InterCaribbean Airways soared to new heights on Friday following the unveiling of its cutting-edge Flight Support System in Barbados, solidifying its commitment to enhancing connectivity and flight options for regional travellers.
Founder and Chairman Lyndon Gardiner personally welcomed eager passengers, offering them a new flight experience as they set off on journeys to diverse destinations curated by interCaribbean.
Gardiner is confident that introducing the Flight Support System will revolutionise the airline’s customer service, particularly at the Grantley Adams International Airport.
“We’re able to deliver consistently because we now have employees that have a vested interest in the outcome of our business being successful,” Gardiner told Barbados TODAY.
“We have put a tremendous amount of effort into fixing the problems that had happened in the past.”
Noting the significance of Barbados within interCaribbean’s regional operations, Gardiner believes the innovative system is a game-changer, poised to elevate passengers’ experience.
According to him, the service rollout not only underscores the airline’s commitment to competitiveness but also serves as a strategic move signalling InterCaribbean’s long-term presence and contribution to the aviation sector in the region.
“We’re investing for today and for tomorrow because with this move that we’ve made, it’s not only physical equipment and assets, but it’s also human capital and staff that we have are going to be the face of the airline to the customers in this region,” he said.
The cost of the investment, Gardiner stated, was “millions of Barbadian dollars,” and said it was necessary to make the company viable within the Caribbean.
With regards to seeing similar services roll out in any of InterCaribbean’s over 20 other destinations, the airline’s chairman said: “We certainly don’t intend to reinvent the wheel everywhere we go.”
“I think Barbados being a Southern Caribbean hub, we needed to fix the service issues that we had in Barbados and, in doing so, the service we give in the other islands is going to be better, because a lot of times the plane leaves here late [and] we’re unable to complete missions in other islands.
“We have business partners in other destinations that are delivering…. We agreed on the service-level agreement and for the most part, those business partners are living up to that. So we feel that Barbados was consistently lagging and we feel that with this effort, we’ve fixed it,” Gardiner said.
Before the take-off of each flight on Friday morning, the airline executive thanked passengers for choosing interCaribbean and committed to providing them with quality service with the introduction of the Flight Support System.
Adding an extra dash of excitement, some fortunate travellers won complimentary flights courtesy of interCaribbean which will mark 32 years in aviation next February.
Meanwhile, at a launch reception on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mia Mottley welcomed the airline’s continued expansion, declaring that Barbados was happy to see a further strengthening of interregional travel.
“There was a time two years ago, when literally everybody did not believe that it would have been possible. And while we continue to hope and work cooperatively with our brothers in Antigua to be able to seek how best they can do what they need to do with a reconstructed LIAT, whether as a cooperative partner or otherwise, we also recognise that this country will always support market forces in the area of air travel to be able to ensure that the customer is given as many options and the best possible options for travel.
“ . . . . The reality is that Caribbean people need options in order to be able to ensure that our economies can be as dynamic as possible, and that is at the core of the CARICOM Single Market and Single Economy too. On behalf of our people, we are glad that you have chosen here as a southern hub.”
Mottley told the gathering that she believed that this was the natural trajectory for the country.
“We did it naturally because of our geography; we must do it deliberately because of our economic trajectory, and if we can do that with respect to logistics, that is what we need in order to be that [entry port] in the west, just as Singapore became an [entry port] in the east.
“I have every confidence, therefore, that the stated confidence that you have in this market is just what we need for others to understand that not only are we open for business, but we will walk with you hand-in-hand to ensure that even through difficult times you can make it,” the Prime Minister said.
She commended airline officials for the decision to bring forward the timeline for establishing the Southern hub, disclosing that talks on the plans took place pre-COVID.
“This really is a testimony to resilience,” declared Mottley.
“We all know what COVID did to airlines and air travel, and indeed, this region has been a serious victim of it.”
Gardiner admitted that the airline has had its share of challenges, in Barbados, since starting in 2020.
“Choosing to come here during the pandemic at a time when everyone else was shuttering was a courageous act of faith . . .. Yes, I was absolutely convinced that the move was no gamble but an enormous opportunity to get ahead of our planned date for Southern Caribbean operations in 2025.”
He added that the move boosts interregional travel, economic progress, and regional integration.
“We have acquired new aircraft, some of which have already entered service. We are seeing the difference that the extended capacity is making in helping the flight schedules and more effective deployments. . . . [Within] the last few months, we have embarked on a massive recruitment drive to harness the capabilities and enterprise of locals, adding to the hundreds of skilled employees working daily on various islands to bring about better connectivity in our region,” the airline executive said.
He added that Flight Support Barbados has already made “a substantial down payment to the Barbados community and economy” by hiring 53 new employees.
“As we continue to develop our operations and increase capacity, so will opportunities for even more employment to develop mutually beneficial relationships with local businesses.
The synergy will not only support our growth but also contribute to the overall economic development of the Barbados community,” Gardiner said. (RT/FW)
