BVIAA to make roughly $130K to $156K yearly with new In-Transit Lounge
One of the first passengers to use the new In-Transit Lounge at the TB Lettsome Airport on Beef Island. Acting Managing Director of the BVIAA Clive Smith. One of the first passengers to use the new In-Transit Lounge at the TB Lettsome Airport on Beef Island. One of the first passengers to use the new In-Transit Lounge at the TB Lettsome Airport on Beef Island. Junior Tourism Minister, Sharie de Castro
By Kamal Haynes, News Staff
The BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA) is projected to earn an approximate $130,000 to $156,000 in increased annual revenue with the new In-Transit Lounge that opened at the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport on Saturday, February 1.
This BVI News tally is based on the volume of in-transit passengers that the BVIAA said uses the Beef Island-based airport each week.
“On average, we have roughly between 250 to 300 in-transit passengers per week coming through the BVI,” Acting Managing Director of the BVIAA Clive Smith said at the opening of the new facility.
And with each in-transit passenger having to pay a $10 fee, the BVIAA could, therefore, earn a weekly amount of $2,500 to $3,000 in a 52-week calendar year.
$10 fee will not be felt by passenger
Smith said that, unlike arriving passengers who must pay a $10 environmental levy fee out of pocket when they land in the BVI, passengers using the new lounge will not be directly impacted by the BVIAA’s $10 in-transit fee.
“The $10 fee is simply for in-transit, so if you are coming from Santo Domingo — for example — on the way to Dominica, you will enter the in-transit lounge where the $10 fee will be charged to your ticket,” he stated.
“You won’t feel it, so there’s not a cashier here at the airport or anything, it is already in the ticket and we collect it from the airline, through the International Air Transport Association Clearing House,” Smith added.
Job well done by BVIAA Board
Meanwhile, Junior Minister for Tourism Sharie de Castro commended the BVIAA’s Board for instituting this new change.
“It is an innovative one and they have repurposed this space that we are in currently in order to facilitate this process which will bring necessary revenue to the Airport Authority so that they can properly serve its operations,” she stated.
BVIAA on a changed path
Last July, Premier Andrew Fahie had stated in the House of Assembly that the BVIAA was facing a serious ‘cash flow problem’. He said that they had owed roughly $1 million in outstanding bills.
Since then, Premier Fahie has said a number of revenue-generating initiatives will be launched that under the new BVIAA Board.
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That money generated will be used to take care of the VIP soldiers
First, projections made in the BVI never come true or even close. Look at the projections for the Pier Park. Not even close. Second, once you piss people off with the fee they will route through a different location. How much is the additional staff going to cost a year. Much more than you collect!!! This is a total farce thought up by Fahie to make it look like he’s doing something. But….he actually is doing something. Making things worse
what are the operating costs?
Look at you asking the question that we all want to know! Good question. There is nothing wrong with the lounge in my opinion, but some of us just like to know the whole story. I wonder why the “journalist” didn’t ask the same question!
Yes the personnel costs and security costs need to be understood. What if a transiting passenger doesn’t want to use the lounge and pay the fee?
A family of five is going to have a cough up $50? To sit in this zone for 30 min for their connecting flight.
they wont even know there’s a fee
BVIAA, let’s talk about our increments that Finance calculate wrong. When will management look into this matter? Or is it because the Head is too busy locking up in an office with the person who did the calculations.
Foolish to do this when the BVI tourism is still in recovery and has still a long way to go. Don’t decentivise people visiting us rather encourage them and reduce tax not increase it. St Martin and other Islands will benefit if we don’t.
This is a good move by the Premier and his team
Explain?
You can never please these bad minded people of BVI
I don’t mind them reopening the lounge but why is it being touted as some major achievement and breakthrough for BVI Tourism? It’s a f***ing waiting room, why is it in the news and pushed as if it’s some major development in the BVI? That in itself says a whole lot.
Always shooting self in foot! Should be free and compete for tourism. For a measly $150 grand!being lauded as a major asset. Its like the money wasted on athletic grounds that do zip for economy. Wake up peoples.
The money collected cant even pay the staff
All this fuss and chest pounding over a potential $120-156K? Is the projected revenue stream the net or gross. And if it gross, what is the projected expenses. Why is BVIAA charging $10 fee again? Is not the airport operating an in transit lounge a cost of doing business? Is not the in transit cost already in the ticket price? In transit passengers provide revenue for airlines, fees for TBLIA, revenue for restaurant(s) and other retail tenant businesses. A larger menu of potential services should be explored.
$130.000 & $156.000 is an average of $143.000 a year.To achieve this 14.300 passengers paying $10 will need to use the in-transit lounge.
It is fair to assume no more than 10% of all passengers would be in-transit. Therefore this equates to 143.000 passengers arrivals each year or 391 each day of the year. This = 7 liat planes a day each with 57 passengers on board.
Is this realistic ?
No it’s not realistic but was electing VIP with a bunch of rookies that never ran anything except their mouths realistic? We elected the greenest team in the history of the BVI at one of the most crucial times and are now acting shocked and surprised at the results? Look at the ministries after one year in power and you can see it’s pure chaos, picture taking and snake oil salesman tactics. Dig deep and you will realize nothing of substance has been done, just spending money and circulating pictures to make it seem like stuff is happening.
I never saw such foolish post.
petty I tell yo petty
these the things they gain broadcast taking the little $ they can get in
that should be free if you are connecting flights where are you going to wait on the run way
VIP some real short goals clowns
Of course the passenger is going to pay..Don’t thing that the airline is not going to put it in the ticket price.
What’s funny is that the BVI has yet to figure out how to understand budgeting and balances. A smart investment would be to buy Excel and learn how to use it. Then they could help themselves off of all of the blacklists.