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Cargojet grounded again – The Royal Gazette

By February 23, 2022Sports events

Updated: February 23, 2022 8:42 PM

A CargoJet airliner (Photograph online)

An airline importer who sparked a wave of complaints this month over poor service has been served a formal complaint after another missed flight.

Based in Canada Cargojetwhich specializes in perishable food deliveries in Bermuda, has come under fire from florists in the run-up to Valentine’s Day after repeated last-minute flight cancellations left shelves almost empty of flowers before a day peak.

Problematic service, blamed on mechanical faults, has also led restaurants to run out of fresh seafood, according to the head of the Chamber of Commerce’s catering division.

Gary Saltus, of Flowers by GiMi in Hamilton, said he was missing out on thousands of dollars worth of orders after yesterday’s theft added insult to injury because Cargojet failed to notify customers of the Bermuda that his flight from New Jersey was again broken down.

“I have a large quantity of orders for tomorrow and my fridge is empty,” Mr. Saltus said. The Royal Gazette.

“They will have known by 8.30am that he wasn’t coming, but we got no emails, no phone calls, nothing.”

Mr Saltus said online flight tracking was the only way to know if flights were arriving.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, florists have lost three days of activity.

Mr Saltus said there have been further cancellations since.

He added: “I have orders for a big event at a hotel this weekend. Do I even know that this plane arrives tomorrow? No. Will they get it fixed? I have no idea.”

He said cards accompanying flower orders for birthdays had to be changed to “late” because customers would miss the day.

But he added that missed flights also meant missed deliveries of seafood and even perishable medical products.

His wife, Gita Blakeney, co-owner of the business, said the situation had become “untenable”.

“There were no major changes to address the situation with planes,” she said.

“We are now officially filing a complaint with Cargojet. We are also seeking legal advice.

“It’s not just about lost business. There is also a reputational risk.

“A company like ours, in business for 13 years, has a meticulously built reputation with our customers. They are important to me – they matter.

Karl Massam, a restaurant owner and head of the Chamber’s restaurant division, said issues with Cargojet had been a problem for “the past two weeks”.

“Obviously, usually our supplier calls and says they’re not able to place the order today. It’s happened before because of the weather.

“Lately it’s happened several times, which is a huge concern, but something completely out of our control.

“That’s another thing to add to the long list of things we have to deal with in the restaurant business.”