
    July 16, 2013

    At least he looks pleasant and well-groomed. :lol:

  6. Airliner
    July 15, 2013

    Listen and Observe what is happening. I work at a caribbean airport and you know the first impression Dominicans give you that makes us wonder that we never read the fine prints when we purchase a product. Dominicans are noted for their brawling behaviour and hasty statements and have no respect for authorities.

    Ive watched a Virgin Atlantic flight delayed for 7 hours at Antigua Airport and no agent was there at the gate to speak to the passengers , no one asked for meals because virgin only feeds after 4 hours. I see Dominicans I know enjoying the wait and quiet as ever.

    Caribbean Airlines was delayed for 8 hours tilafter midnight lastnight and stil everyone waited patienty and again the agents wereout of sight.

    British Airways had a 6 hour delay and no customer service agent was there plusthe cancelation of flights from barbados had to utilise LIAT to transport passengers to Antigua to get space on flights.

    Red Jet an Airline that was sent to put LIAT out of business was delayed for 9 hours with no managers there to respond to the passengers request plus to deal with misconnections on other airines,did you now that these people had to buy tickets to go home?

    American Airlines in Puerto Rico made 100s of passengers sleepat the Airport due to a cancellation.

    Our own Sea Bourne Airines with loads of bags sitting in my airport now.

    Althe direction is on LIAT because it is a regional airline , Bahamas Airlines is going through the same ordeal as well.

    Our big problem is to educate ourselves andstop talking like unlearned ignorant people.

    soooooooooo.

    Show me the perfect Airline.
    MAN FAILS BUT GOD NEVER FAILS

  7. A
    July 15, 2013

    The LIAT agents are not suffering from lack of Customer Service issues

  8. Lori
    July 15, 2013

    Because of my experience 15 years ago, I have not spent even one dollar of my vacation money on either LIAT or Dominica.

    I was surprised to find that honesty I admired so much in the country I loved with all my heart had deteriorated so very badly. I may never returned. The land I knew is no more.

  9. July 15, 2013

    I always spent an extra day or leave a day, before my connecting flight is shedule to leave, they are not dependabel for sameday connection

  10. Jbfox
    July 15, 2013

    Liat’s biggest proble is Antigua the company is use by Antiguans as a cash cow for Antigua.Any opportunity they get to keep u in Antigua they take it.I was kept in Antigua for two nights on my way to The USVI in 2010 while they send out antiguans leaving after carnival in Antigua.

  11. July 15, 2013

    Someone need to sue LIAT company!

  12. YAAAA.....
    July 15, 2013

    The new name is LIAFT… Leave Islands Any Fing Time..

    • orchid
      July 16, 2013

      I travelled last week to the continent and left Dominica by LIAT ON TIME. Arrived in Antigua and was told at what time the other International Airline would start Checking In but it was not to be. The flight left half an hour late and landed in St. Lucia, so, we also Island hop on Jet airlines. We arrived at Gatwick later than we should. Which airline was it? Definitely NOT LIAT. To be honest, I have travelled on LIAT dozens and dozens of times. They were late many times, but they have also been on time and to my surprise left BEFORE TIME on some occasions. So other BIG PLANES do leave anytime sometimes.

  13. Anonymous
    July 15, 2013

    For some reason, Liat seems to hire the most disrespectul agents. Who does the hire for Liat? Attitude plays a major role. Even if your having trouble just making customers feel valued goes a long way. Liat your agents just need training, pay attention to who you’re hiring and their qualifications for that type of job.

    • observing
      July 15, 2013

      Especially the agents in barbados. They can be so disrespectful and unfriendly. imagine you coming in from an international flight where you have one piece of luggage and a carry on. They look for every means to charge you for that extra bag if you have a connecting flight to the smaller islands

    • Justice and Truth
      July 16, 2013

      This also pertains to courteous customer service in Dominica, government and stores. A smile also goes a long way. Some people forget they are serving customers/clients.
      They act as if those people owe them something or they are doing them a favor when it is the other way around, they owe something to those whom they serve for their salary depends on the money they spend at those enterprises.

