Have been trying to sort something out regarding getting stock from Guernsey to our shows and vice versa with no luck. Rather like banging head against a brick wall. One possibility would be finding someone who has a private pilots licence who might fly stock over to help clock up their flying hours.. Have pasted below exchange of letters so you can see I have been trying including Blue Islands reasons for not wanting to fly stock. Dear Mr Veron, I am writing to you as I am feeling rather frustrated by the lack of response from yourselves and previously from Aurigny, on the issue detailed below which deals with problems our Society is facing with the shared use of aircraft between Blue Island and Aurigny. I am hoping that you may be able to help. I initially wrote to Aurigny and after almost three months without response, I did receive a reply – prompted by a telephone call, that stated that Blue Islands policy was only to carry cats and dogs. I then rang your company and was asked to address my concerns in an email which I did on 26 March. Its content is attached below. I still await a reply. As you will note, our society is extremely concerned at the impact the loss of Aurigny aircraft is going to have on the future of the society and its shows as stock has over the years always been carried on Aurigny aircraft without problem. Apart from the dates of Jersey shows - given below, Jersey fanciers also take their stock to Guernsey events. I would ask for your help in this matter. Surely some insurance cover could be provided for this stock for specific dates, as for example, I have notes that you have carried other animals such as seals to the UK in the past. I would very much appreciate your help in this matter and a reasonably soon response. With thanks, Collette Bisson PLEASE NOTE PREVIOUS EMAIL SENT TO BLUE ISLANDS From: Collette Bisson Date: 26 March 2014 12:26:55 GMT To: customercare@blueislands Subject: Show pet transport Following my telephone conversation today with one of your staff, I am writing as president of the Jersey Poultry and Ornithological Society to express concerns on the future of inter-insular participation in our shows in view of your policy of currently only carrying dogs and cats in the hold of your aircraft. To give you a little background information, the society is the second oldest in Jersey dating back over 175 years, and over that period has been supported with entries from pet keepers in Guernsey showing rabbits, guinea-pigs, bantams, birds and pigeons. Shows are held on Saturdays at the exhibition hall at the Royal Jersey show ground at Trinity and this year will be on 23 August and October 4. A winter show is also planned for 10 January 2015. These Guernsey entries play a crucial role in the survival of the society and have fostered welcome inter-island rivalry. In the past, these animals and birds have been transported with no problem on Aurigny aircraft with Guernsey members coming over for the day, departing In the morning and bringing back their stock in the late afternoon or early evening. Your policy is likely to eliminate a significant number of entries from our shows at a time when entries are falling for other reasons including the economic climate, a greater diversity of available interests and lack of garden space or suitable facilities for bird and pet keeping. It would be very sad if your policy led to the demise of the society in view of its long history within Island life. I understand from the staff member I spoke to that the complication is insurance. Would it perhaps be possible to add show other stock - pet poultry, rabbits, guinea-pigs, pigeons and cage birds, to your policy even it was just for the dates of our shows. Could you let me know your feelings on this and a possible way forward. With thanks, Yours sincerely, Collette Bisson (President, Jersey Poultry and Ornithological Society) Dear Collette, It is correct that we are not able to carry poultry or small animals on our aircraft due to insurance reasons. We have assessed as an airline that the risk to the aircraft is too great to allow smaller animals in the aircraft. This is due to the much higher risk of a smaller animal escaping into the cabin. Should this happen, the aircraft would need to be immediately grounded and subsequently cleaned and fumigated which would have a significant impact on our operation. Not only would the flight in questions be effected, but there would be a continuing knock on effect. It should also be noted that whilst we can carry cats and dogs as per our insurance, this is only something that we would allow in very exemptional circumstances. It is important that we recognise the noise and potential smell that animals can cause on an aircraft, mainly because they are not used to the sights and sounds and it is not a particularly comfortable or stress-free experience for them. As such, this can create a lot of noise and unpleasant experience on board for our other passengers. We have to be prudent and recognise that the majority of our passengers on our planes have not paid to fly in this environment. In addition, we serve complimentary inflight catering on all of our UK and European services and it wouldn’t be appropriate for there to be the sounds and smells of animals on board whilst passengers are eating – another reason for our position across our fleet on this. Our complimentary inflight catering and full bar service is something that we both pride ourselves on and is a reason why many passengers book with Blue Islands. There are options available to the society to travel between the islands; as part of the code share agreement, Aurigny are able to charter their Trislander aircraft to fly inter-island and there is of course the option of the boat to travel between Jersey and Guernsey. I do hope this explains our position here and whilst I have the greatest sympathy for your cause, I do hope you can understand why this is an untenable situation for Blue Islands. I do wish the best of luck for the society and should you ever host any fundraising events, please do get in contact and we would be delighted to offer some flights for raffle prizes. Warm Regards, Rob Many thanks for your prompt reply. Although I can see your point of view, it is a shame that you are not able to offer assistance in this matter as the two options you suggest are not likely to be of any use. Condor does not sail from Guernsey till around 12.30 pm. With people coming over just for the day, arriving at around 2pm at the venue for a show that is being judged in the morning and finishing at around 4.30 pm, the timescale would not be practical. Also a sea journey is much longer than a flight so not the best choice for transporting birds or other stock. Regarding the other option of chartering a Trislander aircraft; I would imagine that this would be costly. However, could you give me some idea of the minimum charge for this? Regarding the concerns you mentioned, I do not know of any incidences where an animal or bird has escaped as they are all transported in secure boxes. If you have any further thoughts or helpful suggestions please let me know. Also thank you very much for the offer of flights as raffle prizes and will be in contact with you later regarding these. With thanks, Collette Bisson
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:38:00 +0000
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