Based on remarks from Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, it seems that the shareholders of LIAT 1974 Ltd are nowhere closer to resolving the travelling woes currently being experienced by travelers following the collapse of LIAT.
“It is an ongoing discussion. We have mandated the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to explore and to examine the current challenge that we have and to come up with some recommendations on how we can overcome the travel issue of intra-regional travel,” Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told reporters at the end of the 44th CARICOM summit in the Bahamas.
LIAT has a history of financial problems but the gravity of the situation became even more glaring during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic when the airline was forced to shut down in July 2020.
Skerrit told reporters the matter had been discussed during the summit and the leaders had received an updated report from the CDB.
“Amongst ourselves, we have also discussed a number of actions we believe we can take immediately to help resolve the current challenge we have. The reality is we all miss LIAT in the Caribbean, an airline that was chastised by so many of us, but now we understand and appreciate the important public good LIAT espoused for so many decades and so we are looking at what kind of construct we can bring to play recognizing that there are existing companies that are servicing our islands,” he said.
Skerrit said the Caribbean countries are looking “at how we can work with those existing entities to seek to alleviate the current challenges”.
The airline is owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
A downsized version of the carrier has been operating a reduced schedule with a limited workforce since November 2020.
” Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to explore and to examine the current challenge that we have and to come up with some recommendations on how we can overcome the travel issue of intra-regional travel,”(Roosevelt Skerrit).
The simple thing the incompetent people such as Roosevelt fail to understand, is that when one keep doing the same thing over, and over in the hope of finding a different result, that different result will never materialize, or come to fruition.
LIAT at this this point is not even an Airline, they have two aircraft’s flown by about five hundred pilots, what should one expect?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Depending on intra-regional travel to make money for an airline is simple a waste of time, and if we are talking about the collapsing of LIAT that means it’s no longer in existence. One of the meaning of collapsing is: a structure falling down to the ground; so, what is the CDB going to do to put Humpty Dumpty back together?
You can see the lack of regional integration as part of the problem with LIAT. Unfortunately, many of the luxury hotel chains, spas and resorts are owned and operated by international brand names, who cater to their wealthy clientele from further afield. This leaves out the casual or average Caribbean traveler. Add to that, family members living overseas, shopping and recreation, out-traveling just like out-migration makes sense for many Caribbean nationals. We have an estimated seven million people in the OECS. It’s time to start figuring out how we can increase inter-regional travel there by sustaining our own regional airline. Until this is done, we will remain on the boom or bust and merry-go-around LIAT fiasco.
Admin., I see your censorship ways are alive and well in 2023. Keep up the good work by censoring my responses. My responses was a reasoned argument that can be proven both from personal travel experience etc.
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To be tone deaf, is to witness an event in plain sight with no obstructions whatsoever, and somehow comprehend something entirely different compared to what one witnessed in person. The structural issues, such as high taxes, poor marketing of inter-regional travel, expensive aircrafts that are leased by LIAT and atrocious customer service by LIAT’s agents all placed various nails into the casket of LIAT for all to see. while timely regional travel is quite important to the OECS Region, LIAT has not been an efficient answer in the past, nor will they be one in the immediate future. No amount of meetings amongst CARICOM’s Heads of State will change the financial reality on the ground for the now defunct airline. It’s time for someone else, with the technical know-how to fill this space quickly. After investing EC$8,000,000.00 into LIAT, we the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica will not invest 1 more penny of our treasury’s funds into this nonsense. Please “Sack” this idea.
Mostly the new mansion in Morne Daniel will take precedence. when that finish he can give all you more definite answers of other matters of much more importance.
Caricom leaders are a joke!
1 airline company giving all you all that problem.
Skerrit mocking us saying we give dem too much real talk.
De truth is skerrit doh need liat for travel he have other arrangements that are not available to de ordinary man he wants to vote labor.
Suck salt
Who cares about inter-island travel nuh $h@!t Man!!!
As long as west indians have a Sewoh you tink dey care!!!