    • Airliner
      July 16, 2013

      its not a liat issue its a caribbean issue. Our Hotel Service , shops our tourism product needs to be revamped.

      Lets say if LIAT or any airline is cancelled and theyre accomodated at your hotel or guest house would you add fuel to the fire to bad tak the airine or give the person a good experience so inspite of the circumstance they will return because of a hospitable people.

      We all represent the region,you cant leave itto LIAT alone, we allhave to pay an important role. Governments, Caribbean Travel Agencies and tourist boards have to work along with your national carrier to ensure an efficient service and dont leave the strain onthe airport agents to make miracles happen.

      We need to have a collective approach on this, we need to be educated as to why the planes have maintenance problems? Why the Pilots Unions always waiting on holidays to punish staff and passengers? What does wind factors and weather patterns affect the ammount of bags and weight you can take on a fight? What are the terms and conditions when we have separate tickets? Airlines agreements and the contract involved to take a passenger from one point to another point.

      I urge LIAT to set up a program to educate the pubic then we wilhave a better appreciation as to why thingshappen and what we are liable for.I shake my head when Dominicans are being laughed at for not knowing what the conditions are.

  14. ah ha!
    July 15, 2013

    but you guys are doing exactly what Virgin and Branson wants…destroy his competition…. and you know caribbean people are good at pulling down and apart their own!

    • Anonymous
      July 16, 2013

      Are you suggesting that Liat is Virgin’s competition. This is quite amusing

      • amusing?
        July 16, 2013

        Don’t be amused by this. When a company has the resources to immediately introduce an airline (of course if given approval etc.)that company is a competition. Virgin might not have dash8s or ATRs in the Caribbean skies right now, but Branson surely has the resources to put some in the skies ‘yesterday’. Don’t be surprised that the reason Branson tweeted the letter is because he considers LIAT a future competition – Virgin Caribbean.

    • Jay
      July 16, 2013

      Liat do not need Virgin, or anyone else to destroy them, they are quit capable of doing so themselves.

  15. Oh my
    July 15, 2013

    LIAT, I just do not know what customer service means to you.. if it were not for the governments, you would be out of business. Your safety record is pretty good, but your customer service stinks..

    Just last week we sat waiting for a 2:20p.m flight to ANU from Dominica, 2:00, 2:15, 2:25, 2:30 2:45… absolutely NO announcement about any delay from LIAT.. up to the time we left at 3 p.m.

    The more things change, the more they stay the same. No respect for the customers who keep them in business. Your PR lady is sooo arrogant and not doing justice to the company or.. probably she is..

  16. No Name
    July 15, 2013

    someone needs to investigate the confusion at the Melville Hall Airport on Saturday and find out why security officials and police had to come to the L.I.A.T counter

  17. DC
    July 15, 2013

    The service is horrible. My daughter just came back from Dominica to the US, and it was a nightmare getting back to the US and that is due to the inefficiency of LIAT. She was supposed to fly from DA directly to SJU, however, without making the customers their priority, the aircraft landed in Antigua and let the passengers off, due to their mismanagement my daughter sat in Antigua for almost 8 hours, without being offered a voucher for a meal. When she finally made it to Puerto Rico, it was too late for her connecting flight, she ended up spending the night at SJU. LIAT will continue to operate at a loss because they are spending too much on vouchers for hotel, food and taxi due to mismanagement. LIAT stop disrespecting your main source of revenue.

    • CaribMar
      July 15, 2013

      This exactly happened to me, but because I had to be in a certain US city in the morning I had to buy a US$500 ticket with American Airline. But of course no refund from LIAT for all the inconveniences, lost a Dominica – San Juan ticket and spent 500 more in a ticket to get to my destination

  18. John
    July 15, 2013

    Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s LIAT was a very good airline, what happened?

