By Linda Straker Tourism officials in Grenada believe that the one month suspension of Air Jamaica flights to the island can seriously affect the island’s tourism industry. President of the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association Mr Ian Dabreo said that although the suspension is short term this can have serious effect on the island’s tourism industry. “We are now faced with a situation where guest are trying to re-arrangement travel plans which is posing a problem as Air Jamaica is the only direct flight from the USA.” Hoping that the crisis will not take a turn for the worst Director of the Grenada Board of Tourism Mr William Joseph said that presently there isn’t anything much that the island can do to change the airline’s decision. “We therefore hope that tour operators and travel agents will come up with alternative travel route so that travelers will not be affected to greatly.” Joseph is optimistic that international travel to Grenada will return to normal. However, in the interim he is recommending that use be made of American Eagle’s daily direct flight from Puerto Rico as well as connecting flights with Caribbean Star and Liat through Barbados; Trinidad or Antigua. “We have international airlines landing at regional hubs and they might just be able to fill the void in the short term,” he said. However, Minister for Tourism Brenda Hood said that the government will try to have a meeting with the Airline’s officials. Last week Friday, Air Jamaica announced that it was suspending flights to Barbados, St Lucia and Grenada for a month in an effort to comply with local safety regulations, to meet the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority's new maintenance guidelines. Hundred of travelers were left stranded at airports in the affected islands. The decision came a month after Air Jamaica pulled half its 20 planes out of service and canceled several U.S. and Britain-bound flights after a U.S. Federal Aviation audit raised questions about the airline's maintenance schedule. The FAA insisted Air Jamaica carry out major maintenance to planes every 15 months instead of every 18 months. The local aviation authority is now making the same requirement, Air Jamaica said. The Jamaica government regained control of Air Jamaica on December 23rd 2004 from a consortium led by hotelier Gordon "Butch" Stewart, who was credited with modernizing the airline but criticized for failing to stop major losses caused by high fuel costs and fewer customers since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. The airline's new board of directors is leading a major restructuring plan that includes cutting employees' salaries, trimming staff size by 10 percent and reducing or eliminating some flights. The board is seeking US$255 million in loans to help finance the airline. Its debt stands at abo Reprinted from travelvideo.tv