Yellow Air Taxi??

[Lancen]

Anyone know the latest on Yellow Air? I know it was a discussion several weeks ago, then YAT chimed in saying they were fine. Today we heard that they're toast; and haven't flown in at least 3 weeks. We of course, have booked / paid up flights back to FLL on Nov. 5th. Called today but nobody ... anywhere answers. Hmmmm.

[Island Daze]

They are showing up on Flightaware as having two flight plans filed into Marsh today.

[Southwest]

I just got off the phone with them moments ago. I hope they're still in Biz as I just booked flights for next April. My theory is that there are times when only 1 person is in the office answering phones.

[Lancen]

well, Flight Aware shows that one flight arrived TC on Sunday and one on Monday (arrived at 3:13 pm Monday). So maybe they're just really slow this time of year and not getting any bookings, thus days with no flights arriving.

The last time we flew out, Linda and I were the only ones on the flight.

[abacobob]

talked to them yesterday and booked a flight for November

[tynger54]

My flights were both cancelled in oct. with out notice. I too am nervous because i have 5 seats round trip booked for christmas week. They are answering the phone here and there. i have had trouble getting a refund for my tickets and free round trip tickets were promised. Beth is part of this forum, she is with YAT.

[Beth at Yellow Air Taxi]

Hi Lancen -

Sorry Ana missed your call today. Josue was out sick and I have been running around as usual so I was no help with the phones.

We are flying and will see you in a few weeks!!!

If there is anything we can help with, please leave a message and Ana usually returns calls within an hour or two.

Take care and we look forward to having you fly with us!!

Beth

[Lancen]

Hi Lancen -

Sorry Ana missed your call today. Josue was out sick and I have been running around as usual so I was no help with the phones.

We are flying and will see you in a few weeks!!!

If there is anything we can help with, please leave a message and Ana usually returns calls within an hour or two.

Take care and we look forward to having you fly with us!!

Beth
Thank you Beth. We will call to reconfirm our flight a day or two prior (around Nov. 3rd or 4th). Thanks, Lance

[mlmp]

We had a very nice flight on Monday morning arriving at 8:50.

[Beth at Yellow Air Taxi]

Thanks Mrs. Puckett!!!

We'll see you next week. Have a wonderful time!!!

Beth

[Patti Puzo]

Beth, bless your heart. You've been a long time forum sponsor. You're so kind to frequently check the forum, and answer concerns.

[Wishiwascole]

Beth, You cancelled my flight to Treasure Cay without notice on Oct 3 and then again on Oct 10, 2010 back to Ft Lauderdale. As a result of you cancelling out flights with less than 24 hours notice on both occassions, we were forced to spend the night in Nassau and miss a day of our trip. Now 2 weeks after the 2nd cancellation we still have not gotten a refund or our vouchers for the round trip fares we were supposed to receive despite numerous emails and calls. I have not even had someone contact me back even though I have left messages for someone to please contact me.

Im getting very frustrated to the point of having contacted my lawyer. Please contact me at cole.guru@gmail.com so we can avoid that.

Thanks so much,

Cole Aimone

[Lancen]

Beth, You cancelled my flight to Treasure Cay without notice on Oct 3 and then again on Oct 10, 2010 back to Ft Lauderdale. As a result of you cancelling out flights with less than 24 hours notice on both occassions, we were forced to spend the night in Nassau and miss a day of our trip. Now 2 weeks after the 2nd cancellation we still have not gotten a refund or our vouchers for the round trip fares we were supposed to receive despite numerous emails and calls. I have not even had someone contact me back even though I have left messages for someone to please contact me.

Im getting very frustrated to the point of having contacted my lawyer. Please contact me at cole.guru@gmail.com so we can avoid that.

Thanks so much,

Cole Aimone
Ok Beth, what's up with this? I know you're reading this. Now I'm getting worried.

[phillyboy]

I was planning a trip next October to the Abacos for our first time and I was looking at Yellow air for our flights.I would not like to have my vacation time cut short with a cancellation less that 24 hrs....Vacation time is a premium

[Beth at Yellow Air Taxi]

Hi Cole:

I am sorry for the lack of response.

Although I no longer handle refunds, I will get with our accounts payable department to get it taken care of.

We do not sent out complmentary tickets; the offer is noted in your original record. I will issue the vouchers today, however, and send you an email with the numbers.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to having you fly with us under more favorable circumstances.

Yours very truly,

Beth

[turtleman]

I've often thought that with all the trips our family and friends make back and forth between FLL and TCB that we should give YAT a try. But there's nothing worse than poor communication when you've got money and precious time on the line, so we stick with the "big boys" and pay the higher prices. Having to rely on the Forum to pick up the pieces isn't all that reassuring.

[Megalops]

Hey Beth, we had a great trip with you back in May.