  19. CH 5
    July 15, 2013

    You mean to tell me, LIAT was not aware of thier poor performance? It had to take that letter for them to take action? Really?

  20. Damien
    July 15, 2013

    Admin can a link be provided for us to read the contents of the letter so we can relate to this article.

  21. Dominican Mon
    July 15, 2013

    Perhaps LIAT Management flies on a different Airline or have their own private plane.

    If they dared to fly with the regular passengers, they would know exactly what poor service they provide.

  22. July 15, 2013

    when someone has to leave island at 9:00 a.m. Liat overbooked their flights tells the person to return at 10:00 p.m. then flight went to 11:30 p.m. and then the flight actually leaves the runway at 1:05 a.m. what explanation can Liat and its CEO give. Liat needs good competition…

  23. met jel
    July 15, 2013

    Not only LIAT has distorted service in the caribbean, customer service in the hotels and other service providers have bad service too.

    Caribbean people are just plain out RUDE. The region needs to be revamped. Soomany tourists complain about Dominicans bad attitudes when they travel, its appalling.

    • John
      July 15, 2013

      Met, made some valid points… i agree with him a 100%

  24. Annica Alethea
    July 15, 2013

    Thank You LIAT
    How on earth do the authorities in Dominica intend to bring in 90000 stay -over visitors into Dominica with the main carrier being LIAT? What does Prime Minister Skerrit hope to achieve from investing in LIAT and being a majority shareholder?
    LIAT suffers from a chronic non-communicable disease with which it has been plagued since it was given birth and it appears that no EC$8 million investment will improve the situation. Sadly the injection of a new fleet of aircrafts may only get it more arrogant. After all those years of existence, LIAT still suffers from basic etiquette, lack of good manners and deteriorating customer service.
    Which stay-over visitor would in their good senses depend on LIAT for an enjoyable vacation, being conscious of the fact that there is a 90% possibility of their vacation being ruined at the beginning, at the end or at both the beginning and the end, with unacceptable delays, flight cancellation, late or none arrival of luggage and the absence of any apology from LIAT?
    Some weeks ago I made a reservation with LIAT which made connections with American Airlines in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For three weeks my reservation was confirmed, the day before I travelled a LIAT representative called to inform me that the flight was cancelled and that I was rebooked and confirmed for a later flight.
    When I checked in at the LIAT counter the following day, I told the ticketing agent that I had an international connection and he indicated that it appears to be an illegal connection because the time of arrival in San Juan and the time of departure of the connection was cutting it close. I said o.k. well since LIAT is responsible for making the connection illegal, was it possible for them to alert AA for a reservation on a later flight. The guy at Melville Hall said he could do nothing about that but he referred me to a LIAT agent in Antigua where the flight was scheduled to make a transit stop.
    In Antigua the flight was further delayed by an hour because there were 47 passengers on board and 48 were expected, after an hour the 48th passenger boarded the aircraft and we were on our way. Again I sought the assistance of the LIAT personnel in arranging a reservation for a later flight, because by that time I knew that my alleged illegal connection was no longer illegal but it was dead. In Antigua they gave me the name of another representative in San Juan to contact.
    Upon my arrival in San Juan, after clearing immigration and customs, I went straight to the LIAT’s desk and spoke to the agent. With absolutely no concern that LIAT was responsible for me losing my connection, the agent simply sent me to American Airlines to see what they could do for me. This was not LIAT’s responsibility. It isn’t LIAT’s responsibility for cancelling my flight which resulted in my loss of the international connection?
    I have traveled on many airlines and had the unfortunate experience of delays, cancellations and in two cases being bumped off the flights for which I was pleasantly compensated, in one instance I was paid US$950.00 for being bumped off an American Airline flight. They were overbooked.
    My trip was to participate in a very important two-day meeting, so as I sit in the American departure lounge, in the Luis Munoz International Airport as a standby passenger, in expectation that someone will not turn up, the thoughts of going back home and abandon the meeting crosses my mind and at the same time I’m wondering, if I were a tourist who had come to Dominica to enjoy a vacation, this is the way LIAT would have ruined it? Without any apologies and not the slightest of concerns? Whoa LIAT, you are the best! How long is Dominica going to depend on this airline for the development of its tourism sector? Isn’t it time that we get something of our own to liberate our people from this aviation abuse? There must be another way than to be subjected to the enslavement of LIAT.

