Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers denies claims by university students in Jamaica that flights were not readily available with sufficient notice as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the island.

At a news conference yesterday at the ministry’s head office in Port of Spain, Sobers said, “There is essentially usually one flight that takes place directly from Jamaica to Trinidad. There was a special dispensation made for two extra flights to be put on, and priority was given to Trinbagonian students who wanted to avail themselves of those flights.”

The Caribbean Airlines flights, scheduled for October 24, were: BW 415 Kingston–Trinidad (departure 11.25 a.m. with 160 open seats) and BW 405 Kingston–Trinidad (departure 10.30 a.m. with 160 open seats).