BWIA to stay on Tobago route, says Aleong Tobago News Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BWIA Conrad Aleong has refuted reports of an abandonment of the airbridge service between Trinidad and Tobago by the national carrier of the country. Speaking exclusively to Tobago News after a function to christen a second, new aircraft of the fledgling Tobago Express, Aleong stated quite emphatically that BWIA will maintain its presence on the domestic route. Responding to queries about reports of an intended pull out from Tobago by BWIA from April 15, in order to create a monopoly environment for Tobago Express, Aleong admitted that the BWIA would be reducing its presence on the domestic route. "We will not have five flights a day any longer but we will have two because when you invest US $20 million in two planes, you need to keep those planes as active as possible," he explained. "BWIA has lots of other places it can put it planes," declared Aleong. "BWIA does not want to leave Tobago, so we will keep two flights a day," he added. Questioned further, Aleong could not say at what times BWIA would be flying to Tobago. "I am not sure about the times. I have to deal with my marketing people," he said. "We would have two flights per day and then we would have the jets four times per week, which would provide for the fish and the cargoes on Mondays and Thursdays and the high volume passenger demands on Fridays and Sundays," noted Aleong. "We handle the peak periods and therefore we keep a presence in Tobago. Anytime Tobago Express has a problem, BWIA would come in and fill that need," he declared. And replying to another query about Tobagonians being asked to pay the additional $300 airfare to access connecting BWIA's flights to international destinations from Trinidad, Aleong insisted that this was not so. "BWIA and Tobago Express have work together to produce the same fare all the way through. You are just seeing a different expression of BWIA in Tobago. You don't want to go back to the old days and the only way we can do it is with a successful new carrier, where we can keep the costs low, give you lots of volume with new aircrafts and still sustain a product," argued Aleong. "You would still get the BWIA connections to wherever BWIA flies with no additional cost to the people of Tobago," he stated. Earlier in his address to shareholders and guests, which surprisingly, was held at the old waving gallery an area that had remained out of bounds for several years to visitors of Crown Point International Airport, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London warned about an erosion of the confidence in the airbridge service. "Over the years, there has been a perception that that the airbridge service has not been adequate and efficient. Consequently, there has been an erosion of the confidence in the domestic service and we have reached the point where a number of people, still do not even attempt to try to get to Tobago, during certain time in the year because there is a perception that they would not get through," contended London. "One of the greatest challenges that the Tobago Express, the THA and the Central Government has, is to ensure that they are able to rekindle this confidence in the airbridge, so that more people would want to travel," declared London. Several Tobago shareholders comprising the Tobago Airbridge Consortium Ltd were presented with share certificates during the function. Among them were: Allan Clovis - Chairman of the Board of TAC, Emile Louis - Deputy Chairman, Anthony Moore of Mt. Pleasant Credit Union, THA Assemblywoman for Bethel Patience Hill Miriam Caesar-Moore, businessman Denzil White, Charles and Sandra Elias and former THA Assemblyman Gerald McFarlane. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBSC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeansocabrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (Blue Haven) http://www.bluehavenhotel.com/ (Blue Haven Hotel & Resort) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************