By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Family Island tourism is pushing an interline agreement between Bahamasair and Air Canada to improve same-day connectivity from Nassau and exploit the increase in Canadian winter airlift.

Kerry Fountain, the Bahama Out Island Promotion Board’s executive director, told Tribune Business he sees an “opportunity” with increased airlift from Canada to Nassau through pushing for an interline agreement. This, he believes, will allow more tourists to visit the Family Islands without having to stay overnight in Nassau waiting for their connecting flight.

“Now that Air Canada will be increasing its frequency from both Montreal and Toronto, and adding new flights from Halifax and Ottawa, the push, or the initiative now, is to get Bahamasair and Air Canada to have an interline agreement,” Mr Fountain said. “And once that interline agreement is in place... it allows passengers now to connect almost seamlessly, via Nassau, via LPIA (Lynden Pindling International Airport).

“As an example, let’s say the flight from Ottawa arrives in Nassau at 11am in the morning. That would now allow for a same-day connection to islands like Abaco, Marsh Harbour, islands like Exuma at Georgetown airport. In essence, any flight that Bahamasair has going out to one of our Family Islands after about 1pm.

“Again, let’s say if the Ottawa flight arrives at 11am and flights outbound to the Family Islands are leaving after 1pm, it allows for a connection. Which means now visitors that are travelling to the Family Islands, they do not have to overnight on Nassau, Paradise Island, and they’re able to fly to and from the Family Islands via Nassau once Bahamasair has those flights in place.

Having an interline agreement would mean travellers only have to buy one ticket, Mr Fountain added. “Again, as an example, if you’re flying from Ottawa and you want to go to Georgetown, Exuma, you purchase one ticket. Ottawa, Georgetown, Ottawa, that’s your round-trip ticket.

“Once you get to the airport, you check in your bags and your bags are tagged for Georgetown and not Nassau. Now it still requires you, once you get in Nassau, to go through Bahamas Immigration, you know, on that fast line that Bahamas residents go through. Remember, that’s a Family Island transit line.

“So that speeds up the process, the formalities, and you still have to go downstairs and collect your bags from Customs, because that’s your first port of entry. But once you walk over to domestic and check in on Bahamasair here, your bags are already tagged. So all you’re doing, in essence, is dropping your bags off and then walking upstairs to domestic. That is the power... of an interline agreement.”

With muted airlift to Family Islands such as Long Island, an interline agreement will still be effective especially once that island’s new airport is completed. Mr Fountain stressed the importance of airport development on the Family Islands adding that Bahamasair is the only domestic global distribution system (GDS) accessible airline flying to these destinations.

“The only GDS accessible airline we have in the country is Bahamasair, and I’m talking about domestic carriers,” Mr Fountain said. “I don’t care how many airlines we are flying out of Nassau to the Family Islands. If you go into kayak.com and you’re searching for a flight, as far as domestic airlines are concerned, Bahamasair is the only one.

“I know Western Air is working on GDS access but that has not been finalised as yet. But Bahamasair is the only GDS accessible airline in The Bahamas, and that is why the interline agreement, we are pursuing that first with Bahamasair and Air Canada. Once Western Air has GDS access, of course, we will be looking to work much more closely with them to ensure that they forge the right interline agreement partnerships.

“For us, the lowest hanging fruit we feel is Air Canada. Once we see that interline agreement is in place, of course, we would want to encourage and push for interline agreements between Bahamasair and WestJet, or Bahamasair and Porter [Airlines]. But, for right now, we want to start off getting Air Canada in the gate.”