Liat Airline Woes
 

I have been a passenger on Liat and use it for lack of no choice about 20 times a year. I travelled from St. Maarten to Grenada on the 22nd of December 2009. The flight was delayed in transit in Antigua for 3 hours. Well after reaching Grenada my baggage did not arrive. I was told baggage is in Antigua. Finally on 25th December morning I got a call from Liat that my bag has arrived, but they can not deliver as its Christmas day. I told them its been three days with out my bag and for me to go to Airport it takes a taxi ride 2 ways and it would cost me approximately EC$100. They refused to remburse me for the ride saying that they remburse me for one way ride that also after 1 week with a check. I told them I am here for 6 days and that would not be feseable for me. I inquired if Liat has flights operating on christmas day and found out that they have flights coming to the airport and the airport is open. I am surprised that the airline has refused to deliver me my bag after 3 days siting it to be Christmas, refused any form of compensation, and is actuially a signatory of the Montreal convention. This absolute disregard and contempt of passengers rights reflects their monopoly on the caribbean market. I would appreciate any one who can show me recourse for action against this airline. Its been 3 days and I am still with out my bag.

I have traveled quite extensively in the Caribbean and the "relax, we'll take care of it tomorrow" sort of attitude seems to be pervasive in the service industry there. Unless you are staying at a corporate managed 4-5 star flag hotel (Sheraton, Hilton, etc.) don't expect your requests to be fulfilled quickly nor correctly the first time. It really doesn't surprise me that a Caribbean-based airline would have the same lack in sense of urgency to return a delayed bag.

I also posted recently that there are parts of the world (the Caribbean being one of them) where money is a motivator to get things done. Here's my suggestion. Call back the airport baggage office and ask them, very nicely, since you would have to use a cab to retrieve you bag anyway if they wouldn't see clear to hiring a taxi to bring the bag to you. Also let them know that there will be a generous gratuity in it for the driver. Who knows, the airport agent may have a friend, brother or cousin who drives a cab and might be motivated to pick up your bag from the airport and deliver it to you. This way the airline pays for the cab fare, you pay a gratuity which is far less than what you would pay for the cab round-trip, and you get your bag today instead of tomorrow.