CAL provides two million seats on airbridge

CARIBBEAN Airlines Limited (CAL) will this year provide two million seats on its airbridge service between Tobago and Trinidad, according to figures given in a statement by the company yesterday on seats already provided up to August, and seats to be provided.

The statement said CAL expects to provide 1,456,272 seats on 16,620 flights in the second half of this year on its air-bridge service between Tobago and Trinidad, it said in an update on its air bridge operations.

CAL gave figures for this year so far. “From January 1 to August 18 Caribbean Airlines operated 9,655 flights, provided 662,670 seats and carried 564,974 passengers on the domestic service, with an on-time performance within thirty minutes of eighty-five percent.”

The statement said CAL increased its seat capacity from 820,279 in 2011 to 1,151,424 in 2016. Over that period the number of passengers carried rose from 682,008 to 948,731 people.

This year CAL accommodated 111,974 standby passengers from January to August, but also had 98,340 no-show passengers from March to July. The statement said the air bridge is CAL’s most heavily utilised route and so is given top priority by CAL’s board and management. “The airline works closely with stakeholders to continuously improve the management of the service. “The operations of the air bridge are carefully planned and take into consideration high activity times like public holidays and special events. Using this information, flights are scheduled and seats are made available in advance for booking by our valued customers.”

CAL said it always seeks ways to improve service. They urged passengers to arrive on time to the airport, as late arrival impacts on-time performance. The airline encouraged customers to use confirmed bookings to ensure a seamless travel.