TravelSpan says ready for competition

– as another airline is set to begin operating Guyana – NY route

Guyanese-owned airline TravelSpan is not intimidated by increasing competition and is confident nationals will continue to support the airline which they can consider their own.

This is according to TravelSpan General Manager Vanita Jagnarain at a press conference on Wednesday at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) where it was announced that TravelSpan will be sending 14 Guyanese to Las Vegas, Nevada to be trained as flight attendants.

Caribbean Airlines, Fly Jamaica and TravelSpan are the three carriers plying the Georgetown-New York route with Dynamic Airlines set to launch its service in Guyana later this week.

Jagnarain stressed that TravelSpan has been receiving good support from Guyanese travellers ever since its return to service to Guyana in December. New scheduled flights from New York and Toronto are to be announced soon.

Jagnarain explained that the airline’s incoming and outgoing flights have been 80 to 90 per cent and 100 per cent filled for certain holidays such as Easter and Mashramani.

“It goes to show that the people want an alternative carrier, nobody wants to stop in the other destinations. People want to go non-stop. So no, we don’t feel threatened because we know the Guyanese people will support the carrier.”

The General Manager also made the point that TravelSpan is basically a Guyanese carrier, since it is owned by a Guyanese although the company is US-based. “And especially now that they have these beautiful and talented young individuals working, why would they not want to support these young individuals?”

Committed

Fourteen of the 30 individuals set to join that crew after being shortlisted for training in Las Vegas were introduced to the media before winging out to the US to start their three-week training today (Thursday).

The training will enable the participants to become certified flight attendants by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The final batch is expected to receive their training by the end of this month.

TravelSpan declined to give a figure on the cost of the overseas training for the 30 individuals, only saying that the initiative was a costly one.

On the question of preventing their flight attendants from being lured by other airlines once they are certified, Jagnarain noted that the flight attendants for other airlines are not based in Guyana. She also said she was “confident that these individuals are committed to TravelSpan and we have received their assurance that they are committed”.

Notably making up the 14-member group was former Miss Guyana Universe and Miss Guyana World Ruqayyah Boyer who told Guyana Times International that  her new pursuit will help her to continue being an ambassador for Guyana.

Three males are also part of the group, including Yannick December, who said he is keen on proving that males can also make good flight attendants.

The airline said it received hundreds of applications from across the country and that those shortlisted hail from Bartica, Linden, Berbice and other areas.

TravelSpan noted that this is not the first time it is training Guyanese to become FAA certified attendants, since it did so in 2007 before pulling out of Guyana in 2008.

The airline returned in December with nonstop service between New York and Georgetown at a time when passengers were demanding an alternative carrier on the route after Delta pulled out and EZjet went out of business last year, following the demise of REDjet in 2012.