By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMASAIR "resumed normal operations" this morning and the "sick out" has ended, according to a statement from Bahamasair. Airline management said it anticipates that the backlog of passengers will be cleared in short order.
"Bahamasair will continue to execute its contingency plan to ensure that all passengers’ bags will be in Nassau for the Christmas holiday," the statement said. "Bahamasair extends sincerest apologies and deepest appreciation to the travelling public for their understanding and patience displayed during the recent unlawful industrial action taken by members of the Bahamas Airline Pilots Association (BALPA).
"The company realises the enormous discomfort the actions of a few may have created and sincerely hope that it has not caused any lasting harm to the holiday season.
"Contrary to statements made, management of Bahamasair wishes to advise the public that our standing contingency plan was mobilised. This contingency plan is a standing operating procedure for Bahamasair and has at its core route coverage through local sub-service carriers and wet lease agreements with foreign carriers. This is done to avoid service disruptions not just in the case of industrial actions but when there are other emergencies as well."
According to the statement, when BALPA members were made aware of Bahamsair's contingency plans, they "immediately contacted their union counterparts in the United States, who in turn decided they would not fly as a part of the wet lease agreement".
"Subsequently, three Florida based carriers who had reached agreement to provide multiple flights for Bahamasair from early yesterday morning withdrew from these agreements; which ultimately resulted in major passenger backlogs. In essence our contingency plan was sabotaged," the statement said.
"Statements attributed to Captain Moxey that they returned to work as a result of Bahamasair not having a contingency plan, begs the question as to why they would have chosen the busiest season of the year to carry out an illegal industrial action, knowing full well that the end results would have resulted in thousands of passengers being displaced.
"Management wishes the travelling public to know that any individual who was not able to travel as scheduled will be compensated and or re-accommodated without penalty."
Comments
John 9 years, 4 months ago
These pilots made a really dumb move! They crippled the nation and virtually destroyed Bahamasair's most profitable season. So how can they justify their demands now? In fact they gave Bahamasair the perfect reason for not being able to meet them. They played their trump card and it didn't win the game for them so what are they going to do now as the airline goes into its slowest season?
bigbadbob 9 years, 4 months ago
fire there dumb butts and bring in new people who care. we just shot ourself in the foot AGAIN.
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
A Homeless man with more Yuletide Spirit than the nation's skyrocketing pilots paychecks. Paychecks which have already climbed to an altitude of over $100,000 every single year.
VIDEO: Homeless man given $100, does the unexpected Josh Paler Lin gave a panhandler money and had a cameraman follow him around afterwards to find out how he spent it.
..............///https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBTA...">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBTA...
by TalRussell
John 9 years, 4 months ago
When an single worker feels the company he works for can no longer fulfill his needs in terms of salary, promotion or personal satisfaction, he looks elsewhere for employment. What a union does is forces a company to make adjustments and to keep undesirarable or non-productive workers and to promote persons who don't deserve promotions and usually this is done by an increase in cost to the customer.
ObserverOfChaos 9 years, 4 months ago
Another reason and example of how unions are killing this nation.....
licks2 9 years, 4 months ago
The Government is acting like they will not listen to anybody. . .they fixing themselves right up but comes up with all kina foolish reasons not to pay the workers right!!! They have money if they send their friends and cronnies back into retirements and do the right thing!!! This government fail to see that those essential services are what the people are paid for. . .hell PC sunk 50 million down in Andros with his cronnies getting all of that money for lil bit of work!!! POWER TO DA WORKERS DEM SO. . .IF THEY CONTINUE WITH THEIR FOLLISHNESS TOWARDS THE WORKERS THEM. . .SHUT DA MOTHER DAWN!!!
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