Caribbean Beat — January/February 2017 (#143)

A MESSAGE From THE CARIBBEAN AIRLINES TEAM
NEW YEAR, NEW RESOLUTION
Happy New Year to you and your families, and thank you for
choosing Caribbean Airlines!
Last year was a year of transformation, as we focused
on further enhancing the travel experience of all our valued
customers. A new strategic plan was approved, along with
a new mission: Connecting People, Realising Dreams, and a
new vision: to achieve sustained profitability through becoming
the preferred airline serving the Caribbean. Our objectives are
centered around specific themes: We Care, We Connect, We
Create, We Are the Caribbean. We are determined to apply
these themes to our culture and operations, our values, and
every aspect of our activity, both within Caribbean Airlines
and beyond.
This year is a special year for Caribbean Airlines, as we
celebrate our tenth anniversary on 1 January. The journey to
this point has only been possible through the commitment
of our employees and the loyalty of our valued customers.
To mark the occasion, we will be holding a series of events
during the year, which will involve all our key stakeholders.
We are very proud of our major achievements over the
past ten years. They include:
• being named The Caribbean’s Leading Airline at the
Annual World Travel Awards for six consecutive
years
• becoming the first airline in the Caribbean to operate
the ATR-600 series aircraft
• bringing our heavy maintenance and aircraft repairs
in-house, thus saving our shareholders substantial
amounts in hard currency
• expanding our operations to include routes formerly
operated by Air Jamaica
• upgrading our reservations, ticketing, and departure
check-in system to Amadeus, which facilitates
faster and easier web check-in, simpler ways to buy
tickets, and many more benefits to serve you better
As a corporation proudly serving the people of the
Caribbean, we are committed to being a leader in sustainable
business practice and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
In this way, we add significant value to the people and the
governments of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and the
region.
Our employees are crucial to the success of these CSR
projects, selflessly giving of their time, energy, and expertise.
We have provided assistance to thousands in sport, culture,
and the arts, education, support for medical treatment, and
a range of other charitable initiatives, throughout all the
destinations we serve. We partner with other stakeholders to
implement programmes across the Caribbean and beyond.
In 2017 we will continue to bring consistent value and
superior service to our customers by building on existing
initiatives and adding new ones where identified.
Quite apart from our anniversary celebrations, January
and February are busy months in the Caribbean, and you
can fly Caribbean Airlines to many of the events taking
place. Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, for example, the
world’s greatest street party, is on 27 and 28 February this
year. Grenada’s Sailing Week runs from 30 January to 4
February. In Guyana, Mashramani (“Mash”) is celebrated on
23 February: billed as the most colourful festival of the year,
it celebrates Guyana’s becoming a Republic on 23 February,
1970. The word “Mashramani” originates from an Amerindian
language, and means “celebration of a job well done.” With
several daily flights to and from Guyana, Caribbean Airlines
will certainly get you there! You can see a detailed Caribbean
calendar elsewhere in this magazine.
Caribbean Airlines sincerely values your business. Please
visit our website at www.caribbean-airlines.com, become
a fan by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
caribbeanairlines, and follow us on Twitter @iflycaribbean.
Thank you again for choosing to travel with us, and best
wishes to you and your families for 2017!
Yours in service,
The Employees of Caribbean Airlines
18 WWW.CARIBBEAN-BEAT.COM