Address dat after carnival man!!!
See why allyou will always stay in servitude while dem albinos continue to manipulate allyou affairs???
How much Money Skerrit dump in campaign funds to run his sham election, what about the pardner in Antigua that just did the same thing Skerrit did,,,
While allyou there with restricted travel opportunities allyou there supporting pardners that constantly giving allyou 6 for 9,,,
Yes LIAT has failed but what about those leaders that suppose to have the interest of the people first!!!
The double doctorate dude never even mentioned that the airline which he invested $8 million dollars of Dominica’s money still hasn’t paid the outstanding amounts owed to the workers. His cup overflows so to he’ll with the workers even if they can’t feed their families.
The Blinds thought you have ended the Woes when you pumped US$500,000.00 into LIAT so LIAT could transport your fraudulent voters to vote for you. Just as you did with the Roseau cathedral when you also pumped another US$500,000.00 during the same election period so as to bribe the blind Bido Catholics to vote for you. As of today, neither LIAT nor Cathedral can’t get off their feet because of this $1,000,000.00 of Jumbie money which they greedily accepted and even blessed in the name of Jumbie. Instead of LIAT flying, Rome Bannis would beat it on any stretch. Instead of the Cathedral roof completing two international airports will be built before. One in Vielle-Case and the other in Morne Daniel. You Skerrit really think Satan is a friend/easy? When will you rewind and come again?
Governments do not make money, they only spend it. Nothing wrong with that but since their income comes from tax, they should not subsidise airlines and must be accountable to the tax payers, the people who voted for them. An airline is a business and should be run accordingly, it is not a government welfare dept.
These leader are only good at talking. That is all they do. They have no vision. They keep doing the same thing they have been doing over the past 50 years and miraculously expect different results.
Why has air travel within the region collapsed? With moribund economies within the region, how many people can afford to travel? How much of the cost of an airline ticket is comprised of government fees?
When you make it prohibitively expensive to travel, you expect people who have to watch every penny to jump on a plane?
That is not rocket science for any businessman.
You have to price your product to the market that you serve.
The airline business in the Caribbean is just like opening a store that sells only Rolex watches in a village in Dominica. It is doomed to fail.
Yes despite how glaring part of the solution is, they fail to act and somehow think throwing the ball to the CDB will solve their problems. When did Skerrit ever run a business?
Skerrit discovered the word “Mandate” in 2022 & now he won’t shut up about it. Mandate this, mandate that.
“I mandated the mandate so I could mandate the mandate”
You are very humorous. You should show more of this side my bro.
Thanks, I’ll try
. I’m going to stop my disrespect comments now. I had a theory that DNO only posts my comments when I say rude things, so all my comments for the past months or so have been rude…and ALL of them got posted quickly! But when I comment positive things or ask questions, 9/10 they never get posted at all, and the ones that DO get posted take weeks to get accepted & by then, the article is weeks old so nobody sees them anyway. But I’m done being rude now, it’s draining & plus I think I went too far sometimes anyway
Fingers crossed DNO approves this comment
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Don’t stop being yourself. My daughter asked me one time if I were to give her one bit of advice what would it be. I simply told her to be herself at all times.
I’m usually harsh with those who are in positions to make a significant difference in the lives of the most vulnerable among us but choose to do nothing ( politicians, media personnel, police officers and persons of influence).
I grew up in a nuclear family. Both parents were strict, devout disciplinarians. They taught me to always choose the hard right against the easy wrong. Be selfless. Never to condone wrongdoings. I try to honour them by speaking truth to power. If I go overboard at times it’s because I passionately hate injustice to the poor.
What is presently happening in Dominica CANNOT be right. One narcissistic charlatan burying the people in poverty while hogging the best of what the country has to offer for himself and his severely academically challenged, ornamental wife.
