AVOID BAHAMASAIR if possible

[castoff]

FYI
I was on the 1035 flight from MH to West palm yesterday. Flight 281, One of the first to check in, had a small carry on they asked that I check it, I was assured it would get on the plane.
It was a full flight, the "money" family showed up with lots of luggage late. They were arguing with the guy at the counter about having to get on, I am sure there was a polo match they needed to attend.
The issue was weight.
You guessed it, they got on as did all their luggage.
We landed and there were 15 of us who were told, sorry we didn't bring yours.
I asked why they couldnt have told us before we left, so I could grab my cell phone keys etc.. Yeah, they said, would have been a good idea.
Bahamasair promised they would have our luggage over today, delivered to our houses. We all asked if they were sure, delivered to our houses, absoulutely.
Wrong. They call today, "We never told you that, you have to pick it up yourselves, we don't ever do that, chuckle chuckle"

[islandfever]

Yep! That's Bahamas Air.

[Shelby]

Obviously you had a bad experience on Bahamasair and I don't blame you for being p**ssed off.

But, to present the other side of things, I have travelled throughout the Bahamas (and between FLA and Nassau) on Bahamasair for 30+ years with VERY few problems -- certainly fewer than some of the nightmares I've experienced on Air Canada or many of the US airlines (Delta, American, United, etc.)

Search this board and you'll find rants against virtually every airline that has ever serviced Abaco. Sadly, if we boycotted them all, we'd have only two choices for getting to Abaco -- boat or swim.

;-)

Amanda

[SamFamAustin]

Always have a hand bag, fanny pack, or something small of a few pounds and a small size. I put my keys, coin, papers, wallet, book, tickets, glasses, cell phone, address book, reminders, parking stubs, and (as I learned) any needed medicine in there and keep it with me. It don't go, I don't go. My wife loves it when I call it my "purse." :D I can always buy some shorts and T-shirts if my luggage is missing. Just the important stuff ... as said above, all airlines mess it up.
-sammie

[JJ]

I bet castoff has lost luggage before, too, but to be the first on the plane with a small check on bag (probably with all the essentials, that you mention, Sammy), being forced to check it, then getting your bag tossed off to accomodate some late arrivals would probably make anyone here feel the same way.

[castoff]

I bet castoff has lost luggage before, too, but to be the first on the plane with a small check on bag (probably with all the essentials, that you mention, Sammy), being forced to check it, then getting your bag tossed off to accomodate some late arrivals would probably make anyone here feel the same way.


i have and that's why i asked
certainly didn't ruin the great time we had on guana
just had to rant

[DaGoose]

This will be the first time Rick and I have flown BahamasAir. We fly Delta to Nassau and then NAS to MHH. Because we tend to bring too much stuff (we usually bring things needed for Beach Walk) I'm hoping that won't pose a problem. Maybe I need to wear my best Lilly Pulitzer or Ralph Lauren and Gucci loafers!;):D:rolleyes:

Castoff, glad to hear you had a great time. Any photos?

Tina

[island boy]

Over the years I have done a lot of traveling,Bahamasair included. Fly often enough and you will find a sismilar baggage problem with every carrier. That isn't to say I'm not sympathetic to anyone experiencing this annoyance,that's just the way it is.

[Marc Marino]

And the airlines wonder why they are doing so badly....

[Abaco_Doug]

Whenever Continental used to lose my luggage I always had to go to the airport to get it. I think they all promise the world and give nothing!

Doug

[gutz]

In our 4 flights with BA the last couple of years, only 2 of them were uneventful - unless you include the weather - in which case they were all perfect.

That's why we come to Abaco, yes? Thank your lucky stars you don't have to charter a plane just to visit....

keep smilin';)

[DrRalph]

The rest of the posts in this thread have been moved to a new thread, Carry-on luggage (http://abacoforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4049). You can continue with comments about Bahamasair here.

