Ah seriously doubt anybody go want tuh challenge de conclusion ah reach dat de govahment ah de day in Triniland should do someting radically different wid Caribbean Airline. However, ah not so sure eef how ah reach dat conclusion go prevent some from steupsin. Tuh all ah dem ah steupsin back because de reality is sometimes tuh come tuh ah new an profound idea yuh might have tuh take de scenic route. Ah holdin orf til lil later doh orn what mih idea is. Enjoy de scenery until den.

At de time ah start followin de story about de company dat own Alaska Airline lookin tuh buy Virgin America, Caribbean Airline was de furdest ting from mih mind. What would end up as mih CAL Eureka moment didn’t begin when ah started followin dat story. All ah did know was dat ah had tuh follow it. After all, no company does take over ah next company an not make changes an since is Virgin ah does use when ah makin mih irregular trips tuh de orfice out west from de east coast, any change in who runnin it important tuh know.

Ah like Virgin more dan chirren does like tuh skylark. Ah like it more dan some adults like ole tork. Ah like it more dan ah should like ah airline dat doh serve nuttin tuh eat an does charge yuh eef yuh dotish enough tuh want tuh board de plane early. Put ah next way, Virgin America is de best of ah pretty sick fraternity ah money-grabbin airlines. Yet it different: Yuh doh feel like it pickin yuh pocket; at least I didn’t feel so de one time ah upgrade mih seat. Buh since ah standin orn principle an eh doin dat again.

Anyway Virgin America take dat part ah de flight where airlines does give yuh dat borin security speech just before de plane take orf, an dey make it ah video.

Ah does cyar wait fuh de plane tuh start movin tuh watch it on de lil TV screen in de back ah de seat in front ah mih. Ah nearly know all de words an does cyatch mihself hummin dem an ah not orn ah plane or nuttin. Udder dan dat, ah cyar offer any reason as tuh why ah like dat video. It by itself almost make de aggravation ah air travel bearable. Until ah remember yuh does have tuh all but take yuh clothes orf tuh get screened an de flight from one side ah de US tuh de next is six hours long.

Well Alaska Airline parents win de biddin an next ting ah know ah was tryin tuh guess who have more planes, Virgin America or Caribbean Airlines. It was unfair tuh compare.

All dat trigger mih memory back tuh ah trip home. Ah dey at de airport in NY watchin out de window at dis one lonely CAL plane lookin like it lorse in dat huge airport. Dat go make Piarco boy, ah was tinkin tuh mihself. Buh it eh only make Piarco, when it land it wasn’t no lonely lookin plane no more, it was de regional big boy, de airline ah de Caribbean. Someting was rong wid dat transformation, ah tort buh ah couldn’t put mih finger orn exactly what so ah put everyting in ah drawer an file it away in mih mind.

Until dat day ah was making de comparison between CAL an Virgin America. De memory jerk mih head back an stiffen mih neck as differences between ah airline owned by ah govahment in ah developin country an one owned by ah money bags in ah developed country, hit mih.

While Virgin America wid it 60 plus planes, bigger dan CAL, it not ah huge airline. Dat make ah huge difference because ah sure it have hundreds more landings an takeoffs dan CAL. While Virgin competin wid bigger-named airlines it kickin all ah dem baxide because it have features an services dey cyar match. Not tuh mention it always tryin an sell yuh ting.

Yuh hungry? It have food yuh could buy.

Yuh addicted tuh Facebook an go dead tryin tuh wait six hours tuh update yuh status? Virgin could sell yuh Internet access. An dem seats is ledder oui.

Plus dat video.

Airline owners lookin tuh make money. Dat different from tryin tuh not lose money. By de time ah plane land an still taxiin, de passengers helpin de flight attendants half clean de plane oui. Dat important cause de onlyest time ah plane does generate income is when it flyin. Quick turn arong is de name ah de game. I doubt any Virgin America plane does be orn de grong more dan two hours.

Dat is when it hit mih. It wasn’t even ah good clout. Was more like ah natural progression ah torts.

Why Caribbean Airline owners eh tink about lettin de owners of ah next airline run it. Dey better at it dan anybody else an ownin sometin eh mean yuh have tuh run it yuhself. Not eef, into de grong is where yuh go end up runnin it. Look at Bee-wee an Air Jamaica. Or, any udder regional airline dat dead prematurely servicin de Caribbean.

Mih idea so novel it eh have no blueprint tuh follow. Dat both good an bard as it go require endless consultation as de govahment go be flyin in uncharted skies. Dat leave it open tuh doin someting dotish. Not tuh be confused wid whatever it doin dotish now. De only barrier I see tuh mih idea is engrained an often times mis-applied national pride.

Mih idea different from dry leasin, which is tuh rent ah plane widout crew, an from wet leasin which is rentin both plane an crew. Is because ah previous Trini govahments dat ah learn dem terms. Since everyting negotiable under my plan, it could have leasing especially how dat common in de airline world. Ah tink. Regardless it expensive so planes cyar reach Piarco an cock-up.

Every year de govahment go ‘invest’ in de airline an whoever runnin it go use dat investment fuh day tuh day operations. Notice I eh say is Virgin America cause dey role in how ah reach dis point done finish long time.

Ah sure de govahment eh go have tuh beg de company tuh keep books since dem same books go show when CAL make money. Den de govahment, an by extension Trinis, could collect dividends or plow de money back into de airline.

De bottom line go be Triniland havin ah well-managed airline outside de reach ah people wid one-track minds an sticky fingers. People who done eh have no business in airline business. De biggest plus wid dis idea is dat de managers eh go have dis dependency syndrome. Dey eh go be lookin tuh govahment tuh save dem all de time. Ah wouldn’t expect CAL go go into any tailspin because of ah lack ah management skills eidder.

Dat is it, trip done. Tell mih where ah reach eh great. Steups about de journey all yuh want, just keep yuh eye orn de bouncin ball.