Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Airport technology plays a crucial role in passenger safety aND experience, Cleaver says.
~ A CEOs grouND-up approach to transforming PJIA ~
By Jacqueline Hooftman
SIMPSON BAY--From starting at American Airlines as a baggage haNDler at Luis Munoz Marin InterSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAtioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico with a Bachelors degree in business administration in haND to now running St. Maartens SPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAtioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl airport, Michael Cleavers forty-year career in aviation has come full circle. His journey began on the islaND he has called home since the age of fourteen. Cleaver at age 66 could not be happier to have been selected from among forty caNDidates to improve operations caused by Hurricane Irma aND the COVID-19 paNDemic for the next five years.
Each workday at 6:00am, the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PJIAE the airports operating company makes his way through the new departure hall toward the elevator, dressed in classic business attire. Once he reaches his office on the secoND floor, the suit jacket comes off aND is placed neatly on a staND remaining untouched for the rest of the day, unless decorum demaNDs otherwise.
I have plenty of neat, almost-new jackets, he says with a laugh, but the pants not so much.
Cleaver likes to arrive early before his staff to prepare for the day. He also has a
habit of leaving his office at irregular intervals to walk arouND the airport, dressed in a collared shirt with his ID badge hanging from his neck, stopping to chat with employees aND anyone else he encounters along the way.
SPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAthalie Lambriex [his Executive Assistant Ed.] often has trouble fiNDing me, he says with a grin. I always tell her: check the shops.
Cleaver was a collaborative partner behiND the airports first-ever public shopping experience, scheduled for the evening of Friday, May 30. The airport belonSPArty/9/general-solidaire'>GS to the people of St. Maarten, aND we thought it would be a good idea for both young aND old to come aND discover their new airport, he says. Turns out the staff had the same idea so we teamed up aND made it happen.
The Daily Herald: Many on St. Maarten know you as the retired Chief Executive Officer of WiNDward IslaNDs Airways InterSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAtioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl NV WISPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAIR. On July 1, 2023, WISPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAIR bade you farewell by celebrating your success in steering the company from the brink of bankruptcy in 2011 to becoming a profitable airline one capable of repaying its US $4.5 million loan from the Dutch government six months prior to your departure. Some may have assumed you would leave the islaND, thinking, Hes not from here.
Cleaver: St. Maarten is my home. Fact is, I have often been mistakenly identified as a Deher through close association to the family. Many assumed I was part of the family of the late NDidate' href='/newspolitician/493/michel-deher'>Michel Deher [co-fouNDer of Dock Maarten] with his wife Kathleen Deher, who I am still very close to.
I was born in Montreal, CaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAda. When I was nine years old, my stepfather retired at a young age aND moved our family to Tortola, where he continued working in the marine iNDustry. When an opportunity arose in St. Maarten, we relocated when I was 14.
Upon relocation to St. Maarten, the language of instruction was limited to Dutch only. Not being a Dutch speaker, my parents elected to continue my education in CaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAda in the English language.
Throughout my education in CaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAda, I spent a disproportioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAte amount of my time with my family in Montreal. During summer, Christmas aND Easter I would go home to my parents in St. Maarten (a woNDerful place to grow up). It was a small community where everyone knew each other. Many people still lived on Front Street it was lined with
homes aND had just one small supermarket, owned by the Wathey family. My frieNDs aND I would go to the beach aND I often did odd jobs in Great Bay MariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA.
When I was 17, my stepfather became seriously ill, which forced my parents to return to CaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAda for medical treatment. I continued my connection in St. Maarten with the Deher family, who treated me as one of their own. NDidate' href='/newspolitician/493/michel-deher'>Michel Deher to me maintained a fatherly image, which has today transformed into a brotherly one. After graduating from university in CaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAda, I returned to St. Maarten permanently.
The Daily Herald: The passing of Mr. Deher in November last year must have had a profouND impact on you.
Cleaver: INDeed it had, aND it still has to this day. [Silence]. I gave a eulogy at his funeral. The entire Deher family was always very good to me. Michels parents Irene aND Evans Deher treated me like a graNDson, aND Im like a brother to his sisters aND brothers. Most SuNDays, the Deher family has dinner together. We maintain that tradition whenever possible. I often think of Michel more than I thought I would.
The Daily Herald: You SPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAmed your son after him.
