More cancellations for BWIA By Kim Boodram (Trinidad Express) A pilot shortage was responsible yesterday for the loss of yet another one of BWIA's biggest money-making flights. The 414 to Kingston, Jamaica, due to leave Piarco Airport at about 7 a.m. yesterday, never took off. The Daily Express was told that BWIA had run out of crew members to roster for the flight. Pilots are required by international law to get 12 hours of rest in between flights. Over the past weeks, BWIA has experienced an increase in the numbers of delays and cancellations. The delays and cancellations have led to other monetary complaints for the State-owned company. BWIA has lost money in transferring customers to other airlines so they can catch connecting flights, and they have also put out money to provide board for stranded customers. The management of BWIA has for some time been in negotiations with the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots' Association (TTALPA) for better wages and conditions for its members. BWIA has apologised to the public for the problems, citing the frequent illnesses of its operating crew as one of the reasons for causing the inconveniences. On Saturday, another BWIA flight from Miami to Trinidad was delayed for several hours. Flight 483, which flies directly to Piarco, was due to leave Miami at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The flight left Miami yesterday morning at about 9 a.m. and arrived in Trinidad at 12 noon. This newspaper was told that the delay was the result of a chain reaction of events that began in Piarco on Saturday. Mechanical problems caused a delay of Flight 484 from Piarco to Miami International Airport. The operating crew of flight 484 was due to have turned around in Miami and returned to Piarco with another plane-load of passengers. However, the 484 arrived in Miami several hours later than scheduled, leaving without the "legal" amount of rest required to fly back to Trinidad. They were forced to overnight in Miami is order to conform to the mandatory rest period. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (TnT Medical Assn.) http://www.tntmedical.com/ (Trinidad & Tobago Medical Association) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************