Publisher Description

"Don't Burn our Bridges: The Case for Caribbean Carriers" argues that a tourism-dependent region comprised largely of a group of islands must, in its own best interest, retain ownership of key aspects of its air access in spite of the costs and challenges involved in so doing. Air transportation is the glue that cements the tourism market to the destination, but it is also the aerial bridge connecting the territories and peoples of a single market and economy. Often regional airlines are forced to offer a mixture of commercial and social routes, which makes profitability difficult. The social service they provide is critical, however, and public sector shareholders should not measure their return on investment simply in terms of the bottom line. Holder rejects a widely held view that Caribbean governments, should not support their own carriers financially. Instead, he argues that because of their overall contribution to development generally, the air transportation industry should be counted among those companies in the region which are too big (and important) to be allowed to fail."Don't Burn Our Bridges" documents the history of Caribbean airlines and attempts to demystify the complexities of such concepts as deregulation, yield management, hedging of oil prices, fare setting, fuel surcharges and a la carte pricing, while making the point that running successful airlines has defeated some of the world's most brilliant business minds. Holder also explores the impact of the global economic meltdown of 2008-2009 on air transportation and Caribbean tourism, and proposes a way forward for air transportation in the Caribbean community.

Author Biography

Jean S. Holder is Chairman of LIAT Airline. He has served as Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Research and Development Centre and the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Table of Contents

Foreword Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Chapter 1 The Case for Caribbean Carriers Chapter 2 A Brief History of Air Jamaica, Bahamasair, BWIA/CAL,Cayman Airways and LIAT Chapter 3 A Comparison of the Operational and Financial Performance of Caribbean and Major International Carriers Chapter 4 Options for Cooperation Between Regional Carriers Chapter 5 The LIAT Case Study Chapter 6 Why the LIAT-Caribbean Star Merger Was Necessary Chapter 7 Negotiating a Merger with Sir Allen Stanford Chapter 8 When an Airline Monopoly Is Justifiable Chapter 9 Deregulation, Yield Management, Fare Setting and Hedging Oil Prices Chapter 10 2008: The Worst Year in Civil Aviation History Chapter 11 The Caribbean Reacts to the 2008 Crisis Chapter 12 Caribbean Tourism Performance, 2008 Chapter 13 Air Transportation in the CSME: Beyond 2009 Appendix 1 LIAT Shareholders, Board and Management, 2009 Appendix 2 LIAT Average Fares, 1998-2007 Appendix 3 Fares and Taxes: Year-on-Year Comparison for 2007-2008 Appendix 4 Hedging Options Appendix 5 Single Caribbean Airspace Appendix 6 Caribbean Tourism Organization: Latest Statistics, 2008 Appendix 7 Caribbean Tourism Organization: Latest Statistics, 2009 Appendix 8 Register of Holders of Ordinary Shares in LIAT (1974) Ltd, from 1999 to 2008 Appendix 9 LIAT Costs Distribution References Index

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