Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association calls for removal of LIAT management

The Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) has called on the Shareholder Governments to remove the current LIAT management, saying it “unfortunately has no other choice”.

In a release, LIALPA states, “We reluctantly make this call because we will not stand by and watch the airline’s financial health continue to deteriorate at massive levels, to the point where LIAT can’t even pay salaries on time.”

“First of all, we want to clear the air and state categorically that a just recent LIAT Press Release referencing “Flight Disruptions Due To Industrial Unrest” has nothing to do with LIALPA and we are not involved at all,” the release states. “As a matter of fact, we continue to pledge to the Caribbean People that we are currently going above and beyond the call of duty to get the Airline running at Optimal Levels, even to the extent of not having meal breaks and working 11 hour shifts,” the release continues, pointing out, “We have already worked almost an extra week without pay. However, this is not sustainable.”

The Association says its concerns about the loss of market share, the insufficient crews and poor scheduling practices, relayed to Management over many years, continue to fall on deaf ears and cites the following specific examples of what it refers to as incompetent management and poor decision making:

 The aircraft fleet has decreased from 18 to 10. Lack of adequate crew.

 The Head of Flight Operations’ incompetence was exposed as he stood idly and did nothing to address the mass departure of 19 experienced Pilots, after the Airline just spent over 100 thousand dollars to train each pilot. Now the attention is on hiring new inexperienced pilots.

 Loss of 10 million dollars in hangar fire due to records not being properly backed up off site  Loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars for removing a flight route from Grenada schedule

 Loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in routes being taken over by competitors

 Seeking to hire a high-priced consultant to train the Head of Flight Operations, and to study LIAT’s problems and make recommendations to Management and the Board. The fact is that this consultant is being brought in to do an exercise which was already half-way completed by several LIALPA members at NO COST to the Airline.

“To make matters worse,” the pilots state, “Management refuses to accept responsibility for the sad state of the airline’s affairs, and instead is focusing on making the Crew the Scapegoats.”

The release concludes, “The traveling public deserves to know the truth: The current management at LIAT is not capable of running the airline at this critical time. Their track record speaks for itself.”

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15 Comments

  1. April 9, 2017

    LIAT can be profitable and it can provide good quality air services to the people of the OECS, BUT it needs to be run by people who know how to run a profitable airline, not people who have only known LIAT and how NOT to run a profitable airline.
    One, bring in a new team with experience in turnarounds, two drop money losing routes, BUT work with local carriers with 13 to 19 passenger turboprops to supplement those services, or the routes are subsidized by the individual government that wants the LIAT AR service.
    When 39% of routes are \”social\’ money losing routes, it means that up to 4 ATR\’s out of the 10 LIAT has are wasted flying money losing routes, put in DHC-6 Twin Otters and you free up 4 ATR\’s for money making routes, revenue goes up and loses come down.
    LIAT has to start working and cooperating with local airlines like SVG Air, look years ago LIAT operated Inter Island Air and Four Island Air, two subsidiaries that flew Twin Otters and Islander aircraft, well…

  2. Nothing Change
    April 5, 2017

    Just more proof that it is time for Dominica to have it’s own airline. Lease a few planes and fly to the major hubs to connect with Dominica travellers at times that mesh in with morning departures and evening arrivals. Leased planes are typically maintained by the parent leasing company and it sounds like there are lots of highly trained unemployed pilots out there.
    Since Dominica can barely keep water flowing through the pipes and mountains of garbage are piled up in every village from Marigot to Portsmouth maybe it’s time to accept that we are not really ready yet to manage an international airport! Why not try something a little more achievable in terms of air transportation?

  3. zandoli
    April 4, 2017

    One of the problems facing the traveling pubic and by extension LIAT, is that the respective governments keep raising airport taxes and fees in the quest to raise more revenue. As they keep doing that fewer people travel within the region or travel to the region from overseas.

    These government ministers and bureaucrats have never run a lemonade stand and do not understand the first thing about running a business. They seem oblivious to the damage they are doing to their economies and by extension LIAT.

    If they keep going on like that, eventually there will be no LIAT to fuss over.

  4. Real truth
    April 3, 2017

    Could not have said it any better!

  5. The Darkness
    April 3, 2017

    LOL!!!!!

    Loving it!

    This is what people need to do! Bring out the truth and don’t stutter.

  6. Tj
    April 3, 2017

    LOL I cannot say that I am sympathetic because we have always attacked the bad management of LIAT. LIAT have a monopoly on STX/SXM for example they gave up, PAP/dom they gave it up. Who is in charge

  7. UDOHREADYET
    April 3, 2017

    ok… let it be told!
    shine your light of experience in the darkness of incompetence!

    maybe they should elect and hire an experienced, qualified, majority voted member from LIALPA that has a 5 , 10, 15, 20 year plan based on facts for the company.

  8. Nan
    April 3, 2017

    Richard Branson should offer some competition!

  9. John
    April 3, 2017

    In the 1960’s and 1970’s LIAT was a very good airline, what happened? Used to fly LIAT a lot from Antigua and Puerto Rico in those days to Dominica with no problems. It was dependable safe and always on time with outstanding crew. Something happened.

  10. April 3, 2017

    Liat has been losing money since inception. The problems won’t be solved with the same heads who created the issues in the first place. Liat needs fresh perspective, maybe even a fresh start!

  11. April 3, 2017

    They are not capable of running the airline, point-blank PERIOD!

  12. Ibo France
    April 3, 2017

    Caribbean governments have absolutely no business conducting the affairs of LIAT. This should be a strictly private sector investment. These governments are already overwhelmed with a myriad of problems and seem clueless as to the right solutions. High indebtedness, criminal activities, poverty, unemployment are just a few of the plethora of ills that these beleaguered governments are struggling to solve. Divesting government interests and replacing the current management with savvier business people of integrity, might just give LIAT a new lifeline.

    • Malatete
      April 5, 2017

      Couldn’t agree more. I have never known a government owned airline to be other profitable or efficient. Let LIAT go bankrupt (If it is not technically already) and reconstitute it as a non-government enterprise, preferably in Barbados.

  13. zandoli
    April 3, 2017

    Tell us something we don’t already know.

  14. Erasmus B. Black
    April 3, 2017

    Who will “drain the swamp”?

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