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From: C-ap@clari.net (AP / ERIC NURSE, Associated Press Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.biz.industry.aviation,clari.world.americas.caribbean,clari.biz.top,clari.biz,clari.biz.industry,clari.world,clari.world.americas,clari.world.americas.meso
Subject: Caribbean Hurt By Airline Dispute
Keywords: General financial/business news, AMR Corporation, tick=AMR,
	Reno Air Inc, tick=RENO
Organization: Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press (via ClariNet)
Message-ID: <Acaribbean-americanURJB1_9FB.X@clari.net>
Lines: 62
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 21:17:40 PST
Expires: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 19:00:30 PST
ACategory: financial
Slugword: Caribbean-American
Threadword: caribbean
Priority: regular
Xref: news.cs.columbia.edu clari.biz.industry.aviation:26676 clari.world.americas.caribbean:17791 clari.biz.top:54808 clari.biz.industry:28740 clari.world.americas:10264 clari.world.americas.meso:11646

  	  				 
	BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) -- Caribbean tourism officials urged  
the region's small airlines to band together to offer alternatives 
to American Airlines, where a labor dispute plagued more travelers 
Thursday. 
	American and its American Eagle subsidiary operate about 70  
percent of all flights to and within the Caribbean, and regional 
governments are worried the slowdown may affect the flow of U.S. 
tourists in the peak winter season. 
	``We cannot continue where we are exposed to the whim and fancy  
of major carriers when this is in fact our critical industry,'' 
said Jean Holder, secretary-general of the Barbados-based Caribbean 
Tourism Association. 
	``We have to somehow put together air transportation that is  
Caribbean-controlled,'' Holder said, urging leaders to meet to 
discuss ways to strengthen air transport in the Caribbean. 
	A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered American's pilots to end the  
protest, but American said it was canceling another 29 flights 
Thursday to its regional hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico, because of a 
lack of crews. It predicted at least three more days of problems. 
	In all, more than 350,000 travelers have been stranded since  
Saturday, when American pilots began protesting lower wages paid to 
pilots from Reno Air, which American purchased in December. 
	American has offered hundreds of Caribbean travelers refunds for  
canceled flights, prompting hotel cancellations throughout the 
region. 
	Tourism organizations have repeatedly urged money-losing  
Caribbean airlines to combine some maintenance, ground handling and 
other operations to save money and add routes that could compete 
with American. 
	Officials recalled a short-lived American strike in 1997 that  
cost hoteliers and cruise operators millions of dollars. ``The 
Caribbean has been the greatest loser in this kind of 
uncertainty,'' Holder said. 

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               The Associated Press News Service
             Copyright 1998 by The Associated Press
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