Caribbean Star waits in the wings for Tobago T'dad Guardian Newspaper After one year, Caribbean Star is yet to receive a reply from the Air Transport Licensing Authority or Government on its application to operate on the Tobago airbridge. And Neil Wilson, secretary of Tourism in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), said it is time for definitive action on the issue. At a news conference called earlier this week to announce a strategic alliance between Caribbean Star and US Airways, Wilson said Caribbean Star should be allowed to prove itself in terms of performance and quality of service. He said the THA's position was that it will support any carrier on the route once it is operating in a safe and reliable manner. The airline, which began flying into Tobago in November last year, has recorded disappointing loads to date, Wilson also disclosed. The airline will remain on the Tobago route if its load factors improve or if it is allowed to operate on the airbridge, he said, adding that complaints about the service now included Tobago passengers having to travel to Trinidad through Grenada. Paul Moreira, chief executive officer of Caribbean Star, described Tobago as one of Caribbean Star's most difficult markets. While the airline registered a load factor of around 50 to 70 per cent, for Tobago this checked in at only 20 to 30 per cent. Moreira, who later addressed members of the tourism industry on the US Airways, Caribbean Star alliance, said that the airline's best market was Trinidad to Grenada with traffic having increased by 200 per cent. He said Caribbean Star was proposing to operate five flights a day on the airbridge, one of them originating from Tobago at 6.30 am. 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: (Robbie Greenidge) http://www.steeldrumband.net/greenidge/ (Robert Greenidge - Pan Arranger/Composer/Player) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************