News
The Boom is here, but are we Ready for it? Horrendous lines at the AIRPORT say, NO!
By Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicos, March 21, 2022 – Government and the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) can no longer get away with saying the ‘overcrowding’ at the airport is a ‘good problem to have’, it is now becoming increasingly risky from a health perspective and condemning – reputationally – for a destination renown as a luxury escape.
The consistent marketing of the Turks and Caicos, which is a British Overseas Territory, as an elite Caribbean region getaway is working marvellously, but the plans to brace for the booming interest in TCI holidays are lagging dangerous behind; the results and optics are disastrous.
Wrong last impression
On the afternoon of Saturday March 19, hundreds of tourists were filmed on cell phone video smashed together like sardines at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS). Obviously frustrated, agitated and incensed by the horrendous lines at the outdoor-styled departure area; the guests were moaning in disbelief.
All Covid-19 physical distancing protocols had to be ignored; it was impossible to distance anyone. There were too many people and no space to cater to them as they queued up. The lines for flight check-in and security check points were most definitely blurred.
“Today we processed a total of Four-thousand, thirty-one (4031) passengers and Twenty-seven (27) commercial flights. Due to infrastructural limitations, in combination with flight delays of 30-60 minutes we experienced congestion issues beyond expected,” said the TCIAA in a statement issued Saturday night.
In one video, children were captured seated on the grimy ground of a parking lot which is used as a holding area for ground transportation at the PLS.
To all reading that statement, it seemed the TCIAA and the Ministry of Border Services were caught unprepared for the travel traffic and proved to be a weak link in the experiential tourism chain.
Everyone Knew it was Coming
In 2021, the Turks and Caicos recorded its best year for tourism and real estate sales, according to Premier Washington Misick, in his 200-day in office report.
“All signs point to an economy on the rebound, said Premier Washington Misick in September 2021, when he gave a National Address.
“Preliminary figures show, that during the first half of this year visitor arrivals increased by approximately 34.5 per cent compared to the same period last year. Merchandise imports into the Turks and Caicos Islands during the first half of this year totalled $215.6 million. This represents an increase of $30.6 million or 16.9% percent when
compared to the same period in 2020. The Recurrent Revenue of $165.4 million at August, exceeded budget by $39.5 million. The major revenue drivers are: Stamp duty on land transactions – $44m; Hotel and Restaurant Tax – $36m; Customs processing and Import duties – $42m.”
Easier getting in, tougher getting out, both bad.
Our newsroom was informed by passengers that disembarkation is also a nightmare. Up to 30-minutes waiting in the landed plane for guests is frustrating we are told, but admittedly more kind that having the arriving passengers standing in the open elements which would be far more unbearable.
Exiting the TCI by commercial flight at the PLS is taking up to three hours.
“Tourism numbers have grown considerably over the past several years, and we understand that this growth necessitates an airport redevelopment plan, which has remained a top priority for us. Long-term development strategies are being progressed to support decision making for a new terminal building, ancillary facilities, upgrades to our taxiway system and airfield, to provide an improved passenger experience. Various short-term measures continue to be explored whilst we work towards the expansion of the airport as a permanent solution,” said the TCIAA.
Since it is out of the question that Turks and Caicos plug up the enviable tourism boom, the question now becomes what can be done to deliver more comfortable service until the long term plans for the country’s #1 airline gateway are actualized.
A canopy was due to be constructed on the airport tarmac by now; it is supposed to accommodate hundreds of arriving passengers. Inexplicably, it remains unconstructed.
An Old Problem
Tourism arrivals for the Turks and Caicos have been on an annual upward trajectory. In 2019, the country hit a fabulous stride and that is also about the time videos of overcrowding began to surface. They showed horrendous lines outside of arrivals and as travellers departed.
The situation exposed an unfavourable problem which many blamed on a short-sighted expansion of a little over a decade ago.
It is well documented that the airport expansion of 2010-2014 came in two phases at a cost of $10 million cumulatively. It was said to nearly double the size of the terminal from 51,462 to 92,321 sq. ft but it was also criticised as many suspected the design offered no protection from the unpredictable elements and the enlarged facility was still insufficient.
Residents say they are tired of hearing the Government of the day, pat itself on the back for strong tourism performance and then fail to provide the infrastructure and public amenities to in order to give people an end to end exceptional experience.
