American Eagle is terminating the lease of nine ATR turboprops flying out of Miami, Guardian Business has learned.
The move, part of the airline's restructuring process, impacts all of the planes that normally service The Bahamas.
While the American Airlines affiliate said destinations should be backfilled with regional jets, "the schedule is still being finalized".
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, the minister of tourism and aviation, said a meeting is scheduled for next week with the troubled airline to discuss "a whole series of matters".
He expressed confidence that airlift into the country can be negotiated and should be unaffected by the restructuring.
"We think The Bahamas will always be an important destination for American, be it Eagle or the parent company," he added. "We have already had long conversations about expanding our relationship, rather than reducing it, so we are not concerned we'll find ourselves at a disadvantage here."
The nine ATRs will begin to be phased out in May of this year.
In a statement from the company, American Eagle acknowledged that "this will again impact employees".
A displacement bid is expected to be released in the coming weeks for employees.  The statement went on to mention that restructuring brings about "difficult changes for all of us".
Vanderpool-Wallace felt the current restructuring could end up being an advantage for The Bahamas, as the carrier moves from smaller propeller planes to larger jets for regional travel.
These planes hold more passengers, and when the process is complete, hopefully the country will come out on top.
"In terms of perception of airlift, it might be an unintended positive consequence. I know they are having conversations to increase the size of regional jets," the minister told Guardian Business.
Also being discussed with the airline is "Bahamianizing" the D-60 terminal in Florida.  The Ministry of Tourism hopes to partner with officials there to help generate a strong local feel before visitors even get on the plane.
This initiative would involve more Bahamian flavor in the terminal, providing videos, reading material, entertainment and other attractions to get tourists thinking about activities before they arrive.
The minster said that according to research at the Ministry of Tourism, visitors are less likely to spend more than what they planned to once they arrive at hotels.
Planting the tourism seeds early should generate more spending for the country, he explained.
Darrell Richardson, the CEO of Silver Airways, told Guardian Business that the loss of ATRs out of Miami is indeed a blow for American Eagle.
He felt that, depending on what happens in the coming months, it could "open the door" for Silver Airways to do more airlift from Florida to The Bahamas.
"We're talking a lot to the Miami market and to Nassau these days," he said.  "If we added airlift, it would be later this year and it's on the table.  If they are pulling down it will speed us up."
Silver Airways is currently in the middle of an expansion as its new Saab 340 aircraft arrive in the U.S.  The third of six 34-seater planes touched down last week.
The Saab 340s are in the registration and training process.  Service to The Bahamas should begin by the middle of March.
The airline recently named one of these new planes "The Spirit of The Bahamas".
"We're sitting here with a new fleet of airplanes," Richardson said, "so if American Eagle scales down, we'll take advantage of it."

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