Cayman Airways Staff At Cayman Brac Are Very Proud To Be "Flying Higher"
(l-r): Cayman Airways staff Estelle Stilling, Deana Tibbetts, Lucille Walton with Moses Kirkconnell, Cayman Airways Board of Directors member.
Cayman Airways provides many benefits to the local economy by providing jobs and job diversification, both of which are critical for driving economic growth.
The airline is also a vital link between Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac and has been since 1967.
In this article, Ms. Lucille Walton, Station Manager at Gerrard Smith Airport in Cayman Brac describes her role with Cayman Airways and provides an insight into the importance of Cayman Airways to her staff and the people of Cayman Brac.
"Cayman Airways is an integral part of daily life in Cayman Brac." she says.
"Without Cayman Airways, many aspects of our lives would be different, and possibly a lot more difficult. We rely on Cayman Airways to bring food stuff and many other supplies from Grand Cayman and beyond, particularly when bad weather prevents the barge from docking.
"Cayman Airways is the primary means of transportation to Grand Cayman and the United States for residents who need additional medical, or professional services that cannot be taken care of here in the Brac.
"Cayman Airways allows the Brac's tourism product to be competitive in the marketplace and this helps the Brac economy enormously.
"The hotels and dive operations are just some of the businesses that rely heavily on the tourists. Without tourists, many islanders simply would not be able to find employment on the island and would have to migrate so in effect Cayman Airways has a very important role to play in the economy and the society of the Island".
Ms. Walton is responsible for the daily operations of the Cayman Brac Station, which is a full-service facility providing residents of the Brac with all the services from Cayman Airways, including daily ticket sales, reservations, cargo supervision and customer service at the airport.
She speaks passionately about Cayman Airways and her commitment to the company.
"I started working with Cayman Airways 14 years ago as a customer service agent and in 1993 I was promoted to supervisor." she says.
"I feel that Cayman Airways and I have grown together."
In fact, the bond between Ms. Walton and her staff and Cayman Airways is clearly evident.
They exude a sense of pride in working for their national airline.
Ms. Walton believes in "working side by side" with her employees as this brings out the best in people.
She speaks of the dedication and enthusiasm of Cayman Airways' staff in Cayman Brac, where early morning starts are nothing new and commitment to the job is essential.
The first flight out of Cayman Brac is at 6.30 a.m. so the staff wakens at approximately 4 a.m. every morning.
Ms. Walton comments that all the employees are superb. very reliable and extremely dedicated to Cayman Airways.
Deana Tibbetts and Estelle Stilling are two of the lead customer service agents who work with Lucille and they both point out that Cayman Airways provides them with employment in a specialised role that would not be possible without the airline.
Ms. Tibbetts says that she finds her job challenging yet exciting and that no two days are the same.
Ms. Stilling adds that Cayman Airways forms an integral part of the life and culture of Cayman Brac.
They are both proud to represent their country as the faces of Cayman Airways.
Lucille points out that the Cayman Brac staff are very proud to be "flying higher" with Cayman Airways and she looks forward to the continued operation of the airline in these changing times.
For more information on Cayman Airways, visit www.caymanairways.com