What is your policy on flying with our dog? She is about 50 lbs. Thanks

[Island Daze]

Beth just a question.If you guys don't fly a flight or cancell one do you refund the amount to the credit card or issue a voucher?The reason i ask is that a voucher does me no good if i have to book with someone else.

[SCMako17]

I can't understand why people prefer to "take the chance" of flying with these folks vs using Bahamas Air. Is it that much cheaper?

[Lancen]

For us it's got nothing to do with cost; simply time of day. We need an am flight out of TC and they're the only game in town.

[Megalops]

Actually, when we flew them, yes, they were that much cheaper. $75 each way. It was also nice to not have to deal with TSA.

[Wishiwascole]

Please take the following with a grain of salt, i have only had the opportunity to do business with YAT once, so this is probably not indicative of their business all the time. By the way, Beth did provide me with a refund, or at least an email with a confirmation number for a refund to my american express account. I think she needs to seriously take a look into getting rid of the rest of her staff that handles her day to day operations if the communication I received is indicative of their customer service. I'm not talking about Josue who was very apologetic and attempted to be helpful but had no power to make decisions. I'm talking about those whom i left emails for and left voicemails for and received no communication in return for 3 weeks. I had no movement on my case until i posted in this forum.

The fact is I have a family friend with a home in Green Turtle. They fly to Treasure Cay all the time using american and bahamas air. There are about 15 people who regularly make this trip in that group. 4 or 5 times a year. We were the guinea pigs to try out YAT, me and my group of 5. Here is my story:

The price difference was nice. But bahama air only had flights into TC in the am and at like 620 at night or something. YAT had flights in at 2pm and then out at 10am.

Most other flights getting to TC were overnight flights or cost 5-600.

I thought id take a chance, the people on here seemed to think YAT was a good option. I should have checked with the Ft. Lauderdale BBB first. By the time I had found out that their business Rating with the BBB was an F, it was too late.

Here is my issue. YAT should have chartered a plane to fly us out and back if they were unable to handle it. Its got to be cheaper to charter a plane than to issue full refunds to everyone, AND give them round trip flights for free the next time they fly and take a huge hit to their credibility. Also, they told us it was some sort of maintenance issue, well I know they have more than one plane because i saw them on the tarmac when I was flying out of Ft Lauderdale. And the issue lasted the entire week. We flew out on sunday and back the next sunday and they still had the same "maintenance issue". I specifically asked when they cancelled my outgoing flight and i got other arrangements with continental if they were going to be able to accomodate me on the way back, because i could have made other arrangements for the trip back and changed my connecting flight without a fee. They Assured me it was going to be fine. Luckily i called them the day before and they told me that they were "just about to call you" and that my flight had once again been cancelled. In order for me to make it to my jetblue connection in Ft Lauderdale I had to cut my trip a day short, take bahama air out of MH ($$80 cab ride) take a flight to nassau (stay the night in nassau) then fly out at the break of down into MIAMI, then rent a car and drive to Ft Lauderdale (cheaper than a cab or shuttle for 5 people). Then we had to sit at the airport for 5 hours. Had we not done this it would have cost us an additional $100 per person to change our tickets and we would have had to spend a night in ft lauderdale cause they didnt have any flights to raleigh leaving that late. obviously it was very frustrating.

Now I have vouchers for an airline that 100% of the time that I have booked with them has cancelled without notice. I also have an additional $1000 in airfares and $300 in hotels and cab fares that were not covered by the refund or the vouchers. How can I ever trust them? How can i ever book a flight without some sort of backup plan? Thats kind of the opposite of a relaxing vacation ya know?

[Haolenate]

Unfortunately this is the time of year where many airlines struggle to even offer basic pay for their staff. Unfortunately the cost of doing business is so high, that the profits made during the summer are spent at the end for much-needed maintenance. An engine overhaul on a Caravan can be as high as $250k, while Cessna 402s can be anywhere from $40k to $90k, and $150k for a new engine. That's a lot of seats at $90 each!

I think the airlines, if the government allowed limited anti-trust, should do some type of coordination during the off season just to keep them in business rather than fly flights that do nothing but drain the account.

Regarding flights during the offseason, I typically book Continental/Gulfstream and in the summer go with who I feel can best carry out my mission, be it American Eagle, Twin, Locair, YAT, BIA, etc. At least we aren't killing people like some of the previous operators used to....

[Southwest]

I must say, I'm getting very concerned about having booked on YAT for next spring. I agree, they have great flight times. That's why it worked for me. One less overnight stay to either get there or come back home.......but the hassle of a last minute canceled flight/s can put a huge damper on a vacation.

