Guyana Chronicle
March 14, 2001

GUYANA Airways 2000 (GA 2000) has suspended its flights to the neighbouring twin-island Republic, Trinidad and Tobago.

Sources told the Chronicle the airline suspended the operation on March 9, having started it on January 23 last.

A senior GA 2000 official confirmed that the Trinidad leg is off and that is was a commercial decision.

The official said the airline had expanded its flight operations to Trinidad to catch Carnival sales. He referred further queries to Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tom Scarlett, who was unavailable.

Scarlett, in announcing the airline's flight expansion plan, had said that GA 2000 was taking "full advantage" of the Trinidad market demand which existed with Air Caribbean out of the picture.

GA 2000, as of January 23, introduced three flights weekly from Guyana to New York via Port of Spain, and two from New York to Guyana via Port of Spain.

A special introductory seven-day return fare of US$99, with a special baggage allowance of 66-pounds per passenger, compared with the normal 44-pounds allowance by other airlines, was all in the offering.

The Trinidad leg was in addition to the non-stop service to New York and Toronto.

Scarlett had said that the Trinidad route would have allowed the airline to fully utilise the capacity of its Boeing 757 to profitably operate both short and long haul flights, non-stop to North America and via the Caribbean. He said it would have provided Guyanese with a choice of flying their national carrier to the neighbouring Caribbean Community member state, among other benefits.