Caribbean Star flies solo By JUHEL BROWNE T'dad Guardian Caribbean Star prefers to go it alone even in an industry still recovering= =20 from the aftermath of September 11.Paul Moreira, Caribbean Star=92s chief=20 executive officer, emphatically denounced the idea of an alliance at a news= =20 conference at the Hilton Tobago yesterday.=93Absolutely not. We do not=20 believe in any type of merger,=94 Moreira said when asked about a possible= =20 merger with BWIA.He was one of several speakers at the news conference,=20 which was held after Caribbean Star=92s inaugural flight from Trinidad to=20 Tobago. Journalists from several print, radio and television media houses=20 along with airline executives were among those who took Caribbean Star=92s= =20 first flight to Tobago.Tobago will benefit from nine Caribbean Star flights= =20 a day from and to Trinidad by December 1.Among those at the news conference= =20 were Orville London, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly and Dr= =20 Brian Harry CEO of Tidco.Moreira said there has been a lot of discussion=20 among Caribbean airlines looking at mergers with each other. This, he=20 asserted, was not a good idea. =93We do not have anti-trust laws here. It=20 allows for price fixing and people wouldn=92t have a choice anymore,=94 he= =20 said.London believes competition on the Tobago airbridge will certainly=20 benefit the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Until yesterday, the Trinidad/Tobago route was only served by Tobago=20 Express.=93We are hoping the competition between the two airlines will lead= =20 to a more innovative approach to the airbridge situation,=94 London=20 said.Moreira was asked about a possible merger with BWIA after he said he=20 did not see the Tobago airbridge carrier, Tobago Express, as a competitor.= =20 He was scheduled to meet with Tobago Express executives at 2 pm yesterday.= =20 =93We see Tobago Express as a partner,=94 he said. The word =93partner=94,= he=20 indicated, did not translate to a merger but reflects the service that the= =20 two airlines will be providing for the people of Trinidad and Tobago =97=20 service which Caribbean Star will be providing for the same price as Tobago= =20 Express, in which BWIA has an interest.Moreira said the present statistics= =20 from the World Tourism Association and the International Civil Aviation=20 Organisation show that unless another September 11-type event occurs,=20 passenger traffic could be on the rise again before 2004: =93The year 2003= =20 will be a good year for aviation. =93With six per cent growth in=20 international travel, the Caribbean is the spot to be.=94 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: (ReadyMix) http://www.readymix.co.tt/ (ReadyMix Cement Ltd) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************