[abacobob]

We (2couples) flew YAT to Marsh yesterday afternoon. But it was on a charter that they arranged instead of one of their planes. We were not aware of it until we boarded the plane. It was a nice plane, Piper Cheyenne with a/c and pressurized. This was probably a money loser for YAT but they took care of us. Will report what happens on our return next week as well as a return on Sat. Nov 13th.

[BetweenStorms]

Flight out was perfect. Flight back was a charter- same Cheyenne mentioned above. Very nice ride and made my connections in FLL easily. Staff in MHH very helpful and personable. No complaints.
Treated me better than Delta does, but that's another story.
-P

[Beer Baron]

Please take the following with a grain of salt, i have only had the opportunity to do business with YAT once, so this is probably not indicative of their business all the time. By the way, Beth did provide me with a refund, or at least an email with a confirmation number for a refund to my american express account. I think she needs to seriously take a look into getting rid of the rest of her staff that handles her day to day operations if the communication I received is indicative of their customer service. I'm not talking about Josue who was very apologetic and attempted to be helpful but had no power to make decisions. I'm talking about those whom i left emails for and left voicemails for and received no communication in return for 3 weeks. I had no movement on my case until i posted in this forum.

The fact is I have a family friend with a home in Green Turtle. They fly to Treasure Cay all the time using american and bahamas air. There are about 15 people who regularly make this trip in that group. 4 or 5 times a year. We were the guinea pigs to try out YAT, me and my group of 5. Here is my story:

The price difference was nice. But bahama air only had flights into TC in the am and at like 620 at night or something. YAT had flights in at 2pm and then out at 10am.

Most other flights getting to TC were overnight flights or cost 5-600.

I thought id take a chance, the people on here seemed to think YAT was a good option. I should have checked with the Ft. Lauderdale BBB first. By the time I had found out that their business Rating with the BBB was an F, it was too late.

Here is my issue. YAT should have chartered a plane to fly us out and back if they were unable to handle it. Its got to be cheaper to charter a plane than to issue full refunds to everyone, AND give them round trip flights for free the next time they fly and take a huge hit to their credibility. Also, they told us it was some sort of maintenance issue, well I know they have more than one plane because i saw them on the tarmac when I was flying out of Ft Lauderdale. And the issue lasted the entire week. We flew out on sunday and back the next sunday and they still had the same "maintenance issue". I specifically asked when they cancelled my outgoing flight and i got other arrangements with continental if they were going to be able to accomodate me on the way back, because i could have made other arrangements for the trip back and changed my connecting flight without a fee. They Assured me it was going to be fine. Luckily i called them the day before and they told me that they were "just about to call you" and that my flight had once again been cancelled. In order for me to make it to my jetblue connection in Ft Lauderdale I had to cut my trip a day short, take bahama air out of MH ($$80 cab ride) take a flight to nassau (stay the night in nassau) then fly out at the break of down into MIAMI, then rent a car and drive to Ft Lauderdale (cheaper than a cab or shuttle for 5 people). Then we had to sit at the airport for 5 hours. Had we not done this it would have cost us an additional $100 per person to change our tickets and we would have had to spend a night in ft lauderdale cause they didnt have any flights to raleigh leaving that late. obviously it was very frustrating.

Now I have vouchers for an airline that 100% of the time that I have booked with them has cancelled without notice. I also have an additional $1000 in airfares and $300 in hotels and cab fares that were not covered by the refund or the vouchers. How can I ever trust them? How can i ever book a flight without some sort of backup plan? Thats kind of the opposite of a relaxing vacation ya know?

Not for nothin', but I've had my hackles raised by YAT before in the past - you can search my posts for "a story about YAT" or something to that effect to get the whole story.
Now, if I read your VERY long post correctly, Beth not only refunded your money, even though she typically doesn't handle this sort of thang, she ALSO offered you a FREE voucher to fly with them the next time you go, even though YAT typically doesn't do that sort of thang. Yet you're still salty about the whole affair for one reason or another. You need to lighten up and realize that they're doing what they can with what they've got during the worst economic downturn since the 1930's. Ease up for crying out loud.

Listen, I can make this simple for you. VERY simple. You never ever have to fly with them again. EVER.
You go right ahead and mail me those anytime vouchers for free flights on YAT and my wife, daugher and I will make sure they really feel the heat when we go back to Abaco. Really. We'll holler scream cry and get drunk on the plane. We'll make their lives a living hades. :D

In all seriousness, you'd do well to repeat the mantra of this island chain: ABACO AIN'T FOR SISSIES.

That is all.

[BahamaAngie]

Boy, you will try anything to get back there....hee! hee! Funny though!

[Two Turtles]

So far, we've been lucky and have had no issues with flights, but we do call the day before to confirm our flight down, and again once we get in the car on our way to the airport. For our return flight we call the US terminal the morning of our flight back to confirm they have a plane on its way down. If it looks like bad weather we call again to confirm the flight left. Fortunately we fly a small airline and can always reach the girl at the airport since we call when a flight is due to go out.

