Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has received a letter from American Airlines expressing their regret for how they treated him last week at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Guyana.
On Carnival Monday, the airline’s Managing Director of International Government Affairs sent a letter of apology.
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The US administration has apologized after the Guyana government claimed that Dr. Rowley and the prime minister of St. Vincent, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, were not given the customary courtesy accorded to heads of state at the airport.
The 44th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community was taking place in Nassau, and both prime ministers were planning to leave Guyana for The Bahamas through Miami on February 15 in order to attend. They were both in Guyana for the Guyana Energy Conference and Expo 2023.
The following was sent by Robert A. Wirick in a letter to Rowley: “On behalf of American Airlines, please accept my sincerest apology for not proactively approving the request for expedited treatment and the inconvenience caused during your departure from Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport. We sincerely regret that we fell short of your expectations while traveling from Guyana to Miami to connect on a flight to The Bahamas for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit.”
It would be possible to undertake check-in processes on their behalf with the same courtesy shown. Instead, American Airlines requested that Rowley and his group, who were in the VIP Club run by the government, show up at the check-in desk.
The Guyanan government asked for courtesies.
Rowley and his team cooperated with the invitation to appear at the American Airlines check-in counter to complete the processes after being asked not to extend the courtesy and were successful in doing so without incident.
The check-in of the prime minister was completed with the assistance of protocol officers from Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, according to the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs.
According to the ministry, protocol officials handled the situation professionally and effectively, preventing additional trouble or humiliation for the prime minister. Without additional incident, the delegation made their way to Nassau.
