Fly Jamaica customers protest for refund after promised deadline passes

Angry customers of Fly Jamaica assembled outside the airline’s local office demanding that the company make haste in its refunding process.

Foreign passengers complained about being stranded in Guyana while Guyanese abroad were forced to make alternative arrangements to return home.

According to the customers, Fly Jamaica promised to start refunding passengers from March 29, however, when customers arrived at the Airlines Carmichael St. office in Georgetown, they were greeted by closed doors, and calls to the airline’s local office went unanswered, they alleged.

One man said he has been a loyal customer to the airline for years and would normally book when flying out of Guyana.

A Jamaican national, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he is supposed to fly out on April 5, but is concerned since the airline has not yet told him anything about his flight home and he does not want to be illegal in Guyana.

Kashaldai Rampersaud and Rajendra Maraj, speaking directly to News Room said they purchased tickets and had already travelled out of Guyana but for them to return they had to purchase tickets from different airlines.

“They fulfil that obligation from Georgetown to JFK but my return ticket now was on the 2^nd December 2018 and the night before I travel to come back to Guyana they called me and told me my flight was cancelled. I called my daughter…and she bought me a next ticket.

“When I came they [Fly Jamaica] gave me reference number…they told me that…. on the 29^th of March…they will start do the refund and when I came here I saw a locked gate and people protesting and I ain’t see no official from Fly Jamaica,” Rampersaud added.

Rajendra Maraj said when he arrived the office was closed after the airline told them to come back on March 29 for a refund.

But the airline in a statement said it has commenced providing refunds to customers and that all requests for refunds are being honoured, however, it is a process that has to be checked by the Company’s reservations and accounts staff.

The statement further said that Fly Jamaica Airways Limited is not currently operating any aircraft, however, it hopes to restart flight operations in a couple of months.

An elderly woman eventually died of injuries she sustained after a Fly Jamaica aircraft, destined for Canada, ran off the airstrip of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri with 118 passengers on board on November 09, 2018.

The captain was forced to return to the airport after the plane began to experience difficulties 54 minutes into the flight. (Colwyn Abrams)