REDjet to capture Crop Over market

Last minute T&T travellers can now catch the last week of Barbados Crop Over Festival, as REDjet the Barbados-based, low cost carrier’s inaugural flight out of T&T is set for July 28. The popular Barbados festival, which began on May 14, will culminate with Barbadian R&B star Rihanna’s LOUD concert on August 5. REDjet will be offering passengers 3,700 seats at $65 one way fares, exclusive of government taxes and optional charges. This was officially announced yesterday by the management team of REDjet at the Carlton Savannah Hotel, St Ann’s. After several months of delay over its certification approval, REDjet was finally given the green light to operate out of T&T on July 17 by the new Transport Minister Devant Maharaj. REDjet had planned to start flying from T&T and Jamaica since May 8.

However, it had faced many obstacles from Government and the T&T Civil Aviation Authority, including “safety” issues. The Barbados-based airline currently flies between Barbados and Guyana at base fares starting at US$9.99. Nyssa Pierre, communications executive of the low-cost carrier, said while REDjet was still awaiting official confirmation from Jamaica, T&T travellers could begin purchasing their tickets as of yesterday, through its call centre, online credit facilities and at Surepay locations. Pierre said that to facilitate the Barbados carnival and concertgoers, REDjet would have seven flights from July 28 to August 7 and, thereafter, would have four scheduled flights per week from August 8 to Barbados. She said all vouchers that were issued previously to consumers would be honoured. Pierre said the airline is also waiting on a diplomatic note to be exchanged between T&T and Guyana before operating that route.

Open competition
Meanwhile, Ian Burns, chairman and chief executive officer of REDjet said it was a joyous occasion for the airline and the people of T&T. He said he always knew the air-line had met all safety requirements. Burns said he wanted to applaud the new minister for the decision and commend him for his commitment to open competition. Questioned by the media about whether he felt that Maharaj was the major player in granting the low-cost carrier approval to fly from T&T, Burns said: “Maharaj benefited from the work of the previous minister, Jack Warner, and brought it to a conclusion. He inherited a difficult situation and I am pleased about the outcome.” Burns noted that a number of factors and key players contributed to REDjet being granted approval by T&T, among them were regional prime ministers, the private sector community, ministers and REDjet’s legal position.

Pressed about the sustainability of its fares, Robbie Burns, business development manager, said it was a proven business model tried and tested successfully by international carriers. He said the airline market grew over 50 per cent in eight weeks it has been operating between Barbados and Guyana. Asked how he felt about being accused of predatory pricing, Robbie said his airline is not engaged in the practice. “We are selling low fares at a profit and we still have a long way to go to really be considered a low-cost carrier.” Robbie said REDjet has plans of lowering its fares even further than currently advertised rates once it achieves economies of scale and gets the “right political will.”