Fast-track services rolling out at ORIA
(CNS): All visitors arriving at the airport on Grand Cayman will soon be able to enjoy fast track services if they are willing to pay for it, as a pilot project at the Owen Roberts International Airport begins a wider roll-out. The airport authority is expanding its meet-and-greet service and is working closely with immigration, customs and the airlines to offer passengers the option of paying for faster screening through the arrival and departure processes.
The premier, who is also the home affairs minister, said the initiative was launched in October last year and, having received positive responses from the limited number of local businesses who are testing out the service and from the passengers themselves, it was going to be expanded.
Speaking at the recent Fidelity CEO conference, Alden McLaughlin said that the Cayman Islands Aiports Authority (CIAA) is exploring further improvements, such as implementing online booking to ensure they offer the best service possible to meet customers’ expectations.
“It is hoped that a wider roll-out of this new programme, which the CIAA plans to announce, will come in the very near future and that this service, along with the other upgrades at the airports, demonstrates to our business partners and visitors that we are committed to facilitating business,” he said.
McLaughlin said that additional funding had been approved to ensure adequate resources at the airport arrival counters.
“We have seen immediate results in the reduction of long lines and wait times at our Immigration and Customs halls as well as a bolstering of our border security,” he added.
Government has made amendments to the immigration law to allow people travelling to the Cayman Islands for meetings to enter for up to 10 days without requiring a work permit and to allow property owners without permanent residency or work permits to stay for up to six months, and the premier said these changes had been well received.
Reviewing other legislative changes, such as the changes to the rollover policy and the permanent residency regime, which he maintained was now a fairer system, he remained silent on the next steps.
Government has planned a much more comprehensive overhaul of the work permit and boards system to modernise and improve the process in which currently more than 20,000 permit decisions are handled by volunteer boards. However, since the early moves in the administration to deal with rollover, pushing it to nine years, abolishing key employee status and instead allowing all workers to apply for residency, the PPM government has yet to deliver on any other major changes to the system as promised.
Category: Politics
CNS, where did you get a photo of an official at ORIA actually smiling? That’s not the reception I normally receive.
The man in the picture is an excellent worker. I have met him many times. He is not a nasty person. He should get an award
I looked all over to find the information on this service and I cant find it.
Must be for the people entering the private terminal
If this is the way the premier tries to close the growing gap between rich and poor, then this is not helping.
Its an excellent idea. Having created such an unequal society with growing numbers of gated communities, lets now ensure that travellers do not have to actually engage in anything local. Whisk them through the airport in record time up to their gated communities and with any luck they will stay there and not become a victim.
Do we have to pass on the fee for this newer faster service?Arent things expensive enough as it is?Encourage NOT Discourage
Honestly, the Premier must be the most mis-interpreted and mis-quoted official in the Cayman Islands, perhaps even the entire world. The improvements already made and planned at Owen Roberts International will benefit all travelers. The Premier was referring to a VIP Service for visitors. We already have Caypass for business travelers, so this will be a new VIP service. If the “have’s” are willing to pay for extra service then I think it is agood idea, but ORIA should make a handsome profit on the VIP service. The “have’s” should understand that, after all that’s how some of them got where they are today.
Meantime the have nots queue outside social service office waiting for a crumb from the rich mans table!
Maybe the have nots should be queuing at UCCI and ICCI to better themselves and then they too can participate in the VIP Service.