This airline needs to be privatized immediately!!!!

Our entire government needs to be shut down so that we no longer have to pay taxes and fees for a corrupt, incompetent and dysfunctional government that clearly is unable to serve even the most basic needs of the people.

Privatizing will not fix the airline, more stringent management will.

The only thing Privatization gets us is higher ticket prices and less family island flights.

Ok, let's dialogue.

Name me one government run entity we have that makes a profit, and I will acquiesce to Bahamasair being able to changed being under government control?

After 51 years Bahamasair has never turned a profit. And no amount of stringent management will change that as long as it is a government run entity where politicians can put people to pay them off for votes.

How many governments that are real democracies have state run airlines? Only dictators do state run airlines so they can control.

Privatizing Bahamasair, the government then just gives subsidies to private airlines to ensure they service islands that have less traffic. It happens all over the world.

The purpose of government companies is not to make a profit, and that's okay. The purpose is more to offer a service to the public, infrastructure for the economy, and jobs. Profits come from a company charging more for something than it costs. Do we want our government to do that? Because they can. The government can double electricity prices tomorrow. They could put tolls on every road and increase taxes on fuel. Roll in the profits, and increase politician compensation while the Bahamians fall further into destitution. Do you think a private company cares about the public well well-being? Their goal is to maximize profits only. Any efficiency and perceived 'better management' doesn't go to the public. They want to find the highest willingness to pay they can get away with before another company steals their customers. And if there are only a few competitors they just collude together to raise prices.

Moncurcool,

Privatization solves nothing.
Perhaps you are not old enough to watch what has happened as we have privatized the world.
Any government can hire competent, honest and well-educated managers.
The Bahamas has not.
We remain politicized at every facet of our society.
This has allowed the ignorant and selfish politicians to hold sway over business decisions, of which no politician I know of here has the requisite skill set to do.
When a competent manager takes over the operation of any enterprise, they do what it takes to make that entity succeed. They plan, they organize, they hire and they certainly fire those who are not working for the good of the company.
Please stop with the same old "we need to privatize" nonsense.
Hire good managers. Pay them well. And jail any politician who gets in their way.

!

That was mean and disgraceful of the national flight carrier of the Bahamas union to pull sich a lousy stunt like this, and at this time of the year, and then they wonder why persons are reluctant to fly with Bahamasair.

I understand your feelings.
However, my guess is that the BahamasAir employees have had legitimate complaints for quite some time.
And, like all complaints filed against the Bahamian government, they were politely ignored and probably not even acknowledged.
Anyone who has done work for, or worked for the government knows this to be true.
A shrewd strategist who wanted to make a point would have done exactly what these people did.
Now, what is the owners response to this action?
What does a parent do when their child refuses to listen?
Does this government not behave like children?
Read the frikkin papers. Our political leadership is lost. Missing in Action.

It's the passengers of Bahamasair who have had legitimate complaints for quite some time. I suggest you look at the Bahamasair reviews on Tripadvisor. Bahamasair is a national disgrace:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airline_Rev…

**Fly as frequently onboard Bahamasair** and as often as y**our own pockets** can afford. -- But don't you be bookin' Economy Class, Business Class or First-class and expect your ticket and overweight Florida luggages' costs to **be subsidised** by the popoulaces'purse pounds and shillings. -- Yes?

As much as Bahamas Air disappoints, I wouldn't want to see it go and I don't think most Bahmians realize how blessed we are to have a national airline. When the only options are corporate for-profit airlines then prices will rise and we'll start seeing various consumer-unfriendly practices like variable pricing, tiers, no complementary baggage (even in cabin) etc. Prices will rise, and routes to family islands without profitable passenger volumes will be removed.

Bahamas Air adds to the competition, I'd rather the government own and subsidize them than have to do the same for private airlines. We don't have the population to create a truly competitive market (if such a thing really exists).

For example, Canada has a population of +40 million, and multiple times per year private companies 'shakedown' the government for money, reduced regulations, tax breaks, etc. And the workers and public see no benefit, it goes to the owners, executives, and shareholders. They threaten that the company will otherwise go out of business and people will lose jobs and the public will lose the services (even the grocery stores). Canadian companies that were once public but later privatized include Air Canada, Telus, Petro-Canada, etc., and every province's utility was once publically owned (telecommunications, electricity, water).

None of this was good for the public in the long run. One of the provinces still has public telecommunications and telephone plans in that province are 50% cheaper even the for-profit private telecoms operating in that province compared to the same services those same private companies charge in provinces without a public company competing against them.

Bahamians just like to complain. What are they comparing BahamasAir to? What are their expectations and is it reasonable?

For example: a round-trip flight from NAS to Miami in January is $390 with BahamasAir. The next closest and equivalent aircraft is JetBlue which is 17% higher cost and doesn't offer the same services as BahamasAir because JetBlue is a low-cost carrier business model meaning they charge for everything. So JetBlue only allows 2-checked bags per passenger at an additional $60 each. No complimentary inflight refreshments (even basic drinks or snacks).

So the actual next closest equivalent to BahamasAir is American Airlines whose ticket price is double BahamasAir. So what are people complaining about? We are blessed. We have an airline that is culturally Bahamian. Otherwise, you can go pay double the price and complain to some American who thinks you're weird trying to bring 5 oversized bags weighing +100lbs and they don't care because it's not their job nor do they relate to Bahamians. You take the good with the bad. BahamasAir is more on time than the average Bahamian.

And when crap hits the fan like COVID we have a national airline that can bring our people back home.

God bless our airline and I hope they pay our citizens more so they can raise their Bahamian families and spend money at Bahamian businesses (of course lots will go to the USA too).

Bahamasair is not cheaper, you pay the difference in the taxes levied the country.