Crown Point Airport - Oh Dear

[John H Fox]

What has gone wrong with the friendly face of Tobago?
When we arrived at the airport after the long journey from Gatwick we were most surprised at the attitude. Firstly our luggage had been labelled Priority - unload first. It took over an hour for them to appear - yes all the Priority ones came off last. Then we had to join an enormous queue to have our luggage scanned through the one and only scanner!! And guess what - there was no-one watching the scanner when our luggage went through. Over an hour and a half to get through the airport with luggae that had already been scanned at Gatwick. I always believed the purpose of scanning luggage was to ensure a safe flight. What is the benefit in scanning AFTER the journey??

Then the coming home was nearly as bad. The departure lounge was like a sauna with not enough seats for all those waiting. The only relief was a single large fan - but when we stood near it Mr. Jobsworth appeared to tell us we were in a "security zone" and even threatened to escort me to the police station if I refused to move.

I will post elsewhere about the unfriendly face of Tobago while we were there.

[Ronald]

As I´ve seen many reading this but no comments. I feel I have to write some lines, if you get mad on me because of that, be my guest! I have been travelling to the Carribbean since late 80´s, been to T&T every year since 1989.

"Priority - unload first." as you or anyone else doesn´t know the reason, it´s unfair to blame the staff at Crown Point. They might be loaded wrong in Gatwick, it might be so they couldn´t get these lugguage at once?

"enormous queue to have our luggage scanned", I myself have been wondering about that scanner, I often are sent beside that scanner by the officer who check my Immigration form
However, it´s not the staff´s fault that the lugguages are supposed to go true this machine, the rules of course comes from above, and they are obligated to follow these security rules. Your flight was a direct flight Gatwick - Crown Point, but all International are NOT direct flights.

"The departure lounge was like a sauna", Crown Point Airport is old, the Airport is not made for these big aircrafts which now a days are in use. Compare this airport with the small ones in the country side elsewhere in Europe.
There have also been some power problems on-off, they are building new power lines in the south of Tobago, sometimes the power is switche off for a wile because of that.
Tobago is hot, and when AC goes off for some reason, the heat inside goes up very quickly, but it take time to bring it down again. it´s so even i Europe but because of the heat and a crowded lounge, it simply take time.

"security zone" and even threatened to escort", well if someone would be into a security zone into an European Airport, I belive they would be ordered to move too, wouldn´t the security in England also do so? Otherwise they doesn´t do their job!

"unfriendly face of Tobago", I have made my comments there too, if my commentrs make you mad, feel free to say so!

[David Watkins]

I agree with Ronald
David

[John H Fox]

Hi Ronald - no I won't get mad at you. But this was my 5th visit to Tobago ( which surely proves we love all about the island. So my comments were about a comparison between 2011 and all the previous visits. I take your point about the luggage - you may be right although we were told the container holding our luggage had "been forgotten".
My main moan was really the scanning - that is not required. I didn't say it was the staff's fault - but it surely is someones - it's usually a management thing. I doubt another airport in the world scans incoming luggage.

Finally the "Security area" was the space between the two rooms and it contained the only fan. It would have helped if the area had been marked as such and it would certainly have helped if the fan had been located in a public area.

Yes I will get mad with you, after all. Saying you have been going to Tobago for each of the past 22 years - now that gets me envious!!!!!!

[Alex Douglas]

Dear John. First of all ,thank you for your visit and we hope to see you again. You keep singing that you love the island and how many times you've been there ,but you never seem to miss an opportunity to complain and whine , apparently about things that are trivial. There are problems in every country and Tobago isn't perfect but I think that you're the type that can never be satisfied, judging by your postings. If you keep looking for things to complain about ,you will surely find them. Lighten up man ,before you get a heart attack.

In one of your post you said that you still had a good time and you would recommend the island , in spite of the bad unfriendly attitudes. In another post you said that "I will post everywhere about the unfriendly face of Tobago" so which is it? You are sending mixed signals ,sort of like a husband who says to his wife I love you with all my heart and then turns around and beats the crap out of her , then when she is all battered and crying , turns again and says I love you dear.

When I'm on vacation I don't let people and their bad attitudes upset me ,or things breaking down ,or things not working as expected , especially after saving and planning extensively. You can't change how people act but you can change how you do or don't react. Tobago is a tropical island and not every place has A/C so why complain about the heat? It beats the cold, dank and miserable English weather any day and at least you wont have to fork out a few pound sterling to go to the sauna back home.