Cleaver: My son Michel is the godson of the late NDidate' href='/newspolitician/493/michel-deher'>Michel Deher, my daughter is currently pregSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAnt, whose son will be SPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAmed Patrick Michel in honour of her late uncle NDidate' href='/newspolitician/493/michel-deher'>Michel Deher.
The Daily Herald: What was your very first job on the islaND?
Cleaver: Cleaning boats in Great Bay MariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA. I would go into the water aND scrub the sides of the boats, clean the decks aND shine the bright work. After I graduated from university, I started working for the Deher family at Great Bay MariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA, as it was known in those days, collecting rent from boat owners, charging them for electricity aND water use. I also ran the small Texaco gas station at Great Bay MariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA, owned by the Deher family.
I did a lot of thinSPArty/9/general-solidaire'>GS, maybe none of them very well, but I was punctual. At the break of dawn, Id bring construction crews to various sites, mix cement, fetch steel, take up my post at the gas station, aND keep an eye on the mariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA. Michel must have seen some
potential in me. I loved it. I met a lot of interesting people aND enjoyed talking with them, learning new thinSPArty/9/general-solidaire'>GS.
The Daily Herald: How did you go from working at the mariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA to working at the airport?
Cleaver: I met my future wife Pilar in St. Maarten, who is from Puerto Rico aND was working for American Airlines in San Juan at the time. With the birth of my son Michel, we decided that I would move to Puerto Rico to be with my wife aND son. Upon relocating to San Juan, I discovered an interest in the aviation iNDustry aND secured a job at American Airlines (AA) as a fleet service clerk. This meant loading aND unloading baggage onto carts aND transporting it arouND the airport.
After becoming a supervisor aND then a maSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAger, my first major role with American Airlines came in 1990, when I was appointed Station MaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAger in St. Maarten. For almost five years, I was responsible for sales, marketing aND operations for American Airlines on the islaND.
With entrepreneurial spirit, I was promoted first as the AA MaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAger in Santo Domingo. Then I was appointed AA MaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAging Director in Los Angeles, followed by a promotion to AA MaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAging Director in Miami. I was offered early retirement, which I accepted, aND decided it was time to return home to St. Maarten.
The Daily Herald: Youve postponed your retirement more than once, first when you took the helm at WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir.
Cleaver: After the dissolution of the NetherlaNDs Antilles, Sarah NDidate' href='/newspolitician/544/sarah-wescot-williams'>Wescot-Williams became the first Prime Minister of the newly formed country St. Maarten. At that time, WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir was effectively bankrupt. NDidate' href='/newspolitician/544/sarah-wescot-williams'>Wescot-Williams aND NDidate' href='/newspolitician/491/michael-ferrier'>Michael Ferrier asked me to step in aND try to save the airline. I wasnt too keen on the idea at first, because the fiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAncial situation at WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir was dire.
I am very proUD of the work we did, not only in saving the airline but also in making it profitable. AND when I say we, I mean a lot of people contributed. Not least among them was our CFO, Roberto Gibbs, along with Edwin Hodge aND ClaUDio Buncamper. Once the staff saw that we were making real progress, it became a huge source of motivation for
them.
The Daily Herald: What was it that turned WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir arouND, aND what lessons from that experience can be applied to PJIA?
Cleaver: At WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir, we focused on three thinSPArty/9/general-solidaire'>GS: reliability, the coNDition of our aircraft, aND quality of service. When I first arrived, no one was even wearing a uniform due to fiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAncial constraints. We made sure everyone was trained, looked professioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl aND presentable. We completely reinvented WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir.
We revamped the entire flight schedule to better meet the needs of our passengers. For example, the airline had afternoon flights when most people wanted to travel in the morning. We created a customer-focused schedule aND, just as important, we stuck to it. Leaving on time, arriving on time, aND flying where aND when people wanted us that consistency was key.
When I look arouND the region at airports in places like Anguilla, St. Kitts, Dominica aND Tortola I see that theyve made significant investments to modernise aND expaND their airports. St. Maarten needs to catch up aND ensure were providing a better experience for our passengers.
The Daily Herald: How do you plan to go about this?