[abacobob]

In my earlier post, Yellow Air got us to Marsh Harbour on a non-Yellow charter. They cancelled our return on Tue. They offered refunds and vouchers. Fortunately they called us Monday afternoon and we were able to make alternate arrangements and still make our Ft Lauderdale connections. I will report on another reservation on Nov. 13th.

[DOUBLEZERO]

My parents had thier flight cancelled for yesterday for today. No explantion & no idea when they will be flying them into TC. They said maybe Thurs. or Fri. This was the first time they have tried YAT, they usually fly AA.

[Boland398]

All carriers have problems, but I personally will not fly YAT again unless its an emergency.

[wedding2011]

Is YAT this unrealiable all year round? Or just during the slow season? A bunch of my wedding guests are considering using YAT to fly into Treasure Cay in May. Should I encourage them to use AA or Bahamas Air?

[Southwest]

Ditto on the above question?????

[gazeboman]

By my count-I've connected to mhh with YAT 14 times & have not had one cancel. I travel march to may & July & August.

[Lancen]

Well, we have a flight paid for that leaves Treasure Cay tomorrow, Nov. 5th. Nobody answers the phone at YAT, we leave a message but nobody calls us back and this morning their web site says "no flight available on the selected date". WHAT A BUNCH OF ****. NEVER AGAIN.

[ceb123]

in 6 round trips...always on time for me. maybe i'm just lucky but I'll continue to fly YAT!

[Lancen]

I finally got through to someone at YAT. She said to call back in an hour but she thinks our flight will be canceled. WE'LL NEVER USE THESE GUYS AGAIN.

[BahamaAngie]

With you being a homeowner it isn't as difficult but for one who rents, it could cause a real problem. I stick with Continental! Although, I hope their merging with United doesn't change things for the worse. I do NOT like United.

[Boland398]

Someone on another thread said they had a F rating with the Better Business Bureau. They did get an F see the link.

http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/business-reviews/aircraft-charter-services/yellow-air-taxi-in-fort-lauderdale-fl-23002426

[trubahamian]

All of this is sad to hear as YAT got me out of a few jambs over the years and I have nothing but good things to say about them.

That being said,I believe that some of the negative posts lead me to believe that the posters did not understand how all of these per seat charter operations conduct their businesses when they started using them.Canceling flights or late flights because few or no seats were sold was always an issue with these types of carriers.Also just trying to hang on and endure this economy must seem impossible to them.:)

[AbacoPeach]

You make a very good point, Tru.

[SamFamAustin]

You make a very good point, Tru.

I tink Tru be right.

[BahamaAngie]

Well it might be a good point but when we have to really really save to make the trip one does not want to have to purchase another ticket. Plus all the inconveniences. I am really sorry if there are problems as Beth seems like a lovely person but it is what it is! (Meaning don't want to lose $$$ or our seats!!!). And customer service is very very important. Worked with the public for 18 years and I have learned that.

[Haolenate]

This is a time of year where travel slumps off, rent, payroll, aircraft lease payments, and insurance still has to be made.

so if YAT has 4 planes, according to Wikipedia, thats probably $5,000 to $8,000 a month per plane, or $20,000 to $32,000 a month. They just got scheduled authority back (I think), so that increases their insurance premiums to maybe $50,000 a year, if not more. Pilots & mechanics are probably making $3,000 a month if not more, so 4 planes would mean at least 10 pilots, so that's $30,000 plus 3 mechanics, $9,000..... anyone else seeing how all this adds up? All of their financials are public online with the DOT, I'll get some more exact costs to show you how much it DOES cost to operate as an airline.

During the summer, the indies (independents) flourish... and from middle of August thru Thanksgiving its famine time.

Beth, if things are tough, don't feel too bad. Gulfstream just filed Chapter 11 today.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Gulfstream-International-apf-497108901.html?x=0&.v=1

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Gulfstream International Group Inc., which operates a regional feeder airline and an aviation training school, said on Thursday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The company said its flights would continue as scheduled. It operates 23 Beech propeller planes that carry 19 passengers. The flights generally connect smaller towns to larger airports, many of them for United Continental Holdings Inc.


Again, this is just a hump that EVERYONE is going thru. Twin Air, YAT, Locair, Lynx/Florida Coastal... you name it... Things will be better around the holidays and when season starts to pick back up.


-nate

[Haolenate]

YAT had to file financial paperwork to become a scheduled airline, and the numbers may surprise some of you.

For *1* flight a day, flight costs are $18,000 a month

Overhead is $46,000 a month, for a total of $64,150.

If YAT flies one roundtrip a day, 7 days a week, for a month (30 days), that means it costs them $1069 each way... and assuming 6 passengers a flight, that means an average fare of $178. Not happening in the off season.

