Caribbean Airlines was officially launched in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday, preparing for its January 1, 2007 take-off to replace BWIA which was grounded after undergoing years of financial turbulence.

While BWIA, which spent 66 years in the skies, had a symbol of the steel pan on its tail, Caribbean Airlines has a colourful emblem of the humming bird.

Speaking during the launching, chief executive officer Peter Davies said: "The livery and logo of Caribbean Airlines centres around the humming bird. The humming bird is found only in the New World and early references to Trinidad are as the Land of the Humming Bird. This makes this symbol highly appropriate as an emblem for Caribbean Airlines."

In a media release, he said Caribbean Airlines' "style of service will be professional but not distant, personable not pushy, genuine not contrived, very
natural and easy".

Meantime, with only 14 days to go before the deadline for voluntary separation from BWIA for its 1 800 employees, 83 per cent of staff in Trinidad and Tobago have agreed to the package since the October 1 start date.

The figure for Barbados was still unclear as efforts to reach general secretary of the Barbados Workers' Union, Sir Roy Trotman, yesterday were unsuccessful.

BWIA staff have been promised enhanced severance benefits payable on or before December 31, and the uncertainty of their jobs removed if the process was done without protest or industrial action.

Director of BWIA's corporate affairs Dionne Ligoure said yesterday there were a variety of responses to the package.

However, the company had implemented measures to assist staff to deal with the realities.

Caribbean Airlines has started advertising for "hundreds of jobs".

Applicants to the airline's website are being asked to fill out an online form
and express areas of interest which include airport operations, building and plant, cargo, commercial, flight operations, human resources, information technology and security.

The alternative is to send applications by fax.