Dno the proper title is prime minister the honorable Roosevelt Skerrit or in your case the Prime Minister of Dominica the honorable Roosevelt Skerrit. It is important that you use the proper title to address officials whether it is the opposition or government officials
What is honourable about this dishonorable misfit, Roosevelt. If there were free and fair elections in Dominica, Roosevelt would not be in his present position.
This is a megalomaniac who has called his fellow countrymen and women hungry, stale soup, old buggies, and encouraged his supporters to douse his political rivals with hot water if they show up at their doors to campaign. What is honourable about that?
These adjectives perfectly describe the Despot of Roseau: deceitful, deplorable, disingenuous, disrespectful, putrid, shady, unscrupulous, ignoble
Agreed. The operative word here, is PROTOCOL. DNO always referred to Lennox Linton as the Leader of the Opposition when he was, but always refer to the Prime Minister as just Skerrit. I would just like to remind DNO that Dominicans here and abroad do read this medium to keep up to date with what’s happening on a daily basis and trust DNO as a genuine non politically aligned platform for that purpose, so DNO please follow protocol and give the man his due respect.
Hope, there is absolutely NOTHING honourable about this CM. Nothing at all. His office is a honourable office according to British law and that’s it but that doesn’t make him automatically a honourable person. Is it honourable for somebody ‘in charge’ not to account properly for state income and funds, or influence elections in his favour or to lie to the citizens to name but a few. No it isn’t, infact it’s exactly the opposite. You may call your idol whatever you chose to call, but don’t ask others to follow your stupidness and corrupt practices.
Zot paka tan to leave LIAT die in peace? We do not need a temporary solution for inter-Caribbean travel. We need permanence. So let the private sector do their thing because once you put governments hand in it chou-nou-toute-patay! Instead let us see how we can make those private sector airlines profitable more quickly so they can stay afloat on their own dime. Regional governments are very volaire (theif) so they need not be in the airline business.
The Caribbean region needs to look after the Caribbean region and air travel between islands in the region is integral to the development of the region. Yes it is important to have affordable travel prices between islands and until this is sorted out it is less attractive for international and regional travelling people. Imagine it is cheaper to travel from Grenada 🇬🇩 to London then London to Jamaica ,than a flight from Grenada 🇬🇩 to Jamaica 🇯🇲
The air!INE business should be private sector driven. There are usually multiple levels of bureaucracy by any government controlled business enterprise.
To add LIAT to their already plethora of economic and social problems to their slate will overwhelm them. Let the private sector take precedence over intra regional travel by offering the best incentives.
lbo government can operator an Airline you know; nevertheless, it must be operated the same as a private enterprise.
For example, the government of Trinidad & Tobago, operated BWIA “West Indian Airways Limited known locally as “Bee Wee”.
For years, it operated successfully, until some pilots in Trinidad got greedy, craving money, and decided to strike, they prolonged the strike, until the late prime minister Dr. Erick Williams had enough, and shut the Airline down.
The shutting down was not due to any other reason than the strike; the airline was formally owned by some British, with headquarters in Trinidad, for a long time until the government of Trinidad became the major share holder, that is why Erick had the power to shut it down, at one time that was the only airline affording international flights out of St. Kitts from the International Airport built by Dominica Paul Southwell while he served for a brief period as premiere during the West Indies Federation.
Be assured lbo, as long as there is an Airline name LIAT depending in inter-regional flights, still doing island-hopping as it has don for more than fifty (50) years, the problem which caused it to collapse will forever remain to plague LIAT.
Dominica government (labor party) was told by Jerald Watts born of a Dominican mother who was minister of tourism in the George Walters government in the 1970’s that LIAT was going International, they already had three 747 to serve that purpose, and so that Dominica do remain not served with International flights, the labor government needs to build an International Airport.
As usual the dumb people in the Labor party respond by saying “we doh want it;” Dominica cannot afford to maintain International Airport.
So, LIAT went International with a few flights into Jamaica, and into Miami, briefly until they stopped.
Without LIAT operating international flights, it will remain dead; it is dead and cannot be evoked; return from the dead!