Hoteliers and ground handler
angry about lockout at PJIA
~ Accuse airport of preventing fair competition ~
MARIGOT--Rising Sun Tours, one of the island’s longest established licensed ground operators, and the French side hotel association AHSM have publicly denounced what they view as Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) management’s discriminatory practices against their representatives.
They claim their reps are not allowed to be inside public areas with signs to meet their clients.
Rising Sun Tours Director Ali Laggoune said his clients and those of other ground operators had rights to a professional welcome by a representative because they had pre-paid US $40 in departure fees and taxes, in addition to transfers, and expected a certain level of service.
The situation now, he said, is that with three exits, clients have to be met outside near garbage bins and many become disorientated, spending about 20 minutes looking for their rep before ending up in a taxi, thereby paying extra for transfers when they needn’t have.
Consequently unhappy clients want to sue the ground operator, he added. He warned that the procedures at the airport could result in loss of tourism business.
“This is about freedom of competition. If the Dutch side dreams of joining the European community it needs to learn about free trade and competition between Dutch and French sides,” said Laggoune. “They will not be able to decide who can do what among licensed operators.
“The real border is not at Bellevue and French Quarter, but at the airport and the harbour. This business has been confiscated by a few people. If there is a game being played here I would like to know the rules. This attitude is giving bad press to St. Maarten.”
Laggoune said he had been “knocking on doors” since November trying to get answers from management, but to no avail. He questioned the irony of building a new airport to raise standards of comfort and efficiency if paying clients could not even receive the critically important “meet and greet” on arrival.
“This does not happen at other airports. It’s a shame. You have a new tool with the very same lack of competence that existed with the old airport. Everybody is faced with this attitude of being pushed out by security,” he added. “We go to trade shows, organise SMART, develop our client and charter bases, yet four or five professionals are not given the opportunity to work properly at the airport.
“I suspect someone somewhere has a plan to make it impossible for certain people to compete fairly. Otherwise, I would have been given a logical explanation by now. By breaking the link between client and tour operator, the airport has created something unprecedented.”
AHSM Secretary-General Philippe Thévenet added that even if an airport was a private enterprise selling exclusivity, it still had a duty to serve the economy and the island. He said not only French-side companies were affected, but also those on the Dutch side.
“The airport should be working in the general interest, not just private interests,” Thévenet said. “To not be allowed inside with a hotel sign is unheard of. No other airport in the world works like that. Everybody now wants high standards and top quality services but we can’t even welcome our guests.
“The only answer we received is that the airport is a private company. Imagine if we made the roads on the French side private; then see how the Dutch-side tour buses would react to that. It’s the same thing.”
Both Laggoune and Thévenet said a similar situation existed at the cruise ship harbour.
Laggoune said he planned to determine, through legal means, if areas where passengers exited after arrival procedures were public or not.
PJIA Managing Director Eugene Holiday told The Daily Herald he was unwilling to comment before hearing more specific details of the complaints.
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