| By Lin-Jay Harry-Voglezon Minutes after 8am on September 27, 2013 I booked in at the JFK Airport for Fly Jamaica’s virgin New York flight to Guyana. I soon learnt that I was the first to do so. Yet about five hours later I was the last of the 103 passengers boarding the 202-seat Boeing 757.This carrier is quite similar to that used by the profitable yet defunct Guyana Airways. Except for few moments when air currents made the plane unsteady, the very experienced Guyanese pilots, First Officer Derek Gardner and Capt. Neil Savory made travelling at 35,000 feet a smooth experience. The plane was comfortable.These passengers enjoy the in-flight hospitality of Fly Jamaica during its inaugural flight from New York to Guyana.Very unlike my November 2012 NY-Barbados trip with another airline, where my legs were cramping and the plumb size passenger next to me was struggling like when ‘choked-up’ in a mini-bus.But more comforting was the infectious enthusiasm and care of the very experienced crew. They are all former employees of Air Jamaica, now owned by Caribbean Airlines. It is one thing to exhibit trained smiles and practiced courtesy. It is another, when smiles,NFL Jerseys China, courtesy and care are natural and uninhibited.From Fly Jamaica’s check-in counters at JFK to arrival at Cheddi Jagan’s International Airport Timehri, one felt the energy of Caribbean enthusiasm and positive pride. Periodically the crew engaged you with Caribbean smiles and laughs, yet professionally solicited feedback as they indicated genuine interest in your comfort.If per chance during the 5 ½ hours travel you think of gifts do not worry. There is the onboard duty free shop where you can obtain his and hers fragrances and cosmetics in the lines of Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Diesel, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, L’ Oreal and Lancome. There are jewelry and watches in the brands of Avalanche, Tommy Hilfiger, Barbie and Boy’s Soccer. You may also smooth your palettes with Guyana’s specialty liquors, the El Dorado 12 or 15year old rum. Or you may choose from Jamaica’s Rum Crème, Cocomania, VX rum and Blue Mountain Coffee.But do not forget there are also Johnny Walker Double Black and Grey Goose Vodka. If too, your appetite would be restless on the trip, there are modest but tasty variations of snacks offered. At least, you will not have vegetables wrapped in a stiff roti. Add an hour or so of an inflight movie and the trip is worth repeating.Said Lt. Col Egbert Field, the Flight Operations Oversight Manager, Fly Jamaica will be sustainable because the airline and plane are owned and controlled by the persons who manage the airline. This is unlike several airlines which came and left Guyana because they were chartered.“Chartered airlines are bound to fail” he contended, they are like the entry level of a “pyramid scheme.” Fly Jamaica is owned and controlled by Guyanese and Jamaican investors, including Capt. Ronald Reece, the Chief Executive Officer.According to Field, an aviation veteran since 1971, Reece’s intention was to base the airline in Guyana. But of the two international aviation categories Guyana is graded 2 since its level of aviation readiness, preparedness and quality do not satisfactorily accord with the eight requirements stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization.Operating from Guyana meant that the airline would have been denied access to the USA and other significant passenger markets. Fly Jamaica began operation in January this year in Jamaica. |