Islanders also believe they deserve a better experience as travellers and workers at the Providenciales International Airport.
While the TCIAA explained the situation, yet again, there was no announcement about the mitigation efforts planned to cope with the next big rush, which is now about four days away.
“Our team, in partnership with our stakeholders are working assiduously to provide a more smoother passenger flow through the terminal building.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused on these unique peak days. We remain committed to provide the greatest level of comfort possible for our valued travelers.”
UPDATED…
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an attempt to move to 24-hour-a-day operations Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is steadily recruiting Air Traffic Controllers to work at the Providenciales/Howard Hamilton International Airport, according to Godfrey Smith, TCIAA CEO, reporting to the Appropriations Committee.
Speaking on April 8th Smith said a cabinet paper would be sent soon requesting six more Air Traffic Controllers to make round the clock operation at the Provo International possible and to open the airport in Grand Turk till 12 a.m.
Currently, 17 posts are filled and seven are vacant.
Smith was candid with his responses to recent industrial action from ATCs which led to resignations and firings.
“What we have to do is find systems to mitigate such actions and that has to start with filling these jobs, putting people in that want to
work and doing right by people – and we always try to do right by our staff. Persons may not think that we are but we always do – we ain’t pick no fight,” he said in the meetings held at the NJS Francis building ahead of the National Budget Communication.
Smith indicated that recruitment was an issue across the board, ‘we need to find ways to recruit a little bit better’ he told the committee. Also in need of a push was capital spending or projects according to the CEO, who said the agency had ‘not been very good’ at meeting that mark but insisted they had recognized the issue and could do better.
A very important key performance indicator drawn up by the TCIAA is increasing passenger satisfaction at the Howard Hamilton International Airport. For the TCIAA part of this means a 30 percent increase in seating by Q2 of this year.
When queried on if they could even handle this increase the CEO said,
“The fact of the matter is we already have the capacity there. What we need is to make the service a bit better.”
Staff shortages have become such a frustrating issue that the TCIAA is instituting a scholarship program created by Authority Chairman, Selvyn Hawkins
“What the board wants to do is basically allocate $25,000 annually for a scholarship and they’ve approved it already.”
This process would cover tuition and all other costs for one student.
The student would return as a summer intern and other breaks to work at the TCIAA and upon graduation, assume a role at the company.
“We identify a particular skill we need, we go after it and we build capacity that is in a nutshell the nexus of the program,” Smith said.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) is allocated $49 million this financial year; over $20 million goes to salaries.
Company delivers fastest speeds nationwide and boosts service reliability
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS, APRIL 19th, 2024 – More connections, faster speeds and greater support for customers. This is the promise from communications and entertainment provider, Flow TCI, as it embarks on an initiative to provide households with enhanced connections, greater overall reliability and now, for the first time, speeds up to one gigabit person second.
FLOW TCI Country Manager, Joanne Missick shared: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We listen to our customers and want to exceed their demands, so we are focused on delivering unmatched value with customer centric products and services that are future proof. Flow subscribers on our Fibre Extreme package can now access up to one gigabyte speeds and subscribers on our Fibre Plus and Fibre Max package, as of April 1st, are also now benefitting from up to 5x more speeds.”
This is third speed boost for Flow customers in the last two years. This comes under the umbrella of the the Company’s recently launched “Working for You” campaign, where technicians are going into the neighborhoods across the island to conduct repairs, decommission copper cables, and increase the brand’s visibility in local communities.
“To date several neighborhoods have been served by technicians and the company will continue to go across the islands to ensure each neighborhood receives personal attention. We recognize that over the past few months some customers have experienced issues with the quality and delivery of our services. This is not what we stand for. Flow remains committed to providing technology and innovation
that enables growth and positively impacts lives”, says, newly appointed Head of Technical Operations, Simeon Thomas.
Thomas adds, “We have been closely monitoring and reviewing every aspect of our network and there is room for improvement across each of the islands. Where we find shortcomings, we are taking concrete actions and assigning our technicians to rapidly make all necessary adjustments and improvements for our customers”.
Flow has made significant investments in expanding and modernizing its infrastructure and delivering a more robust and reliable network paving the way for the country’s digital transformation.
For more information on speed increases visit https://www2.discoverflow.co/turks-and-caicos/price-adjustment-speed-increase on our website.
Thank you for your usual assistance in sharing our stories.
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