REDjet On Life Support

"Regional low-fares airline REDjet has cancelled more than 50 flights amid reports of financial troubles.

But the airline says it is on budget and on track to deliver new routes and services.

REDjet chairman and chief executive Ian Burns, who is currently in Trinidad and Tobago for the opening of two new offices, spoke to the Express yesterday via telephone, saying the current flights in operation put REDjet on budget. "Many of our routes, even though they've only been operational for a short time, are making positive contributions and we've launched service to Antigua, St Lucia and Jamaica," said Burns.

Concern about the company's financial stability arose when an internal memo from the carrier's customer service manager, Roy Norville, was leaked to regional media, stating that 56 flights would be cancelled "for commercial reasons".

The affected flights included stops to Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados.
But Burns said the reasons for the cancellations were to accommodate three new routes, to be launched later this year, and also to improve flight times for consumers.
"Flights are being cancelled but most are being put to a new flight time. Our market research shows that it was inconvenient for people to make it to the airport during high traffic times, especially in Trinidad and Jamaica," Burns said.

He added that the changes will take place from March 1 and will have increased capacity, better flight times and frequency.
Concerns were raised last November about the airline needing a cash injection of Bds$8 million.

Ralph 'Bizzy' Williams, the company's largest Barbados investor, had accused the Barbados government of sabotaging the airline's progress through excessive delays and Bds$8 million which was invested for operating expenses in the initial months of the business had to be used elsewhere.
"Our shareholder was very clear that the (Barbados) government did not keep their commitment to regularising the airline, so why should any REDjet investors invest in the country when the country wasn't holding its end of the bargain. We are satisfied that they will and we continue to roll out our services, but it is imperative that the investment climate that was promised by the government of Barbados is delivered so we can keep investments on course," said Burns."

Source: Trinidad Express

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REDjet rising - Globe-trotting - The Boston Globe

 "First it was $9.99 for a one-way ticket from Barbados to Guyana; then Barbados to Trinidad. Now the Caribbean's first low-cost carrier REDJet is reportedly breaking open a Latin American route that will take St. Lucians or Bajans cheaply and directly to Panama CIty to go shopping.


What might that mean for America? For one, with Panama City's fabled bargains a cheap flight away, Caribbean residents would no longer look to Miami for those weekend shopping sprees. For another, the Caribbean and lower Americas could become viable for the kind of multiple destination jaunts that former inter-island air passes promised but didn't deliver. (For example, a Caribbean Airlines flight from Barbados to Kingston, Jamaica can cost as much as $420.)


The REDjet promise is that "Your final payment amount depends entirely on you." Plan ahead, choose off-peak days, and book at their airport ticket desk, and the airline guarantees a one-way flight will cost $9.99 plus taxes.


Will Caribbean islanders finally be freed from over-pricing? Stay tuned.


Now, if only I could get to Barbados this Christmas for under $650 ..."

Source: REDjet rising - Globe-trotting - The Boston Globe

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REDjet to capture Crop Over market

"Last minute T&T travellers can now catch the last week of Barbados Crop Over Festival, as REDjet the Barbados-based, low cost carrier’s inaugural flight out of T&T is set for July 28. The popular Barbados festival, which began on May 14, will culminate with Barbadian R&B star Rihanna’s LOUD concert on August 5. REDjet will be offering passengers 3,700 seats at $65 one way fares, exclusive of government taxes and optional charges. This was officially announced yesterday by the management team of REDjet at the Carlton Savannah Hotel, St Ann’s. After several months of delay over its certification approval, REDjet was finally given the green light to operate out of T&T on July 17 by the new Transport Minister Devant Maharaj. REDjet had planned to start flying from T&T and Jamaica since May 8..."

Read more: REDjet to capture Crop Over market | The Trinidad Guardian

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Nightmare 12-Hour Flight From BGI To JFK

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/caitlin-gorry-american-airlines_n_833349.html

REDjet ready to fly

"THE Caribbean’s newest airline hit the ground for the first time on Thursday.

But it’s not up and running just yet.

REDjet, expected to bring low-fare seats to the rest of the Caribbean, touched down at the Grantley Adams International Airport for the first time Thursday afternoon.

