TravelSpan, which began service from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Cheddi Jagan International Airport in 2006 and suspended its service in 2008 because of the economic meltdown and increased oil prices, will resume flights to the South American country with a twice-weekly Thursday and Saturday schedule, starting Dec. 14, 2013.
TravelSpan’s non-stop service, which will depart JFK at 1:00 a.m. with direct service to Georgetown on its 737 wide-body aircraft, was given the green light by the United States Federal Aviation Authority just last week.
Flights to Piarco International Airport will begin service on Dec. 17, flying Tuesdays and Fridays with the same departure time, 1:00 a.m, non-stop to the twin-island.
Passengers are allowed two 50-pound pieces of checked luggage, and a 30-pound carry on, during the blackout dates – Christmas, Carnival and Easter and summer peak season. Depending on the load during the off-peak season, a third piece of luggage may be allowed.
President of TravelSpan and TravelSpan Vacations, Nohar Singh in an exclusive interview with Caribbean Life, said he was thrilled to partner with Vision Airlines, which has an impressive fleet of three Boeing 767 wide-body, three Boeing 737 narrow-body and several Dornier 328 aircraft. The larger aircraft are ready to airlift 224 and 148 respectively.
TravelSpan, which has provided outstanding service to the community for more than 18 years by building its offerings of tour and hotel service, travel packages, charter scheduled and airline service departments, is once more prepared to offer passengers a reliable service, with competitive prices.
Singh is pleased to welcome aboard Rob Binns, former chairman and CEO of Global Aviation, whose subsidiaries include World Airlines, and North American Airlines, which successfully partnered with the Obama campaign, and flew the JFK/GEO route for several years.
The president thanked his loyal customers who he said stayed with TravelSpan throughout its difficult times. The CEO said he made a commitment to return to the airline business after Delta Airlines pulled out of Guyana, causing a spike in fares, and leaving a void in travel to the republic.
The airline professional said he was heartbroken when a TravelSpan staffer was forced to fly to Canada, and then Trinidad and Tobago to bury her mother, racking up a $2000 airfare. A construction worker, he added, was faced with an $8000 fare to fly his family to Guyana to attend his brother’s funeral.
These are just two examples that caused the airline veteran to resume airlifting passengers, that he promised will receive efficient service to ease the strong-hold that one airline has had on Guyanese and Trinidadian customers for the last six months.
Singh alluded to the thousands of passengers that have been plying these destinations over the years and expressed the hope that TravelSpan could capture 98 percent of the market share.
“Passengers should educate themselves about what’s been happening in the Caribbean travel industry,” said Singh, who warned travelers against being caught in predatory and monopolist situations. “Travelers should be able to support multiple carriers, not just one,” added Singh.
