CAL Guyanese passengers left stranded at JFK

TIMES INT'L

Scores of Guyanese passengers returning home from the United States were stranded at the John F Kennedy Airport in New York on Monday, August 29, owing to the cancellation of a number of Caribbean Airlines’ flights. The cancelled flights were as a result of the passage of Hurricane Irene.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed JFK International Airport to incoming international flights, beginning noon last Saturday, to avoid stranding passengers as the city prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

Guyana Times International was told that approximately 100 Guyanese and scores of other Caribbean nationals were forced to make their beds at the airport terminal. Many of them complained that they had not heard anything from officials of the airline regarding their flights.

Meanwhile, in a release on Tuesday, August 30, CAL said flights to and from the airport resumed on Monday, and about 1,500 persons were transported to their destinations.

According to the CAL website, “The airline has already begun to transport passengers who were inconvenienced due to the weather situation in New York over the weekend.” Thirty-four incoming and outgoing CAL and Air Jamaica flights were cancelled.

“The airline has already put on eight extra flights systemwide to accommodate persons who were affected by these cancellations.

“Additional aircraft will be leased to continue to assist our passengers, and our scheduled flights will continue to operate.” CAL is advising all passengers to ensure that they are checked in early, as “our facility will be closed one hour before scheduled departure.

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