The airline will be operate out of Barbados.

A number of Barbadians were interviewed for jobs with the company earlier in September.

The first MD82 aircraft received a warm welcome as two tenders of the Barbados Fire Service’s Airport Division also came on the tarmac and gave it a showery blessing just after touchdown via a water-cannon salute, as is customary when airlines come to Barbados for the first time.

On arrival, the company’s two top executives, chief executive officer Ian Burns and his son Robbie, held a special function with photographers aboard the aircraft taking pictures of the maiden flight into Grantley Adams.

The two then posed in the cockpit with a Barbados flag to commemorate their first arrival.

No REDjet agents are in place at Grantley Adams just yet, but the airline is expected to start taking on passengers from as early as January next year.

Cost

REDjet was founded in 2006 when CEO Burns, working in the region at the time, was amazed by the cost of flights within the region and on routes to the United States and Latin America.

There was a huge disparity in the market, as Caribbean carriers were losing substantial sums year after year while the American carriers flying into the region were reporting the Caribbean to be their most profitable market.

Working with his son Robbie, who is the company’s business development manager, the father and son team built REDjet in conjunction with investors to develop the first Caribbean Low Fares Airline and bring the substantial economic and social benefits of low-cost travel.

REDjet is a privately owned airline with a mixture of international and local backers who share a common vision of lower fares to make travel affordable for everyone in the Caribbean.

Over the past two months, the 42 members of the all-Barbadian cabin crew have completed intense operational, medical emergency, ground school and aircraft safety training on the MD-82 aircraft, just like the one which arrived Thursday.

The preparations were conducted locally and at the world-renowned PanAm International Flight Academy in Florida, United States. The final phase of training will take place once the company’s first aircraft arrives in Barbados.

“We took a holistic approach to our MD-82 training and included a member of the Barbados Civil Aviation Department who trained alongside our crew, thus ensuring there was a local expert on the aircraft in Barbados,” Burns noted upon the plane’s arrival.

“To date we have invested over BDS$1 million in the flight training so our team will be ready to welcome passengers once we have received final permissions from the regulators to commence operations.”"

Source: NationNews.com

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Is Singapore Airlines Coming To Barbados?

"Singapore has concluded open skies agreements (OSAs) with Barbados, Brazil, Jamaica and Rwanda, at the International Civil Aviation Organization Air Services Negotiation Conference 2010 (ICAN 2010), held recently in Jamaica.


ICAN 2010 offers a central meeting place for air services officials from various countries to meet and conduct bilateral air services negotiations. The OSAs with Barbados and Jamaica are the first between Singapore and the Caribbean community. The Singapore-Brazil OSA comes on the back of the Singapore-Peru OSA, which was concluded in 2009 together with the establishment of Air Services Agreements with Colombia and Ecuador. The OSA with Rwanda is Singapore’s second with an African country, after the Singapore-Zambia OSA that was concluded in 2008.


Without restrictions on capacity, frequency or routing, OSAs allow carriers the full flexibility to introduce services when market opportunities arise. Carriers are also able to tap on traffic from and to third countries to improve the commercial viability of their operations. Direct air links with Singapore will allow businesses in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans to access more markets by tapping on Singapore’s excellent connectivity to the Asia Pacific region. This will reinforce the growing people and trade flows between these regions and the Asia Pacific. The establishment of liberal air services frameworks between Singapore and more countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans pave the way for such benefits.


There are currently no direct flight connections between Singapore and Latin America or the Caribbeans. In Africa, Singapore Airlines operates passenger services to Egypt and South Africa, while Singapore Airlines Cargo operates cargo services to Kenya and South Africa.


Apart from sealing OSAs with the four countries at ICAN 2010, Singapore and Fiji also concluded an open skies framework for cargo services and expanded traffic rights entitlements for passenger operations between and beyond both countries.  Yap Ong Heng, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore welcomed the recent developments, saying, “airlines operate in a challenging environment with dynamic markets. It is thus critical for countries to proactively put in place air services frameworks that enable airlines the commercial freedom to respond to market opportunities.""

 Source:  mb.com.ph