Air Jamaica cuts free meals for economy passengers

[Lazie]

Jamaica Observer

Posted: 3/20/2009 10:30:57 AM

Effective May 1, Air Jamaica will no longer offer economy passengers a complimentary meal. Instead they will receive a complimentary packaged snack.

Tea, coffee, soft drinks and juices will be complimentary and passengers will be able to purchase alcoholic beverages as desired. Complimentary champagne will be discontinued.

In September, the airline will introduce a new 'Buy on Board' programme in the Economy cabin offering local beverages for sale.

“These changes in our meal service in Economy Class allow us to be more competitive in today’s environment and will secure significant efficiencies as we serve the travel needs of our customers,” said Bruce Nobles, Air Jamaica President and Chief Executive officer.

Air Jamaica’s premium service in Lovebird Executive Class will continue to feature complimentary meals and beverages.

Air Jamaica’s has 218 weekly flights to 13 destinations, with service between Jamaica and Toronto, New York (JFK), Chicago (O’Hare), Baltimore, Philadelphia, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Curacao, Nassau, and Havana, as well as service between New York and Barbados and New York and Grenada.

[Hortical]

Bout time fi a bruk pocket airline like Air Ja. Air Ja's fares to the island are not competitive with the other economy airlines, and mi caan tell when las mi tek dem plane.

[Mosiah]

Why it tek dem so long fi do dis?

I hope the snacks are local and not no pretzel and dem crap deh.

[Willi]

March nearly done. Any update on divestment?

[Hortical]

Mi figure dem salt now since the worldwide money crunch and ongle the Chinee dem a go have some shillings fi spend.

[Mosiah]

shhhh! mind yuh wake up One Third.

[Gamma]

that was it above...no takers so on the with "cost cutting initiatives" to mek balance sheet more attractive.

[Assasin]

you nuh see them a cut all kinda of cost fi get a buyer.

Them a go get a buyer who will be able to make a profit in 3 years time.

As long as them get rid of the unions.

[Mosiah]

di horse dun gallop gone!

[Peter R]

"complimentary champagne"?? must be first class... anyway, none of those routes (assuming direct flights) look like I would faint from starvation... New York to Grenada looks like the longest haul(4 hrs?) ... a bag of Grace plantain chips would come in handy (albeit made with plaintain from central America

I just came back from Jamaica on Caribbean Airlines, on that awful island hopping flight that makes what should be a 2 hr likkle bit flight almost six hrs. Anyway, thankfully they serve a meal between JA and St Martin..

BTW which is the 13th destination? I only count 12.

[Peter R]

To be fair to Caribbean they were on time going and coming...it's just the yo yo effect I find annoying.

[Assasin]

Some St.Mary Banana chips would do even better and then sell the drinks to go wid it -

[Exile]

Banana chips crumbles and donkey corn? Fritters and festival?

[Willi]

Air Jamaica divestment delayed
Published: Sunday | March 22, 2009



Wehby
The Sunday Gleaner has learnt that the Government is now looking to close the Air Jamaica divestment deal before the end of the first quarter.

This has not been officially confirmed, but the minister with responsibility for the airline, Don Wehby, has disclosed that the March 31 deadline will not be met.

"The (Air Jamaica) Divestment Committee remains confident that it can complete this task within a short time. Our original deadline of March 31 is drawing closer, and while we do not foresee ourselves finalising a deal with an investor by then," Wehby says in an article published elsewhere in this newspaper, "we are satisfied with the progress being made and are heartened by the fact that we have already received an initial proposal from one prospective investor.

"That proposal specifies terms they would agree to with the Government and we are engaged in ongoing negotiations with them," Wehby adds.

The Bruce Golding administration had made it clear that it did not want to include any financing for Air Jamaica in the 2009-2010 Budget now being crafted.

But with the failure to find a buyer to meet the March 31 deadline, the administration will have to cough up money to help keep the ailing Love Bird flying.

However, if the sale is done within the first quarter, this would be substantially less than the approximately US$30 million which taxpayers have had to pump annually into the debt-ridden airline over the past many years.

The airline's management team is also expecting the recently introduced business plan to reduce the bleeding, which has resulted in a debt of US$652 million and accumulated losses of more than US$1 billion.