Lets say it IS the high season, and they do 3 flights a day, their costs only go up a bit. so 18,000 x 3 = 54000 Overhead won't be 46,000, maybe closer to 60,000.. so thats $114,000 a month. Lets assume each plane is down 1 day for maintenance a week, so 6 flights a day, 6 days a week, for 4 weeks is 144 flights, divided by cost is $791... or basicly they need at least $100 a seat in a perfect world JUST to break even.

(scratching head). With margins this tight, why are we in this business again?

-nate

[Two Turtles]

This link may answer some questions:
http://www.airlineinfo.com/Sites/DailyAirline/web-content/ostdocket2005/ost0521533.html
Note the last date is this year. It sounds like they are doing what they can to keep on keeping on, but they do have some issues they are dealing with.
I also found this:
http://www.flightschoollist.com/aviation-articles/2010/07/faa-proposes-civil-penalties-against-five-companies/
BTW, both these sites were safe according to Google.

[Patti Puzo]

We've flown YAT several times in the past. Always great service, and NEVER a cancelled flight.
One time, there was a problem with the planes availability. Beth chartered another plane from Cherokee, and bought us lunch for our 4 hour delay. We did get to MHH the same day we originally expected to, just a little later in the day.

[Two Turtles]

It seems that YAT has many loyal customers, and that their issues stem mostly from trying to comply with all the government regulations to continue operating as a scheduled flight commuter operation. I posted the info I found so that those worried about flying with them would see that YAT is apparently working towards complying with FAA requirements (mostly financial), and not a "fly by night" airline that doesn't care about their customers. It might be better for them to be upfront about their situation and they are working through some things out of their control, in order to avoid the speculation and wild rumors. I hope for their sake that their loyal and future customers stick by them and understand they are doing everything they can to provide the service expected. Good luck YAT!:)

[BahamaAngie]

I feel badly for anyone in this economy. We are all being affected. Just as they had the gall to raise our property taxes $3k within a year plus. Go figure! So, I know we are all trying to be understanding but when you have paid for a rental, you want to get the full use out of it and not miss any time plus have to pay again for another ticket. It is very uncertain for sure but as Two Turtles said, they NEED to be upfront so that if this happens one has to have a back up plan. Now with hearing about Gulfstream, things don't look so hot! :(

[Lancen]

YAT is in a serious downward spiral. My flight was canceled on Friday. They never called to advise me. When I finally got through to someone on Thursday morning; only then did they tell me. They said they'd give me two free tickets for my trouble! Great, two tickets for flights that don't materialize; as good as a fart in the wind. I'll probably never get a refund, so it cost me $500 with Continental plus a $150 hotel room in FLL. Never again with YAT.

[Lancen]

Reading all the financial reviews of this business is of course interesting; I come from the aviation business so it's close to home. The problem is; if you can't make a business work....well, it just then won't work. The whole business of flying to Abaco is fractionalized way too much. There needs to be some consolidation; only then might some entity be able to survive. There is no value to anyone starting a business that's destined to fail half of the year or more and alienate all the customers; not to mention steal their money; that's unethical and just plain stupid.

[Haolenate]

I guess the question should be: Was my flight cancelled due to lack of ridership or an operational issue?

If there aren't enough people booked, then an organized airline, and with money in the bank, should be able to rebook them on another airline. We did this at my last employer, and we'd also call people. We would NEVER call someone and say "oh, your flight is cancelled". No, we knew 2 days out. We knew how much cargo was sitting in the warehouse, and how much we'd lose. Now the person calling, I always wanted them to tell the truth, however I will admit we were never as transparent as I've said we should be. Just telling them their flight is cancelled and we're here to rebook you, here are your options.

Gulfstream, although a competitor, DOES provide my former employer with lower-rates than you'd get at the counter. Its a set rate, and as long as a seat is available, we can get it. We just have to PAY for it the moment we have the reservation made. Now the bad news, it was typically $30 more than what people would pay to fly us over to Marsh or Treasure.

I'm up in Alaska now, and the operators here unfortunately don't pull the same stunts as "what we got away with" in South Florida. We fly to small villages in Alaska, linked only by my airline and the ferry/boat (ferry runs maybe twice a week, if even that to some of the places). We take all the mail, their beer, fresh food, building supplies, Walmart/Costco/Home Depot/Fred Meyer (Walmart super center meets Kroger meets Bed Bath & Beyond) etc. (sound familiar?).

Regarding YAT, they got in trouble for allowing their online booking engine for showing more than 4 flights a week. As a CHARTER airline, meaning the DOT hasn't given you scheduled, you really CAN"T offer a customer more than 4 bookable choices in a week. People are getting around this (won't name names) by claiming "its a shared charter". ********. Unfortunately the FAA and DOT tend to turn a blind eye to this. YAT, however, got slapped with a fine for it, and they filed for SCHEDULED authority. The Bahamains also require the same... anytime you PUBLISH a schedule (flyer, OAG, website), you have to have that authority. Whats surprising is how few operators have this. Bahamains unfortunately don't enforce their own rules either.