[Jane H]

Dear John

"I doubt another airport in the world scans incoming luggage."

Actually - if you go to the Maldives, on arrival at Male airport (after a 10 hour plus flight from the UK) your luggage is all scanned - both hold and hand items. THey are looking for items that you are not allowed to inport into the country ie certain foodstuffs and alcohol.

Sometimes visits to a paradise come with a downside.............

Jane

[Alex Douglas]

Oh Jane. Thank you , thank you . You appear to be sane and realistic

[RosyV]

Oh yes! We love Tobago because it is a beautiful place with the quirkiness one should expect from a small tropical paradise. Love everything about it and if that means a small hot departure lounge then so what. Bring on next years hols!

[John H Fox]

Hi Alex - I know our nations are said to be devided by a common language but please don't twist what I have said into something not intended. The postings I have made on my return this time are the only ones that have been critical. I will repeat though - it is not through comparing Tobago with elsewhere but rather comparing our findings this year compared with our previous 4 visits - the last being in 2006. And please do not assume I am the type who is never satisfied - you do not know me. I find your comparisons with certain husbands quite frankly offensive.
I was trying to make the point that people in the front line of contact with tourists need to be more welcoming ( as we found on our previous 4 holidays (vacations to you). Yes we did have a great time and had some good laughs with many Tobagonians especially at the goat races.
The experience I was commenting on certainly did not upset me - in fact we had some good laughs about it especially our experiences in PennySavers. I wrote my remarks in the hope they might be viewed by people who can make a difference on the island for the benefit of Tobago.

Oh and by the way England is not cold dank and miserable - and to prove it tomorrow I will be sitting in a t-shirt watching cricket - the thinking man's baseball.

[Andy K]

The scanner at the airport is indeed unusual, and just a nuissance if not used properly.
As the Tobago society is very "tribal", travelling locals may be lucky to pass the machine straight if the officer
at the check point knows them ... or the machine is in disrepair. I was lucky a few times well.

Since i am a "local", i am usually not confronted with hotel front desk staff and i give a darn if the cashier at
Penny Savers is friendly and in a good mood, as long as she scans all my groceries correctly and types the correct
amount in the credit card reader. Penny Savers customers are 95% locals and the staff there is not trained to
deal with tourists. My experiences at Penny Savers are quite positive though, everytime i can't find a particular item
and have to ask a shop attendant. The attendants are usually knowledgeable and friendly and give proper direction
or even go with the customer to find the requested item.
I hardly ever experience that in Trinidad at HiLo or TrueValue supermarkets. Can't find a shop attendant in the first place.

I like to sing along with John when it comes to certain staff at restaurants and other customer service sensitive businesses.
Customer Service training appears to be necessary to an extend, and some persons may need to learn that "service" has nothing to do with "servitude".

[Alex Douglas]

Dear John.
It is true that I don't know you and I never claimed that I did. I said judging by your postings , I THINK that you're the type that can never be satisfied , pay attention to the word THINK . You posted on two different forums and they were both very negative. The abusive husband thing was just a simile, that may have been a poor choice but was never intended to portray you as an abuser of a woman but in your two postings that I read, you sounded like an abuser of Tobago, verbally that is.

Attitudes need to be adjusted on the Island ,we all know it and there is room for improvement . You made some solid criticisms but you really were grasping at straws on some of the others , like the incoming luggage issue ,which another poster shot down ,by the way. I was referring to the English winters ,even though it's not winter now I know how horrible your weather can sometimes be, and Tobago beats you any day,weather wise that is.

If someone threatened your safety or robbed you or try to do some other horrible thing then I would be in complete agreement with your alarmist tone , you have a rite to criticize but don't use a machete where a scalpel is needed.
Oh, and do enjoy the cricket ,will you .

[Alex Douglas]

Hello Andy.
You are right and I agree with you . I experience the bad service and attitudes too, in N.Y. and back home as well.
There are many businesses in the N.Y. area that I stopped patronizing because of that same issue, the attitudes seem to migrate along with the people but John was a bit too harsh , in my opinion.

What you said about service and servitude is also correct . It's a lesson our people has to learn if we are to expand the tourism sector and the economy as a whole . Training is desperately needed.
Good Day.

[Paul Makin]

just wait till the scanner malfunctions and needs a service item - it'll get pensioned off at that point.

fwiw, i do recall - many years ago - that where the scanner now sits there used to be a desk. with a man sitting at it. one man. he did the scanning by eye back in the day and if you think the scanner queue is bad..........

paul