Above: a new LIAT plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Regional air carrier LIAT says it is “doing everything” to make travelers’ Christmas journeys “as smooth as possible” this year.

The company is currently in the midst of a fleet modernization, with five aircraft delivered and two more scheduled for delivery in January.

“Even as we continue the transition from the Dash 8 to the ATR aircraft we are now in a better position to stabilize the schedule during the Christmas peak, traditionally one of the busiest periods for us,” Acting Chief Executive Officer Julie Reifer-Jones said in a release. “We are determined to get all of our passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible over the holiday season.”

The company said it would be placing an embargo on excess baggage from Dec. 3 to Jan. 14 in an effort to make the holiday travel process smoother.

Reifer-Jones, who replaced former CEO Captain Ian Brunton in September, said the company had also been working with “external agencies” to improve LIAT

scustomer service.

Frequent service issues have led to a wave of less-than-flattering publicity for the carrier over the past year — most notably a complaint letter in the BVI Beacon that was tweeted by Sir Richard Branson.