The Financial Gleaner in Nevis writes:
"Caribbean Star Airlines Wednesday announced a series of cost-cutting measures including a reduction in staff under its merger with the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT. The airline, owned by Texan billionaire, Sir Allen Stanford, said it would trim its current fleet by four aircraft and reduce its staff of 470 by 40 per cent. It said the changes would have taken effect February 1, the same day the airline enters into the new merger arrangement with LIAT."

BBC Caribbean writes:
"The change did bring bad news for many Caribbean Star employees. 40 percent (over 180) members of the carrier's 470 staffers will lose their jobs.

But the Antigua based airline, which is owned by the wealthy American investor Allen Stanford, say the workers will continue to receive pay and benefits until the end of February.

'Caribbean Star trimmed its fleet by four aircraft on January 15, 2007 and reduced its flight operations to better correspond with the smaller fleet size', the airline said in a statement."

The Barbados Nation writes:
"Barbadians will not have to bear any "shortcomings" that may result from the merger of Caribbean Star and LIAT. Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch offered this assurance yesterday while giving details of how the new airline would be financed.

"The deal is not completed yet and what you are going to find, Mr Deputy Speaker, is that there's going to be a buy-out of (Caribbean) Star's assets. But initially, to be able to create an airline, LIAT Star or LIAT Caribbean Star, we needed $55 million to be able to put it back on its right footing," Lynch explained.

He told the House an additional $25 million was needed for the purchase of three planes and start-up capital for the new airline."

(Bold-face added by me for emphasis.)

So you mean to tell me that when they were negotiating with Caribbean Star, and developed the plan for the reduced fleet, that no one thought to keep the 4 aircraft that Caribbean Star would have had to get rid of - fhe four newest DHC8's in the region; the four most fuel efficient aircraft in the fleet; the aircraft with vibration and noise cancelling abilities? You mean to tell me that AFTER Star returned the planes, you now want 25 million to BUY planes?

Ya know, maybe I don't have all the details, but to the average observer without that esoteric knowledge, this looks assinine.