Dear Editor,

I returned to the capital earlier this week. After clearing customs at Lynden Pindling International Airport, I crossed the street and entered the car park area. Once I paid the parking fee, I thought I was free of my travel woes. No more check-in line, no more TSA, no more bumping in the clouds, no more customs. All I needed now was to make the turn back to the terminal, collect my friends and our bags from the side walk area.

As had been the case on several recent trips, I had to make three laps around the circle before I could find a spot to pull into and collect my passengers and our bags. The reason? Scores of cars lined the sidewalk and drop-off area, preventing arriving passengers and their baggage to be picked up. A question for the airport security team (inclusive of the police and the airport authority) - isn't the airport considered a high security risk area? Aren't there supposed to be extra precautions taken to ensure that there is no breach in security protocols? If the answer is "yes", and the answer definitely is "yes", why are so many drivers allowed to park all along the front of the airport?

From a business perspective, the government of The Bahamas spent millions of dollars to build a parking lot at the airport for convenience and revenue collection. Why then would the airport police and security not enforce the law so that we could get some return on that investment? Mind you, before someone says "that's how Bahamians are", I say not so! Drivers attempt to circumvent parking fees all the time, in every city in the world. For example, Ft. Lauderdale's airport is littered with little "stick" barricades to prevent drivers from parking in non-designated parking areas. Also, the police are there to move you along once you drop off or collect passengers.

In our case there is no will to get it corrected. The police are not addressing it, the Airport Authority is not addressing it, the concerned foreign governments are not addressing it and the traveling public is not addressing it. As is the case with all my previous letters, thanks for letting me vent, though I am sure, as always, nothing will be done about it.

- The Accountant

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