[Patty&Rudi]

Hi Nate!
With that name I would have thought you were in Hawaii!

Thanks for the info. Marsh Harbour has grown a lot since you were here.

[Haolenate]

Haole has just stuck with me, considering I spent 3 years with Mokulele in Hawai'i until we were bought out - with a year at Vintage in the middle during the downturn in the economy out there.

I still follow Abaco... I fell in love with the place when I was with Florida Coastal. I still keep in touch with my Vintage friends and also my Hope Town companions, and hope to make a yearly trip out there.

I was out in Marsh maybe 6 months ago, and 2 days wasn't long enough! However, while there may have been changes, I still see the government (and airlines) operating as usual. :/

So when will this new terminal be completed? 2020? 2030? 2040? (hah)

[Beth at Yellow Air Taxi]

Hi Nate!

Yes, we are very happy to be flying again.

There have been many different issues brought up, but I would like to address a few:

Yellow Air Taxi has been in operation for over seven years now. We did a poll for about four months to judge the success of some of our marketing efforts – Radio Abaco, Abaconian, etc. but it got a little boring because over 85% of people who called to book had either flown on us before or had been recommended by someone who had flown with us. We really enjoy our repeat passengers, whether they fly once a year or once a month!

And trust me, Lancen, I did not get grey hairs by running a “fly by night” company. We take each and every flight very seriously, and we love being able to get people where they need to go with a smile on their faces.

So if you do not want your free tickets, I will send them to Ron and Patti.

We have had a rough few months and unfortunately our passengers have as well. One issue has been in the way we processed refunds. Until the past year, I was the only one who processed refunds. I didn’t always do a great job, so when our COO took over a lot of the financial aspects of the operation, we decided that he was going to take care of the refunds. Except that, like me, he was busy in other areas, and people have gotten upset. So we are making a change, and now I will be taking care of refunds. We look forward to needing less of them.

Yellow Air Taxi is a small company.

Many people expect me to be sitting by the phone, waiting for their call, and do not understand that I am on the go pretty constantly. So truly, I am not trying to “duck” calls, I am just a very fast target. By 1430 I am off to my other “job” of shuttling kids from school to practices to home. I can’t even keep “office hours” like a professor, but generally I am easiest to reach between 10am and 2pm.

Prior to historical museums and airlines, my background was in higher-end retail customer service. I truly understand that people are upset when they do not hear back from me in a timely manner. Yet just the other day I spoke with a gentleman for over half an hour about his refund, which I agreed to, except that he had already requested a chargeback from his credit card company – so he was trying to get a double refund. This is why I need to go through refunds on a case by case basis.

So let me put it this way: several years ago we received some questions from the FAA and so we turned to a gentleman who has successfully owned a very large cargo operation for advice. He told me that at his company he had a whole room full of people who did nothing but respond to FAA questions all day long. My thought was, “boy, his company must really get in trouble a lot.”

So Yellow Air Taxi does not have a room full of people to answer customer complaints and refunds because until recently there were not many issues.

I will work with Ana to ensure that I get all messages and be more vigilant amongst the hundred emails I get per day to address passenger concerns. Again, I am sorry for any inconveniences experienced.

Fortunately, we have turned the corner and we are thrilled with the possibilities. We look forward to the season with convenient flights for connections and local passengers. We fully understand that schedule integrity and on time performance are key, and we look forward to regaining trust in the Abacos market

Beth Behnam

[Two Turtles]

Good luck to you and YAT Beth. I'm sure glad I don't have your job!;)

[DrRalph]

Fortunately, we have turned the corner and we are thrilled with the possibilities. We look forward to the season with convenient flights for connections and local passengers. We fully understand that schedule integrity and on time performance are key, and we look forward to regaining trust in the Abacos market

Beth Behnam

Thank you , Beth, we are all rooting for you and YAT.

[trems]

Beth, I think it was extremely professional of you to come here and address things openly in the forum.

Best of luck to YAT and you, now that you guys are turning the corner.
(wait...are there corners to turn when flying?!?;))

[gazeboman]

So if you do not want your free tickets, I will send them to Ron and Patti.
Beth Behnam

WOOHOOO! Send them on!!! My address is-but you already know it!

Your a class act Beth-and you make great lemonade!:D:D:D

[Lancen]

Hi Nate!

Yes, we are very happy to be flying again.

