Editorial
Who You GonnaCall?
At the time when cutting of staff and servicesto better position local businesses for the onslaught of nationaleconomic slowdown and an expected similar downturn in internationalcommerce, it is important that we understand the objective ofsuch moves.
Organisations are looking for increased efficiency which translatesto higher levels of productivity. These hard times will be tougherand every productive entity is trimming fat to make it fit fortaking on whatever may come.
In this re-positioning we must remember the idea is to to surviveand not do away with the various forms of production and services.We are simply getting ready to battle.
However, in doing so there may be lessons for all concerned. Wecould learn how to do the same job in less time and with fewerhands. To achieve this we may re-examine our product and learnthat it is still needed, only the system of producing it mustchange.
If there is one company in these Cayman Islands to which suchlessons would be beneficial, it's our beleaguered national airline.
While there is a need now for Cayman Airways to become an efficientwell-oiled unit, events in this time of looming internationalcrisis show that services of the flying turtle are essential tothis country and must be maintained.
It is no news to everyone that the airline is woefully ineffectiveas a business operation. This was common knowledge before theUnited States' 11 September disaster, reactions to which willlead to a worldwide economic slowdown.
In fact CAL was in the process of re-organisation in yet anotherattempt to right itself when the terrorists struck. The slumpin air travel resulting from that heinous event served only tomake more acute the need for that organisation to become efficient.
In this light, it is obvious that this company has to not onlyto adjust to face current and coming times, it also has to makeitself into an organisation that could stand up on its own inany time.
For stand up it must, because the services of a national airlineare needed especially for a small nation like ours.
Recent events demonstrated that when things come to the crunch,having an air service of its own can prove useful to this country.
We need only look at how last weekend this airline demonstrateda willingness to forego profit and make its planes available totourists and others wanting to fly away when hurricane Iris threatened.
Although visitors and others believed themselves safe enough herethat they did not use the service, we know they were secure inthe knowledge that if needed it would be there.
The CAL gesture made all know they would not be stranded. Touristsmade to feel secure on vacation are likely to spread the wordand return. For a nation so greatly dependent on tourism, CALhas performed a national service when other airlines were refusingto fly or pulling out.
On that matter of other airlines pulling, out we see further usefulnessof CAL.
If transporting passengers to and from these isles does not makefor many airlines the handsome profit they are accustomed to,they would pull out of the route without care for the few whoneed air travel.
Our southeastern Caribbean neighbours have experienced this plightbefore and the current reduction in airline passengers has seena major airline threatening to do the same thing again, this timeto Barbados.
Having a properly structured airline like CAL means it will notpull out when the going gets tough. This is home.
The bottom line therefore is, we could very well need CAL - preferablyan efficient CAL.