By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Despite rising baggage fees, Bahamians yesterday pledged to remain loyal to the national flag carrier while asserting that it is now simply doing what other airlines have been doing for years.

However, some argued that the new and increased baggage rates should come with better service, including punctuality, enhanced customer service and more flight benefits.

“I would like to see them improve on the technology,” Albrea Pennerman said. “Let’s get up-to-date. Let’s get some Wi-Fi in the air. Let’s get some peanuts, some chips, light snacks, and let’s definitely be on time. I wouldn’t go against my flag carrier for riches and gold, but at some point we can’t keep increasing prices for mediocre service.

“That makes no sense to me. Any time I’m flying Bahamasair, I would never plan to catch a connecting flight because I already know in my head, chances are I’m going to be late. That don’t even make sense. But they don’t take chances with your life. I love the airline. They are still my airline of choice. They will always be my first choice, but we have to get it together.

“I would say I travel minimum, two to three times a year. You don’t mind paying the fees if it makes sense. Let me go on to say that. Let’s say to go Orlando, I would pay, let’s say maybe between $320 and $315 on Jet Blue. I don’t mind paying that,” Pennerman added.

“Even maybe $360. I’m open to that. You have things like Wi-Fi on the airplane. If it’s cold and you want a blanket, you can get a blanket. They have light snacks. So my thing is, if this is the route that Bahamasair wants to take, they need to follow suit.”

Kieasha Poitier, another frequent Bahamasair flyer, said the airline might lose its edge over rivals with these new prices. “I’m on the fence because, while I understand that it may be necessary, I feel like it may hurt them a bit because that was one of the perks,” Ms Poitier said of the baggage fees.

“We’re talking international. We like to go shopping. I don’t really travel domestic with a lot of bags anyway, so I never even knew that it was still free for the first bag domestic. But I normally travel Bahamasair when I’m going to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando.

“While a lot of people say they aren’t flying Bahamasair no more, give me my banana air, because I know you’re going to arrive safe. That’s key. That’s paramount. Not only that, the prices are good. And then, of course, they still have the cheapest bag rates. So that’s what was leading.”

With the view that Bahamians will feel the pinch of higher baggage prices more than foreign travellers will, Michael Dillon, owner of Abaco Yacht and Charter Services, said tourists are used to paying baggage fees.

He added: “If you look at it from another angle, Bahamasair is just now catching up to everybody else in the world. They’ve been charging bag fees forever. So from that vantage point none of my customers are honestly looking for a flight on Bahamasair. They’re just looking for a plane to get them to Abaco.

“So, at the end of the day, adding the bag fees on top of the flights, the problem with that, in my opinion, is going to be more adversely affecting all of us locals and not so much the tourists, because the tourists are already used to paying the baggage fees with other airlines. So Bahamasair is just catching up.

“They’re subsidised by taxpayers anyway. Last year, what were they? $20m upside down? So you took that out of the taxpayer, and now you want to hit them for baggage fees. The baggage fees are going to hurt locals more than it’s going to hurt tourists. The people that are going to be paying that bill are going to be locals,” Mr Dillon said.

“All of us that are going to be travelling from Family Island to Family Island, in and out of Nassau, those are the people that are going to be affected the most. The tourists don’t really care. They’re used to paying bag fees.

“The people it’s going to hurt the most are people who are going to be flying from Nassau to Long Island, Cat Island, San Salvador, Acklins, Abaco, Grand Bahama. Those are all the people that are going to suffer. They’re going to be they’re the ones paying the bill.”

Taking effect as of yesterday, Bahamasair’s international baggage fees jumped with the first checked bag at $35, the second at $55, the third at $95 and the fourth or more at $125 each. Domestic travellers still benefit from a free first checked bag, with every other bag following the international rates, beginning at $55.