[PaBill]

BahamasAir does have its problems, It is one of the safest airlines in the world, choosing to not fly, or fly late, or leave luggage in order to keep its Customers safe. Yes, they may have lost your business by not having your luggage, but you may forgive and fly with them again. If you die because they put your bag on, then you will definitely not be giving them repeat business. They are not known for their great customer service, unless you have flown with them repeatedly and they know you. They will literally, go to the plane and help some of their patrons into wheelchairs. But to say your luggage not getting loaded is their fault is not true. When you are the first there your luggage is the first on the cart, at the bottom of the pile. When you are the last checked it is on the top, and first into the plane. The only way to avoid it would be for them to leave all your luggage on the ground to get wet, dirty, kicked around and abused. then load it in reverse order, but that would take more time, and make them slower, and less efficient, and in Abaco do you really want them to get slower? I apologize that they were rude to you when you called, but they probably just had to sit and get yelled at by 10 other passengers. Unless what they told you is in writing you really have no recourse. I have had my Problems with BahamasAir, but in the long run I have always been more pleased with them than any other large airline flying into MHH. I do hope you get it resolved, but remember the Lady/Gent at the counter didn't loose/leave your bag, someone else did. She/He is a person and deserves your respect. As a rule I hold onto my carryon until I get to the plane so that I can watch them place it on, or put it in the Capt cabinet.

[Edgar at Yellow Air Taxi]

This is not nice from Bahamas Air. I am not one to critize because we have had to leave luggage behind, but atleast we pay for all delivery costs since we were the ones who left it. And, 99.9% of the time, if we have to take bags off, we tell the people and let them choose which bag goes and which one doesnt.

[Watercolours]

This is not nice from Bahamas Air. I am not one to critize because we have had to leave luggage behind, but atleast we pay for all delivery costs since we were the ones who left it. And, 99.9% of the time, if we have to take bags off, we tell the people and let them choose which bag goes and which one doesnt.

Be kind to your competetors! You may need there help some time. Those who have been in glass houses should not throw stones.

[Henz]

We flew Sunshine Air or something like that back in 03. It was ok they were on time and everything went smoothly but when we boarded in FL we never checked our bags (not very travel oriented). We just figured that they would follow us..so we landed in the Bahamas with no bags but it was our fault!:D The ferry was our only real hassel. the airlines got our luggage to the ferry dock and it sat in Albury's building for a day and a half. we had the person we rented from call three times. each time albury said that it was on this ferry, we would show up and nope..we went to three different ferry pickup spots and they never got on. so then the lady called a friend who lives on Marsh and the gal went down to the ferry place and personally put them on the boat..well, they made it that time.:o

[SCMako17]

We flew Bahamas Air last week. They were about 30 minutes late coming from WPB but left a few minutes EARLY coming out of Marsh. I'll take that every time on weekends during the summer months.

[Edgar at Yellow Air Taxi]

Watercoulours,

I wish everyone did as you suggest, to be kind to competitors. I dont think I am being "un-kind". I am simply sharing my views as to what we would have done in a situation like this.

Now that you are mentioning the kindness that I must have toward competitors, let me tell you a quick story about a competitor, who's name I will not disclose.

Earlier this year, a competitor who wanted to take over the FLL-MHH market did something to YAT that not only affected us, but also affected a total of 134 passengers. What did they do? They called the FAA and told them that YAT was flying aircrafts that were not in compliance with maintenance requirements. What happened next? Well the FAA came in, grounded all of our airplanes and we could not operate a single flight for almost 3 days. You see, when the FAA hears something like this, they just come in and shut you down. Then they take their sweet time to actually investigate the matter.

In conclusion, it turns out that the "anonymous report" was a lie because all maintenance checks were 100% OK. So 3 days of no flights caused many stranded passengers and alot of lost $$$. As i mentioned in a prior post, any unexpected loss of income at any small airline can be deadly. Thanks to our dedicated YAT employees, EVERYONE was willing to work for a period of 3 weeks without recieving any pay, and they did this voluntarily. This allowed for the company to refund passengers and deal with alot of uneccasary expenses caused by this lie of a phone call.

Anyhow, like I was saying, I am nice, I am just sharing what I would have done in the situation, and that was ask which bag I could leave behind.