Barbados Today

Regional airline LIAT has formed a partnership with one of this island’s largest distributors, Bryden Stokes Limited, to offer customers a hot beverage and a snack on selected flights out of Barbados over the next month.
In addition, senior commercial manager of LIAT, Derrick Frederick, said the airline would, over the coming months, be embarking on “several new initiatives” that should result in marked improvements in the customer experience with the regional carrier.
Making the announcement at the Grantley Adams International Airport this morning, Frederick said the decision to partner with Bryden Stokes was taken because the airline was looking for ways to enhance its service to the travelling public.
The partnership will see passengers travelling from Barbados to Antigua, Port-of-Spain, Grenada and Dominica getting a cup of coffee, crackers and cookies in flight. The initiative, which will be accompanied by feedback forms, will start tomorrow and run initially for one month before it is assessed.

“I think it is very significant that we are doing it at this time. This is the time when we see the bulk of our passengers moving either for business or leisure. It is a service that will be offered primarily in the morning . . . . We are hoping that in the not too distant future it is something we can offer across the board once again because it is a service we used to offer several years ago,” announced Federick.
“LIAT is a major artery for Caribbean traffic and Barbados itself is a major hub for traffic within the region. On a daily basis we have thousands of passengers who come through this Gate 9 en route to their various destinations. LIAT is always looking to partner with progressive companies to enhance our service to the travelling public . . . . LIAT and Bryden Stokes are partnering and the only real winner in this would be our customers,” he added.
The service was also introduced on selected flights out of Trinidad, St Kitts and St Lucia.
Opting not to divulge details regarding the pending initiatives, Federick said: “You will be seeing lots of passenger oriented initiatives . . . . We don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but what we really want to share is that there will be initiatives that will make it more convenient for you to travel . . . . That whole customer experience element of it is what you will be seeing improving. Some of them will be directly from LIAT services that will be on our website, et cetera . . . as well as other partnerships with other companies. I can’t tell you much more than that at the moment.”
Brand manager at Bryden Stokes Limited, Shondelle Alleyne, said the company was “exceptionally excited” about the partnership, adding that it meant “reaching more consumers”.
Meanwhile, corporate communications specialist at the GAIA, Keith Goddard, lauded the the two companies for the initiative, adding that any plan that was aimed at improving the passenger experience at GAIA was always welcome.