Less that a year after it started its Guyana service, Eastern Airlines has announced that it is suspending its service to Guyana with immediate effect.
In a letter to travel agents, the airline did not give any reason for its decision but claimed that the suspension would be temporary.
The airline said passengers who are booked to travel between the months of February and May 2021 will receive a refund for the entire ticket through the bank that was used for the payment.
The airline said if the booking was done through a travel agent, then it is the travel agency that will have to deal with the refund request.
The travel agents have not been told of any possible return date.
The decision by the airline to suspend its service at this time has resulted in passengers being left stranded in both Guyana and the United States.
The Opposition Leader’s office in Guyana today said it has received several worrying complaints from passengers who were not warned beforehand about the airline’s decision.
Opposition Leader Joe Harmon said the government needs to look into the issue urgently.
In the early months of the Coronavirus pandemic, Eastern Airlines enjoyed a monopoly on the Guyana-New York and Guyana Miami market as other airlines were forced to ground their services due the pandemic.
Eastern operated a number of repatriation flights and started a schedule service as the Cheddi Jagan airport was officially reopened and other airlines returned to the skies.
With the return of American Airlines and the launch of Jet Blue, Eastern started to see a reduction in its passenger load between Georgetown and Miami, according to one travel agent.
It was explained that the airline was hoping to tap into the Guyana-Toronto market but its hopes were dashed when the Canadian Government announced a ban on all flights from the Caribbean because of the new strains of COVID-19.
Eastern Airlines is operated by the same company that once operated Dynamic Airways, which ended its Guyana service and filed for bankruptcy after several problems with its service.
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