    • comment
      July 15, 2013

      you were liated!

    • catherinehector
      July 15, 2013

      All said in this comment is true, I experience the same last year July 2012. We missed our flight and spend two days in Barbados.
      .

      we need an international airport.
      we need to strong people and have faith, That we can afford an international AIRPORT, don’t look on the Population and say we cannot afford yes we can with an international Airport people will come and travelling will be easily. if we have direct flight to Dominica. trust people will travel more often.
      Dominica is my Country and I Love Dominica but I need to know I don’t have to spend two days and paying for two ticket to get to Dominica. of which its only one hour rom Barbados or Antigua. a direct flight I believe I would visit Home more often and take a friend with me and they too will take a friend with them.

      And business will be moving toward Dominica.

      Yes We can/ and we need to get Home on a direct flight.
      Catherine

    • July 15, 2013

      Sorry for all your troubles, but a Little correction>>> Sherrit is not a shareholder in LIAT, the money invested in LIAT belongs to Dominica, so Dominica is the shareholder :wink:

    • rescue 911
      July 16, 2013

      lol.i was on that same flight.the attendant told us that the passenger luggage was already on the flight so it was easier to wait than to go through all the luggage to get that passenge luggage off the plane

    • Justice and Truth
      July 16, 2013

      This is a serious matter. It is another letter that should go viral. Put it on Face Book. LIAT CEO should read it.

    • Darren
      July 16, 2013

      Similarly, I had a flight from DOM to antigua 9am…to then connect onto AA to head to Miami at 3pm! 5 hours of time in between to connect…well who woulda thunk…They told me a smaller aircraft arrived, bumped me off despite pleading my case that i had a connecting flight….I had to then fly to Trinidad not before overnighting in St Lucia because the pilots used all their ‘flytime’/”airtime’ cancelling the flight….spent a day in trinidad because i had to buy another aa ticket to miami….refund??? NOT A CENT!!

      Recap, 1 flight to Antigua(north) turned into an overnight in st lucia (south)…and an overnight in Trinidad (more south!)

  25. met jel
    July 15, 2013

    CEO, you got to work hard to turn this company around. This Airline is owned by Caribbean People and not by the shareholders. The workers at LIAT and the Caribbean People demands the intervention of the Caribbean Governments to pay much attention to LIAT and to merge all airlines in the carb sky alliance to ease the regiona traveler from stress.

  26. Ian
    July 15, 2013

    LIAT needs an overhaul. Period

  27. Anonymous
    July 15, 2013

    LIAT! action speaks louder than words, for too long the Caribbean people have been crying and nothing has been done, now the world joining their voices u all talking customer service, which one of you in management knows the meaning of customer service, Customer service my face.

  28. Rocks
    July 15, 2013

    Just shut up….Stop while you guys are a head…LIAT just keeping digging a deeper and deeper hole for themselves.

    “Based on the information provided by Mr. Hicks during the telephone call, it is important to point out that the substantive letter was not by way of a complaint, but a light-hearted Facebook entry to his friends,” Brunton said.

    Yeah and I can’t read and understand a complaint letter…SMH

    • Notajudge42
      July 15, 2013

      Its all crap and shows the incompetence at the head of LIAT. Oh where oh where has caribbean star gone!

  29. July 15, 2013

    Come on, we did not need a letter from a passenger nor a twitter message from Branson to realize that LIAT’s passengers are treated with disrespect.

  30. Anonymous
    July 15, 2013

    A sensible but inadequate response.

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