The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The industrial action that yesterday grounded Bahamasair’s entire fleet “couldn’t have been worse” timed, tourism operators warned, with hundreds of visitors and Bahamians left stranded in the peak travel season.

Kerry Fountain, the Bahama Out Island Promotion Board’s executive director, told Tribune Business that the tourism sector is “hoping and praying” the dispute between the national flag carrier and the Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU) and its members is “resolved as quickly as possible” given the disruption and inconvenience caused to travellers ahead of the Christmas and New Year period.

As this newspaper went to press last night it was reported that Bahamasair secured a temporary Supreme Court injunction to halt the sick-out and force those workers involved to return to their posts. There were suggestions that the carrier may have lost up to $700,000 in revenue, not to mention reputational damage, as a result of yesterday’s enforced operational shutdown.

Mr Fountain, though, warned that any prolonged industrial action threatens to undermine the renewed momentum that Family Island resorts were gaining following a “rough” late summer and fall 2024, with member properties currently eyeing a “very positive” outlook due to a 2025 first quarter booking pace that is 6 percent ahead of the same time last year.

Only four out of 24 daily Bahamasair flights were able to get airborne yesterday after flight attendants and ground staff staged a sick-out and failed to appear for work. Tracy Cooper, the national flag carrier’s managing director, branded the industrial action “illegal” and urged those involved to return to work given the impact on passengers and the potentially devastating effect for the airline’s already-frail finances.

Bahamasair contacts, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business that the carrier’s international flights yesterday had largely been fully booked with some “saturated” with tourists either entering the destination or returning home for the Christmas holidays. But no international flight was able to take-off as a result of the sick-out, with all of yesterday afternoon’s routes cancelled.

Those plans have now been endangered, and the disruption is especially problematic for both visitors and Bahamians seeking to link to US and Family Island destinations through Nassau because Bahamasair provides many of these connecting flights. As a result, tourists returning home may be forced to spend an extra night(s) in the Family Islands or layover in Nassau, creating further cost and inconvenience.

“The disruption will definitely have an impact on our business, especially now,” Mr Fountain told this newspaper. “Our wish is that as quickly as possible the issue is resolved to everyone’s mutual satisfaction.”

Asked about the industrial action’s timing, he added: “It couldn’t have been worse. Today is December 18, and next week is Christmas. I think that after the next two days folks are going to be looking to get where they want to be for Christmas and hunker down for the holidays. 

“The timing couldn’t have been worse and but we hope it’s resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. We had a meeting this [yesterday] morning where we discussed very briefly, with two of Bahamasair’s ATRs being down, how that is impacting particularly out of Europe where there is no same day connection.”

Bahamasair has seen two of its ATR turbo prop fleet grounded in the hangar since August 2024 due to the extended wait time for repaired engines to be returned by the manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney. European travellers, who are especially fond of the Family Islands, and are among the longest-staying and highest spending customers, rely heavily on connectivity provided by Bahamasair out of Florida.

“On top of this, the strike is going to have an impact, and we hope and pray it’s resolved very quickly,” Mr Fountain told Tribune Business. “We’re just getting back in the swing of things. Late August, September and October were a pretty rough time for us. But in the meeting we had today, everyone was very positive.

“December and April are looking quite strong with the exception of one or two islands. The first quarter is pacing 6 percent ahead of where it was last year. We just hope this is resolved as quickly as possible.”

Bahamasair contacts, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they understood AAAWU members had been called to an emergency meeting last night to discuss the situation and strategy on the way forward. This, though, could not be confirmed as Jewel Fountain, the union’s president, did not return Tribune Business calls and messages seeking comment before press time.

The national flag carrier said around 75 percent, or three-quarters, of flight attendants scheduled to work yesterday morning staged a sick-out and failed to report. This newspaper was informed that ground staff, too, also did not appear, with one source saying: “They staged a sick-out and, as a result, would have mash up operations.

“A few flight attendants didn’t get the memo and they were able to get four flights off yesterday morning to Exuma, Freeport, Long Island and San Salvador. The ones that worked the morning then said ‘that’s it’ and they were fatigued. The airline was forced to shut everything down. Everything was shut down. Unfortunate, unfortunate.”

Mr Cooper, Bahamasair’s managing director, yesterday said the sickout - which caught airline officials by surprise - resulted from ongoing concerns about outstanding pay and delays in finalising a new labour contract. “It’s about monies; whatever monies are being paid to them,” the source added.

“I understand the airline was paying the monies owed to them in in installments, but I’m not sure if payment happened this month so they could spend it on Christmas presents and everything. The union is taking a radical approach where, if they don’t get everything they want, they are going to walk off the job.”

Tribune Business understands that the international flight shutdown meant 48-49 pieces of luggage, which were left at Miami International Airport on Monday night, could not be transported to Nassau. Among them were meats and other perishable goods.

“What is happening now is that passengers are no longer putting goods in bags; they are putting it in bins,” the source said, “The bins fill up the hold quicker. It’s not that the load is reduced, but bags are more flexible to fit in.

“All international flights were booked full yesterday. Every last one was booked full. There were 100-plus passengers to go to Miami, and 100-plus to come back. There were 138 going to Orlando, and 138 coming back. I suspect the Fort Lauderdale flights were the same.

“The one from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport was supposed to be full today. It had a lot of tourists; that one was saturated with tourists coming to the island. It’s such a sad thing that it was full of tourists. They just told the people to figure it out,” the contact added.

“We have some jinx on the airline every Christmas. It’s unfortunate. Planes break down or flight attendants and the unions are taking industrial action. It’s always a situation that puts the public in jeopardy every time. It’s sad.” They said staff can only stay off work for two days without a doctor’s certificate, so the next several days will be telling as to what the AAAWU plans to do.

Emanuel Alexiou, the Bahama Out Island Promotion Board’s president, yesterday said the impact will be mitigated if the disruption to Bahamasair’s operations is short-lived. “Obviously very concerned, but it’s such an important thing that I’m hoping they are going to be able to settle it very quickly,” he added. “I’m not seeing, at least I’m not hearing, that it’s going to be a long thing.

“I know that it’s exceptionally important to the Ministry of Tourism, especially with several planes out, so I’m very hopeful they’re going to deal with it expeditiously. The New Year is more important. At Christmas, people want to leave their boats here, visit their families and come back. I think this perhaps affects more the second homeowners and the people renting homes more so than the hotels.”