Pilot Sickout Costs LIAT $131,000
Preliminary information released by LIAT revealed that the Caribbean airline lost close to $131,000 as a result of a sickout action by pilots last week. The Antigua-based carrier had to compensate passengers affected by flight cancellations all across its route system.
“The costs are related to accommodations, transport, meals, airport and staff overtime, charters, aircraft and crew positioning costs, and requests to carry passengers on other airlines,” said Desmond Brown, LIAT’s corporate communications manager.
The pilot sickout, taken to protest protracted contract negotiations and to press home pilots’ demand for better salaries, grounded seven of LIAT’s aircraft and disrupted the flight schedule for 24 hours.
The sickout affected a large group making international connections to North America, Europe and elsewhere. It also affected heads of government from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, who were in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, for meetings. They were unable to return as scheduled to their respective countries.
LIAT’s court injunction restraining its pilots from further action is being challenged by an attorney for the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association. Brown said that LIAT management is continuing to negotiate with the pilots union and eight other trade unions representing its employees.
