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Posted: Tuesday 3 September, 2013 at 1:29 PM

LIAT statement on Sunday Sun Article of 1st Sept 2013

By: LIAT, Press Release

    ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, September 03, 2013  –  The Management of LIAT is compelled to respond to a Barbados Nation Newspaper article of Sunday, September 1, 2013, carried in the Sunday Sun, entitled “AIR PAIN – LIAT cost us millions, says CPL founder” in order to clarify the involvement of LIAT as it relates to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

     

     
    LIAT was first contacted by CPL concerning the logistics of transporting their teams and crew in late July and a meeting was held on July 25, 2013, a mere five days before the official start of the tournament. During that meeting, the CPL representatives indicated that they were seeking guarantees from LIAT for timely transportation of players, crew and baggage.
     
    As this request came at the 11th hour and at a time when we were experiencing several challenges with delays and cancellations, LIAT made it clear to the CPL representatives that while it would do its best to transport the teams and crews on time, no guarantees could be offered since many of the challenges that were being experienced were beyond the airline's control.
     
    LIAT's representatives also noted that the only way to offer the guarantees that were being requested was to charter several aircraft and at the time LIAT was unable to offer these services as all aircraft were currently being utilized.
     
    LIAT representatives indicated to the CPL team that, with an event the size and magnitude of the CPL, contact should have been made with the airline several months in advance in order set the necessary mechanisms in place for the management of the event. Reference was made to the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the fact that the International Cricket Council contacted airlines at an early stage and established an air transportation committee comprising LIAT and other carriers.
     
    Separate and special arrangements were made to transport cricketers and baggage. At the end of that tournament not a single cricketer was left behind and not one bag lost. In the case of the CPL event, cricketers were booked in the same manner as members of the travelling public and contact with LIAT was made only when there was a problem.
     
    In the article, the CPL official reportedly spoke of “…the travesty of what we had to deal with in the transportation of players and equipment showing up 30 minutes before the game starts,” without acknowledging that CPL chartered the services of another airline to transport players between Trinidad and Antigua. It is that flight which arrived 30 minutes before the commencement of the match on August 12, 2013. LIAT transported cricketers for all matches held in its network and they arrived well in advance of the planned start time. LIAT had indicated to CPL beforehand its limitations in transporting bags for the players.
     
    It is grossly unfair that neither the CPL official nor the Barbados Nation reporter has specified how “LIAT cost tournament organizers millions of dollars in additional expenses.” LIAT looks forward to the CPL becoming a permanent fixture on the West Indies cricket scene, and would be privileged to be part of a transportation solution.  However, it is naïve and unreasonable to expect the airline to take on the full responsibility, given such late notice, even under the best of circumstances. 
     
    LIAT is undergoing a period of massive change as we renew our entire fleet of aircraft to provide a better product offering to our customers. As a leading regional carrier, LIAT is willing to work with the CPL for the purpose of bringing cricket to the people of the region.  For the success of future events, this will necessitate that LIAT is included in all transportation plans at an early stage.







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