Freeport - The Ministry of Tourism welcomes visitors who faced a diversion to Nassau after the plane they were travelling on was diverted because it would have landed after the end of the air traffic controller’s shift in Grand Bahama. Photo: Vandyke Hepburn/BIS
By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
AN international marketing consultant says the ordeal experienced by the 186 passengers whose delayed Sunwing flight from Philadelphia had to be diverted to Nassau because of air traffic control issues in Grand Bahama was “disastrous” and could potentially create great losses in revenue for Freeport in the future.
Last Tuesday, Air Traffic Controllers at Grand Bahama International Airport shut down operations, forcing the flight to be re-directed to New Providence. The passengers arrived in Freeport around 1pm the following day.
“It is unfortunate that Freeport was and is being used as scapegoat for the union’s issues with the government,” said the consultant, who wished to remain anonymous. “The government should not allow the union to hold the people of the Bahamas hostage. The turn of events was disastrous for GBI and by extension the Bahamas.
“Freeport is too small and the economy is too vulnerable and delicate to take such a hit because the 186 persons with a bad experience is a potential great loss.”
The flight from Philadelphia, which was scheduled to depart at 9.15am on Tuesday, experienced long delays and didn’t leave until 8.30pm. While enroute to Freeport, the pilot informed passengers that the airport in Grand Bahama had shut down and that they would have to fly into Nassau.
The passengers were scheduled to spend four days in Grand Bahama. Instead they had to overnight in Nassau at the Melia Nassau Beach Resort and return to the airport to board a flight to Freeport.
When the passengers arrived at 1pm on Wednesday, they were met at the airport by tourism officials, who presented them with gifts.
One passenger described the ordeal as “the worst vacation of our life” due to the long flight delay and re-routing.
The consultant pointed out that ironically, the passengers would have been staying at Memories, a resort that the government and the people of the Bahamas are subsidising. He said the actions taken were irresponsible on the part of the unions, and also resulted in a tremendous loss to the airport.
“These turn of events also highlight the competence and efficiency of the GB Airport Company in the past who are now no longer responsible for air traffic controllers, but is something that the Ministry of Tourism and by extension the government needs to look at seriously so we can’t have this sort of thing happen again.”
Ministry of Tourism director Betty Bethel and her team greeted the passengers on their arrival in Freeport. They presented visitors with a gifts, including a burlap bag with rum, Goombay Summer Festival t-shirt, and a welcome letter apologising to them for the experience.
Ms Bethel said arrangements were made for passengers on the re-directed flight to be accommodated at the Melia. “I spoke with some of passengers and for the most part they were just very pleased with the arrival experience in Nassau. They said they were greeted at the airport like royalty and well cared for and likewise at the hotel. Despite the fact that there were a lot of last-minute arrangements, they felt that they could not have been better welcomed given the circumstances,” she said.
Sunwing has commenced flights to Grand Bahama this summer on a 189-seat aircraft from eight US cities, including Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, Houston, Nashville, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with four- and seven-night rotations from Newark. The aircraft has an increased seating capacity of 26 per cent.
Comments
Romrok 8 years, 7 months ago
Oh please, the people love it. Look at it like this, the power is off, BEC crew comes wandering in after 15, maybe 20 hours of outage. Are there normal citizens yelling, screaming, throwing rocks? Nope, here is a bag of fish, fix my power, hey man here is a hundred for fixing me up.
Wake up folk, they part of the problem, not the solution. If you did like that for your boss you would have been fired. These bastards get overtime.
DillyTree 8 years, 7 months ago
Don't you mean 1 am, NOT 1 pm? Either way, not good Bahamas. We must do better than that.
Besides, is there only one person capable of running the airport? The air traffic controller should be fired. No questions asked. They must have known the flight was enroute, albeit delayed. Besides, it would just have been more overtime for them.
ObserverOfChaos 8 years, 7 months ago
Just another arrow in the head for Bahamas trying to play in the big leagues, and a kick in the balls for tourism in this backward, immature and childish nation of inbred......
asiseeit 8 years, 7 months ago
The government could not care less, it actually works for them as their goal is to destroy a once thriving country. The destruction of the Bahamas is well under way and the exodus has just started, this has the PLP and their cronies dancing with glee.
B_I_D___ 8 years, 7 months ago
Knowing what we pay our air traffic controllers...what they have been promised to be paid, and have not been paid, the blame lies squarely on the governments shoulders. No one elses.
TruthHurts 8 years, 7 months ago
Not disagreeing with you, but I still don't understand why that is still a factor at this point in the game. The government went on record to state that Junkanoo Carnival was a huge success and you're taxing the people to the brink with VAT and God knows what else.. Where is all that money going and why are government workers still not being paid what is due to them? Makes no sense to have these people going on strike again for wages if you're raking in so much money off taxes!
The_Oracle 8 years, 7 months ago
"The flight from Philadelphia, which was scheduled to depart at 9.15am on Tuesday, experienced long delays and didn’t leave until 8.30pm. While enroute to Freeport, the pilot informed passengers that the airport in Grand Bahama had shut down and that they would have to fly into Nassau". Seems the issue was a hell of a delay by the flight, causing ramifications further on. Of course the initial error was the Government taking over flight control in Grand Bahama..... compounded by not paying them overtime when worked. Let a private entity try not paying wages and overtime, or NIB.
stoner 8 years, 7 months ago
The Bahamas should be doing more to please the tourists.Come next year when Cuba opens up to americans,Freeport and the Bahamas will lose big time and they will suffer more than ever.
Hotelier 8 years, 7 months ago
Let us just put up a big sign that says: "Tourists go home. We don't want you here." and save them the trouble.
Bahamianpride 8 years, 7 months ago
Many Bahamian business people and our government itself are about exploiting people. They want them to work for free just look at the situation with police overtime. We have a corrupt system even with insurance when it's time to pay out claims. Everyone want collect, very few want to pay.. Its immoral & dysfunction. The government is at fault for this... Pay overtime u fools u taxing us to death with VAT and import duties where's the money?
proudloudandfnm 8 years, 7 months ago
It was disastrous. But we have a disastrous government. What else do you expect?
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