RE: 'Comprehension'Debatable as to who here doesn't exactly 'comprehend' what's going on ....a little history for ya' !
The original contract, referred to in today's ''contract extension'' release, was announced in February 2005...with Caribbean Sun ( 8 aircraft ) and Caribbean Star ( 10 aircraft )...to fully outfit both fleets ( total 18 aircraft ). Conveniently, as is so often the case with AMA, with no $dollar values were given.
Subsequently, Caribbean 'Sun' ceased operations on February 1st 2007 and their fleet was dispersed...some aircraft still operate...but not in the Caribbean. Several aircraft went to Air Canada Jazz....a few are still stored...a few operate with isolated small operators. Most improbable that AMA has received any ongoing revenue from those aircraft subsequent to that dissolution....you'll note that AMA never divulged that information publicly.....I guess they count on you smart lads to figure it out for yourself.
Caribbean 'Star' announced a merger with LIAT early in 2007 and operated its last flight in November 2007 and now ceases to exist as a stand alone entity. The record shows that only 7 of Caribbean Star's aircraft were incorporated into LIAT's fleet....and presumably, may still be a source of ongoing revenue for AMA.
Once again , your little company neglected to make any public acknowledgement of that manoeuvre....but the record will show that it's highly likely that only 7 of the original 18 aircraft remained as a source of ongoing revenue. AMA, to my knowledge, has never acknowledged any previous contracts with LIAT.
LIAT currently boasts a total fleet of 17 Dash-8's with no aircraft on order...possibly AMA is planning to outfit the balance of that fleet. But it only brings them back to a maximum of 17 aircraft when the original 2005 contract was for 18 aircraft...law of diminishing returns I suppose.
It's not a negative my dear friends...it's just reality....so let's not get too excited or misguided about something that is, at best, a parallel move.
One should always be acutely aware of the 'caveat' at the end of the official news release...the one that is standard on all their news releases. Basically it states in laymen's terms that, because of the nature of the business and the unknown future vagaries, that all parameters in the news release are subject to delays, revisions ..or just may not be fulfilled. In other words.....if things don't materialize quite as advertised...''tough sh**t''.