Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced that Trinidad and Tobago will close its borders to all visitors for the next 14 days from midnight 17 March. Meanwhile, schools will remain closed until 20 April 2020. The decision, according to Rowley, is a first step to stop the twin-island republic …
Read More »CAL extends sympathy after tragic Ethiopian plane crash, reveals own Boeing stock and safety checks
Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has assured customers that it will ‘put the safety of its passengers, crew and operations first’ in the wake of Sunday’s tragic Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Addis Ababa, which left all 157 passengers dead. The fatal crash was the second in five months involving a Boeing …
Read More »Dear Editor: Senior citizens being denied departure tax exemption due to dual citizenship
“Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago who are 60 years and older are exempt from paying the airport usage fees, usually called Departure Tax. But a recent instruction to the airlines by the legal department of the Immigration Office has modified this privilege and I think wrongly so. “The airlines have …
Read More »Dr Farrell: Taking Responsibility; why the Petrotrin disaster is a very Trini malaise that may be repeated
“So the logical question is: why don’t our governments fix the state enterprise governance system? The answer is partly because it sustains political patronage and corruption, partly because it buys off the trade unions, and partly because of inertia—fixing things that don’t appear to be broken simply isn’t worth the …
Read More »Absolutely ridiculous! Look Loy, Makan slam torturous weekend for Tobago travellers
Defending Trinidad and Tobago Super League (TTSL) champions FC Santa Rosa were brought back down to earth somewhat on the weekend. No, it wasn’t some 500-1 outsiders who shot them down but a high-flying airline that couldn’t quite manage to cater to the needs of thousands of passengers, including Keith …
Read More »Board Games (Part Two): Afra Raymond continues look into State boards
Part One of my look into State boards prompted a series of extremely interesting responses, so I will continue this examination of the State Controlled Agencies. This term includes State-owned Enterprises (SoEs) such as UDECOTT, Caribbean Airlines and Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCL), as well as Statutory Agencies like WASA, TTEC, CDA, …
Read More »CAL set to axe London route, staff reductions imminent
Caribbean Airlines is set to discontinue its route to London Gatwick, effective 10 January 2016, according to an internal memo issued today by CEO Michael DiLollo. The information was subsequently relayed to the media after lunch. CAL’s London route not only serves Trinidad and Tobago passengers but also travellers from Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and …
Read More »Plane talk, bad manners: ACP sparks racial incident on Tobago flight
Tobago is a racially tense place at the moment. The brutal murder of German couple Hubertus Keil, 74, and Birgid Keil, 71, was followed by a travel advisory in Germany about the threat of violence on the “Sister Isle” while other foreigners in Tobago complained about feeling intimidated, discriminated against …
Read More »No Airline for Old Men: DiLollo on CAL
There is an award-winning movie called “No Country For Old Men” which still resonates with me especially since I qualified some time ago, galloping from youth into middle-age and then hobbling into senior citizenship. While some of my friends, high on potency pills, say things like “A man is as …
Read More »Snakes on a plane: Jack joins Glenn on controversial CAL flight
Mysterious happenings and a strange, cryptic verbal message aboard a commercial flight this month looks like it will be the talk of the town for some time yet. But enough about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Trinidad and Tobago is abuzz with talk about BW1519 and its 10 minute trip from …
Read More »War on Wired868: When George Nicholas III took on Mr Live Wire
The following is a series of exchanges between Wired868 CEO Lasana Liburd and attorney Lionel Luckhoo, on behalf of former Caribbean Airlines chairman George Nicholas III, with regards to a satirical news piece published on Wired868: 15 May 2013 To: Wired868 Ltd Dear Sir/Madam, (By Hand, Registered Post and by …
Read More »Rowley violently assaults CAL merger
Opposition Leader Keith Rowley might have had a Trinidad Express reporter seeking therapy yesterday after he said that Caribbean Airlines’ costly take over of Air Jamaica was bleeding Trinidad and Tobago financially “like a chop neck.” Mr Live Wire cannot confirm that Rowley then said: “Just keeping it real, son.” …
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