AmChamTT: Install self-service kiosks at airport

Self-service kiosks should be installed at TT’s airports to avoid a repeat of the fiasco at Piarco International Airport last Sunday.

The recommendation comes from Mitchell De Silva, president of the American Chamber of Commerce of TT (AmChamTT), after the hours-long wait incoming passengers experienced on Sunday due to an extreme staff shortage – only two for the 15 rostered Immigration officers reported for duty.

“That incident brings (up) the conversation of how do you use technology in the airport? Many airports, even some here in the Caribbean, have adopted an entry system where you use a self-service kiosk which expedites the process significantly. As an example, I travel through Miami fairly regularly for work and when I was last there, it took me about 15 minutes to get through that initial clearing process whereas in the past, it took up to two hours.“

De Silva said technology makes some people wary, as they fear being replaced by machines but he said installing self-service kiosks is about “enhancing” the experience of incoming travellers. He was speaking with Newsday about the incident yesterday on the sidelines of AmChamTT’s 25th anniversary edition of the AMCHAM HSSE Conference, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.

TT Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) president Christopher Alcazar said Sunday’s “chaos” was shameful because “it reflected a loss of human resource capital resulting in ineffective operations.”