There have been many different issues brought up, but I would like to address a few:

Yellow Air Taxi has been in operation for over seven years now. We did a poll for about four months to judge the success of some of our marketing efforts – Radio Abaco, Abaconian, etc. but it got a little boring because over 85% of people who called to book had either flown on us before or had been recommended by someone who had flown with us. We really enjoy our repeat passengers, whether they fly once a year or once a month!

And trust me, Lancen, I did not get grey hairs by running a “fly by night” company. We take each and every flight very seriously, and we love being able to get people where they need to go with a smile on their faces.

So if you do not want your free tickets, I will send them to Ron and Patti.

We have had a rough few months and unfortunately our passengers have as well. One issue has been in the way we processed refunds. Until the past year, I was the only one who processed refunds. I didn’t always do a great job, so when our COO took over a lot of the financial aspects of the operation, we decided that he was going to take care of the refunds. Except that, like me, he was busy in other areas, and people have gotten upset. So we are making a change, and now I will be taking care of refunds. We look forward to needing less of them.

Yellow Air Taxi is a small company.

Many people expect me to be sitting by the phone, waiting for their call, and do not understand that I am on the go pretty constantly. So truly, I am not trying to “duck” calls, I am just a very fast target. By 1430 I am off to my other “job” of shuttling kids from school to practices to home. I can’t even keep “office hours” like a professor, but generally I am easiest to reach between 10am and 2pm.

Prior to historical museums and airlines, my background was in higher-end retail customer service. I truly understand that people are upset when they do not hear back from me in a timely manner. Yet just the other day I spoke with a gentleman for over half an hour about his refund, which I agreed to, except that he had already requested a chargeback from his credit card company – so he was trying to get a double refund. This is why I need to go through refunds on a case by case basis.

So let me put it this way: several years ago we received some questions from the FAA and so we turned to a gentleman who has successfully owned a very large cargo operation for advice. He told me that at his company he had a whole room full of people who did nothing but respond to FAA questions all day long. My thought was, “boy, his company must really get in trouble a lot.”

So Yellow Air Taxi does not have a room full of people to answer customer complaints and refunds because until recently there were not many issues.

I will work with Ana to ensure that I get all messages and be more vigilant amongst the hundred emails I get per day to address passenger concerns. Again, I am sorry for any inconveniences experienced.

Fortunately, we have turned the corner and we are thrilled with the possibilities. We look forward to the season with convenient flights for connections and local passengers. We fully understand that schedule integrity and on time performance are key, and we look forward to regaining trust in the Abacos market

Beth Behnam

Beth, Nice of you to again respond. I still have serious issues with your company's lack of response to the few customers that you continue to leave stranded - just a call to let us know would be nice, but that never came.

I do not want two tickets to replace the two paid tickets that you reneged on. Please just send us a refund. I will call you Monday between 10 and 2 to coordinate that. FYI; With last minute replacement flights and an extra hotel room in FLL, this has cost me an additional $700. I of course am not looking for that, just the refund on the two paid tickets that were not honored.

Thanks,

Lance

[abacobob]

Glad to hear you will be continuing your great service! I look forward to many more flights with you.

[royalpower]

I do not want two tickets to replace the two paid tickets that you reneged on. Please just send us a refund. I will call you Monday between 10 and 2 to coordinate that. FYI; With last minute replacement flights and an extra hotel room in FLL, this has cost me an additional $700. I of course am not looking for that, just the refund on the two paid tickets that were not honored.

Thanks,

Lance

I wish you luck but I have my doubts you will ever see a single cent. I still waiting for my refund for two years now... :mad:

[Lancen]

I just spoke to someone at YAT, definitely not Beth. The lady said she had no records and I should email Hector for our refund. No idea where Beth is. Oh, I'm sure my refund will be promptly issued! I would say with I really feel, but some administrators don't like the bold truth written here. Reminds me a bit of the Malaysian newspapers where nothing derogatory can ever be written unless the government approves of it first.

[royalpower]

YAT is a sponsor of this forum so you should handle your answers with care.
Beth is she the owner of the airline AFAIK and is responsible for the refunds. But don't believe here. She makes many promises and use kind words but don't refund you a single cent finally. The BBB rating says everything!

[Blue Moon Cottage]

you can say what you wish in the rant section. I suggest this post move there? dr Ralph?
then people can choose to listen or not go there.

[DrRalph]

We agree, Shae, it gets moved to The Rant. And we do wish those of you who are dissatisfied with YAT would deal with them, and not use the Forum as an intermediary.

[DrRalph]

I just spoke to someone at YAT, definitely not Beth. The lady said she had no records and I should email Hector for our refund. No idea where Beth is. Oh, I'm sure my refund will be promptly issued! I would say with I really feel, but some administrators don't like the bold truth written here. Reminds me a bit of the Malaysian newspapers where nothing derogatory can ever be written unless the government approves of it first.

