Inspiring Future Generations to Pursue Their Dreams

The results are in and for the month of October, Tropic Air has announced its largest charitable fundraiser of the year. #TropicGivesBack fundraising campaign raised $1384 thanks to joint efforts of Tropic business partners, staff and customers. For every ticket bought at last month’s selected station (San Pedro Airport) $1 was donated to an organization chosen by their staff living in that community.

The donations have been divided equally ($692 each) between the San Pedro Tourist Guide Association’s environmental program and the San Pedro Roman Catholic School’s Marching Band. On Tuesday November 22, checks were presented in San Pedro to Philip Leslie and Mrs. Roxani Kay of the association and the school respectively.

Tropic Air welcomed the opportunity to help these two organizations. We have a strong appreciation of the important roles that both environmental education and music play in our island community and a long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility, said John Greif III, Tropic Air’s president. Through music and respect for the environment, we hope to inspire future generations to pursue their dreams.

Like many of our community initiatives, the inspiration for our support comes from our staff who are volunteering in and contributing to their communities, said Steve Schulte, Tropic Air CEO. This is a wonderful opportunity for our team members in San Pedro to give back to local organizations and the members of the community they serve.

About Tropic Air Belize

Founded in 1979 by John Greif III, with & a single airplane and two employees, The airline has steadily grown to become the most experienced and largest airline in Belize. In 2015, Tropic Air joined IATA’s ISSA Registry. In the same year, it carried 320,000 passengers and moved 424,000 pieces of freight system wide. Currently, Tropic employs over 300 staff and offers over 200 daily scheduled flights with 16 aircraft to 19 destinations in Belize, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, including its newest, Chetumal, Mexico.

Tropic believes in giving back. It supports the development of the communities its serves through health, sports, drug prevention, education and community projects. Tropic also supports the development and growth of the wider tourism industry of Belize through promotional initiatives both locally and internationally.

About the San Pedro R.C. School Marching Band

In November of 2007, musical instruments were donated to the school for the development of a marching band. It is a valuable part of the school’s initiative to give students valuable extra-curricular and educational programs that enhance their talents and avenues, and that express their creativity through music and art. The marching band participates in school and community events with the help of teachers, parents, community, and students.

About the San Pedro Tourist Guide Association

A non-profit organization, The San Pedro Tourist Guide Association represents over 300 members. The Tour Guide Association helps the community with projects like kids in action, reef enhancement project and lobbying for guide protection. They strongly believe in helping local communities and protecting the natural environment.

Tropic Air Travel Note

Dear Customers,

As the high season is now upon us, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of some of our travel procedures, and a few important issues that may affect your customers. Please feel free to share this with your staff and guests as you see fit. It will help everyone to have a better travel experience on the busiest of days.

1) On most Saturdays between November 15th and the end of April, and on peak demand days, such as December 26th, the Belize International Airport (PGIA) can become very congested at arrivals, and at security screening areas. This can be further exacerbated by other external factors such as international carrier arrival delays, ATC issues, and inclement weather.

While Tropic Air will make every effort to ensure a quick and smooth transfer for all your guests, we do suggest that you inform your arriving passengers in advance to expect some congestion issues, especially if their arrivals are affected by the scenarios listed above. Please also mention to them that, if their inbound flights are delayed, Tropic will rebook them on the next available flight at no charge. For those heading to southern Belize, this may mean a flight the next day if daylight and lack of runway lighting becomes an issue.

For your departing guests, we do encourage them to allow at least three hours to check-in and clear security at the PGIA on peak days. They should be aware that most foreign carriers require that all international passengers present themselves at their ticket counter (even if they have checked-in online) at least one hour prior to departure, or the passenger may be denied boarding.

2) For flights headed to southern Belize: By law, all flights must arrive at their destination no later than 30 minutes after sunset. In the event of international carrier arrival delays, we will make every effort to expedite your guest’s immigration processing and their flight’s departure. Unfortunately, the 30-minute rule is strictly enforced and is part of our ISSA approved commitment to safety.

3) Please have your guests read the “contract of carriage” on their tickets carefully. It contains important information on ticket cancellation periods, baggage etc. It can also be found on our website at https://www.tropicair.com/en/book-a-flight/

4) When a customer is rebooked on the “next available flight”, it is important to note that this does not automatically mean the next flight leaving for a specific destination. It means we will book them on the next flight that has available seats. On time passengers will be processed first, then the rebooked passengers, with priority given to passengers headed south late in the evening. In rare circumstances, this can mean a wait time of 2-3 hours. We offer all delayed guests the ability to call their resort or hotel, and we do encourage them to stay near the departure gate in the event that their flight is called early.

5) Canceling or changing tickets: As stated in our contract of carriage, all cancellation or ticket change requests must be made at least 24 hours prior to departure. Any cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours prior to departure will be subject to change and/or rebooking fees.

6) Check-in: All domestic flights require check-in at least 30 minutes prior to departure. Our international flights require check-in at least one hour prior.

7) Our pledge is to get all our guests to their final destinations to start (and end) their vacations. Our commitment is to do everything possible to efficiently and safely accomplish that. As such, in the event of delays, we will fly until the last passenger to San Pedro is taken care of (remember, SPR runway does have lights), and we will work hard to ensure that everyone has a positive experience with Tropic Air, their chosen resort and that they enjoy Belize.

Now for some good news…

In addition to our core fleet of 16 aircraft, Tropic Air has secured additional lift capacity in the form of two 19-seat aircraft for the high season. Some of you may have seen a Twin Otter flying around already. These will mainly be dedicated to flying the Belize City International Airport to San Pedro and Placencia routes and should help alleviate normal peak period traffic, as well as help us to recover faster for our guests when the gods of weather, crowded airports and traffic delays conspire against us all.

We also should have expanded check-in facilities (12 positions vs 4 now) at the PGIA ready by early 2017, and a new departure gate area as soon as terminal construction is completed at the airport in mid-2017. This, in addition to the United Airlines move, and subsequent dedicated domestic security should soon create a better experience for all.

We thank you all for your patience and understanding as we all work together to grow tourism. As always, our team members stand ready to answer any of your questions and concerns, and we welcome all comments and suggestions.

Sincerely,
Your Tropic Air Team