Tourism July 20, 2021 | 4:05 pm

JetBlue attributes flight delays in Dominican Republic to Covid-19 restrictions

And weather conditions in the United States.

JetBlue said that the weather conditions in the United States and the restrictions established to prevent people infected with Covid-19 from entering the territory have been among the main reasons why in recent days, there have been delays in their flights to and from the Dominican Republic.

The company said they are addressing the situation as best they can and are working with Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI(Aerodom)to improve their physical space.

“Along with the weather impacts, every customer leaving the Dominican Republic requires verification of additional Covid documents due to the U.S. mandate. Our crew members are responsible for verifying each client’s documents, which has extended the time of our check-in process,” they say.

The company said it is working “hard” to address the situation and improve the customer experience in the Caribbean country by actively hiring new crew members, adding staff to help our customers.

They said they are working with Aerodom to improve their lobbying, creating a more straightforward check-in process; working to secure additional kiosks to speed up the check-in process; creating a cash-free payment system for services to expedite transactions, and working with the security business partner to implement technology to speed up the process of Covid documents and certification during check-in.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Board(JAC)asked the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation(IDAC)to initiate an investigation into JetBlue’s operations to and from the Dominican Republic, with the aim of “knowing the constant delays and discrimination against Dominicans.”

José Marte Piantini, director of the JAC, explained that with the report sent to them by the IDAC, they would proceed to contact JetBlue International in the United States and even the International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO)to reach the last consequences because “the JetBlue thing is something that must be stopped.”