Carlene, an informal commercial importer, sells her dry goods in one of the vending arcades in downtown Kingston. Many of these vendors are loyal customers of national carrier Air Jamaica. - File

IT MAY cost many of them their livelihood, but some informal commercial importers (ICIs) are supporting Air Jamaica's decision to cut its Los Angeles and popular Miami routes.

These are among the six gateways being cut by the loss-making national carrier in an effort to contain costs. Miami and Los Angeles are two of the 'reasonable' cities where the ICIs shop for retail items, such as clothing and household goods.

"Me no really want it cut, but me caa see we a mash up more," says Pat, a higgler in the Oxford Mall, better known as Back Market, in downtown Kingston. At least 30 vendors here travel to Miami and Los Angeles weekly to buy goods.

Pat has been travelling to Miami every week, since 1986, to buy clothing and accessories. She says, however, over the years, she has observed the number of passengers aboard the weekly flights, especially on return trips, dwindling.

"Fifteen and 12 a wi caa work plane," she says. "Me naa go stop tek Air Jamaica and we will even go the extra mile, but we haffi face di facts. [Dem] not even a go break even. Yuh know how long me not even take a free ticket cause me know say them not even a break even?"

Not sustainable

Joseph Lawrence, who has also been travellling from Kingston to Miami up to three times weekly since the mid-1980s to purchase goods, acknowledges that the routes are not sustainable. When The Gleaner caught up with him in Back Market last week, he claimed he had already travelled 12 times to Miami since the start of 2009.

"All last Tuesday (two Tuesdays ago), a less than 30 people on the flight. Even Christmas, dem never have nobody pon board," Lawrence says of two return flights from Miami.

Air Jamaica's jets have the capacity to carry up to 144 passengers.

Lawrence is of the view that the poor business Air Jamaica receives on these routes is a result of its poor marketing.

Pat agrees.

"Dem jus need some more promotion man, and some more connecting flights," she advises.

However, their sympathy for the airline aside, higglers like Pat are more than a little worried about their future should the routes be cut by the promised date of February 26. It comes at a time when a global economic downturn has been seriously affecting business for most vendors, and there was no cushion last December from what has traditionally been busy Christmas seasons. In fact, many complained that it was possibly the worst Christmas they had ever experienced.

Worse off

"It a go really affect my business," says Pat.

"Cause only that airline would a pack our box and bag. We a go worse off now. A jus we an Air Jamaica a go suffer because nobody no want fi wi business. All when Air Jamaica raise the weight, we gone same way. We break we profit or we break even. Nuff a we a go sit dung," she adds. Other airlines, she says, put a limit on the weight they can carry, forcing them to ship the remainder at an extra cost to them.

Faith Harrison, who has been buying and selling women's clothes and shoes for more than 15 years in the arcade, supports Pat's position

"Everybody just a fret ya now," she says. "Me understand say it cost more fi land in a Miami, but Miami is the only route we can go in the morning and come back a evening," she says.

Many of the higglers are begging Government to maintain at least one flight per week, to both Los Angeles and Miami, to help keep them in business.

"Maybe if dem try put even just one, we will try ketch that one. Maybe if dem put on a Tuesday morning and evening, or Friday, everybody will try ketch it," Pat suggests.

The trip via Fort Lauderdale, the closest route to Miami - which is the only route Air Jamaica will continue to maintain - is very bothersome, the higglers contend, as often, immigration officials at that airport harass them. Moreover, the higglers argue, it takes more time and is more costly to go that route, as often, they have to take a taxi, which charges no less than US$60 to take them into Miami.

"Sometime when you go Fort Lauderdale, all two day it take you to get yuh things dem," Harrison says, a situation which puts a serious dent in business.

"We need we airline man. Dem haffi try save at least one a di route dem," she pleads.

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com