I just re-read this entire thread, and you have expressed yourself on this issue on several occasions without censorship or any interruption from "administrators." The bold truth is often written here, and we "administrators" are constantly catching a lot of ess for allowing it. You try making 1800 members, several thousand lurkers, the people of the host nation, and a bunch of sponsors happy 24/7. This ain't Malaysian-style press, and we both know it.:(

[Two Turtles]

Amen, Dr. Ralph. I think you guys do a great job "administering", and I thank you for it.:)

[Lancen]

First, I do appreciate all you must have to deal with concerning this forum. I just speak my mind, I've kept it civil and truthful, but you can put it wherever you please. Anyone sticking up for YAT and their continuing habit of defrauding customers is simply out to lunch and you should not be telling defrauded people to back off because they are a sponsor of this forum; that's incredibly selfish and extremely bad policy.

[DrRalph]

you should not be telling defrauded people to back off because they are a sponsor of this forum; that's incredibly selfish and extremely bad policy.

Has anyone told you to "back off?" Have any of your posts been deleted or edited? We asked people who have been "defrauded" to deal directly with YAT, not to use us. You have banged YAT like a gong on our web site. Yat is indeed a forum sponsor, most of us want and need them to succeed; yet, count up all the negative posts about them we have allowed. It's one thing to "tell your story," we advise you to keep it at that, take it somewhere else, or take a vacation from the Forum, which we'll be happy to arrange.:mad:

[tim abbott]

I think the administrators should start a new forum category called "*****ers". First letter is b, rhymes with itchers.

Tim Abbott

[AbacoPeach]

That would be the Rant Forum... ;)

[Lancen]

Whoh, wait just a minute. I’m not *****ing, I’m just stating facts -and my intent was just to inform potential flight customers - that’s all. Personally I can easily afford it; but again, I’m just trying to inform. This is a real issue for lots of loyal travelers to Abaco. There have been numerous forum members who have been ripped off by YAT; that’s just a simple FACT. Their flight had been canceled with no notice given; that’s bad enough. But giving no refund is fraud; plain and simple. I’ve talked to several taxi drivers at TC, they all sing the same tune; YAT is selling flights that they know may quite likely never materialize. Don’t Abaco Forum members need to know this FACT? Is it “rant” to bring light to their practices? And should we “be careful” about what we say because YAT is a sponsor? That’s an incredible statement. Yes, those that were lucky enough to get their paid flight were justifiably pleased; but that doesn’t alter the FACT that dozens of people EVERY WEEK lately have been defrauded. Come on folks, this is not a “rant” , it’s just a heads up to those who have yet to book a flight. Plain and simple. This forum should be issuing a warning, no no too harsh, it should at least issue a heads up alert, to its readers about the issue, but no, they are a sponsor so it becomes a “rant”. Unbelievable. It seems one aspect of this forum should be to help people that come to and enjoy beautiful Abaco. YAT is just one topic that people should know about so they can then decide to take the risk or not. Pretty simple actually. I know I won’t get a refund, I”ll be defrauded.....I guess that’s a “rant”.

[SusieAndAl]

Lancen,

I'll be brutally honest with you. When you characterized the Schooner Bay developers as "punks and pukes" you completely lost all credibility with me.

Those folks are some of the finest, most eco and socially forward-looking people with a very long track record of excellent development in The Bahamas. In no way, shape or form should you have used such a broad brush because of one encounter with security guards. DO YOUR HOMEWORK son and stop your foolishness.

You used that same brush to compare this Forum with Malaysia's press. Again, you dove into silly hyperbole.

Finally, we don't know Beth at YAT personally, but we do know a lot of locals who know her well, and all the really good work she's done for our island over the years.

We live here and quite frankly, are insulted by your arrogance.

Please tone down the rhetoric, enjoy the great things in life, try to fix the bad things in a quiet way that will actually help out and just relax a bit.

Abaco is a very special place and this Forum is priceless so try to treat both as such. If you can't do that, please go elsewhere (both physically and electronically).

Regards,

Al

[Two Turtles]

A rant is defined by Wikipedia as:

A rant is a speech (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Speech) or text (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Essay) that does not present a calm argument (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Argument); rather, it is typically an enthusiastic speech or talk or lecture on an idea (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Idea), a person (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Person) or an institution (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Institution). Compare with a dialectic (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Dialectic).
Rants can be based on partial fact or may be entirely factual but written in a comedic/satirical form.
Rants can also be used in the defense of an individual, idea or organization. Rants of this type generally occur after the subject has been attacked (http://abacoforum.com/wiki/Quid_pro_quo) by another individual or group.

Nuff said!

[DrRalph]

At this point, we have considered several options in terms of how to handle this thread and its contributors. We're going to lock the thread, we don't think there is any more relevant worthwhile content to be posted. Sometimes Al makes our job a whole lot easier...