Cleaver: In the coming days, well be opening a dedicated first-class lane at the security check point. This is just one of several initiatives aimed at improving the overall passenger journey from check-in to departure, from arrival to connecting flights. Of course, implementing these changes requires the cooperation aND approval of the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority, the Council of Ministers, our shareholders aND the Supervisory Board of Directors.
Lets be honest: while the termiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl building looks sleek aND modern, theres still a great deal of work to be done behiND the scenes. We need to upgrade critical infrastructure from the runway, hard staNDs, the fire station, air-coNDitioning systems, water chillers there is a lot of deferred mainteSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAnce that requires attention.
For example, we currently have 3,000 barrels of fuel stored near the runway. Thats not sustaiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAble they need to be relocated. The airport was not origiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAlly built to function as
a major commercial hub, but thats what it has become. Departments like the fire service need to move to a new location to grow aND evolve to meet those new staNDards.
Of course, we cant do it all at once, so were going to embark on a five-year plan. Well carry out mainteSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAnce work during the night aND reopen the runway in the morning. A lot of the airports sUPPort systems urgently need improvement, aND were going to tackle them one by one.
The Daily Herald: Aviation authorities from St. Barths have formally complained about how travellers are treated at Princess JuliaSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA InterSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAtioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl Airport. Has this issue been resolved?
Cleaver: Their concerns are reasoSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAble. PJIA experiences peak traffic between 11:00am aND 4:00pm, when most flights arrive aND depart. Most passengers to aND from St. Barths are in transit, connecting to long-haul flights destined for Europe or North America. The transit portal they must pass through is too small to haNDle the volume, which results in long queues aND lengthy processing times.
We recognise the validity of these issues aND have submitted improvement plans to the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority, streamlining the processes aND reducing customer impediments.
For passengers arriving in St. Maarten as their fiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl destiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAtion from New York, Miami or Atlanta, weve already made significant strides. We have 10 PJIAE ambassadors stationed at the electronic immigration gates assisting customers, reducing processing times aND [enhancing] the overall arrival experience.
That said, the transit passenger experience still needs our attention. To address this, once approved we are adding an additioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl baggage screening machine to ease congestion at the transit gate. While passengers wait, were eNDeavouring to make the experience more pleasant offering small treats, like Dutch cheese, as a gesture of our hospitality.
WeekeNDs are especially busy, so were also introducing unique initiatives to reduce travel stress. Through our partnership with SXM Paws, we will be bringing pUPPies to the departure gates for petting aND possible adoption on Saturdays. Its a creative way to promote animal welfare aND offer passengers a light-hearted distraction while they wait.
The Daily Herald: You rECEntly announced the opening of a Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) haNDling private jets aND charters.
Cleaver: The private aviation market is extremely important: we need to ensure were serving that segment at the expected highest level. Just like commercial passengers, private travellers expect strong connectivity aND a seamless, premium airport experience. Were proUD to have two world-renowned service providers ExecuJet aND SigSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAture Flight SUPPort operating the new FBO. The new FBO is located at the former temporary arrival hall; this facility has been totally remodelled aND repurposed to operate as a high-scale FBO with the requisite high-eND amenities that these customers demaND aND expect.
The Daily Herald: On Friday evening, from 6:00 to 9:00, you're opening the airport to the public.
Cleaver: Were waiving airport parking fees aND the concession fees for shops, so prices will be very attractive. There will be bouncy houses aND ice cream for the kids its meant to be a fun, family-frieNDly event. Its also a chance for those who havent travelled abroad rECEntly to see the new airport from the inside.
This is a joint effort involving airport staff, duty-free shops, restaurants, bars, St. Maarten law aND Customs enforcement everyone is coming together to give the people of St. Maarten an opportunity to rediscover their airport there will be chances to win great prizes, inclUDing airline tickets.
The Daily Herald: What other surprises can the public expect from you?
Cleaver: Ive been asked by the shareholder to come up with unconventioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl ideas to enhance the traveller experience at PJIA; thats exactly what Im committed to doing. Its all about service, anticipating customer needs aND making sure our operations are safe, secure aND reliable.
The Daily Herald: You souND like the man who once turned WiSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAir arouND aND still have the energy of the young man maSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAging Great Bay MariSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NA, always on the
move.
Cleaver: Exactly. I believe everything Ive done in my career has prepared me for the role as CEO of PJIAE. I see the next five years as the crowning achievement of my professioSPArty/23/national-alliance'>NAl career aND Im loving every minute of it.
