Bahamasair has agreed to relaunch service to Treasure Cay, Abaco, following an outcry from resort properties in the area - choosing to outsource the service in order to save costs associated with the "expensive" route, according to its general manager.
The news was welcomed yesterday by General Manager of the Treasure Cay Resort and Marina Stephen Kappeler, but with caveats.
Henry Woods, general manager for Bahamasair, told Guardian Business that a team from the state-owned airline met with a representative of the local chamber of commerce and the local government administrator, along with representatives from Treasure Cay hotel properties a week and a half ago and reached a resolution on the situation, which had seen Bahamasair discontinue service from Nassau to Treasure Cay in September.
The service pull-out had led to an outcry from resort property representatives such as Kappeler, who yesterday indicated the airlift reduction had resulted in a "deafening" 20 percent drop in occupancy at the Treasure Cay Resort and Marina, whose residents number 900.
"They accepted that Bahamasair doesn't have sufficient equipment to provide the service, but we've secured sub-service with one of the other local carriers (Pineapple Air) on Mondays and Thursdays as requested by the Treasure Cay community, the hotels and the chamber of commerce," Woods told Guardian Business.
Those flights will start this Thursday at 3.30 p.m.
Woods explained that a shortage of equipment in addition to the "taxing" nature of the short flight between Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay on a plane's engine and structure, which Bahamasair had offered via its Nassau to Abaco service, meant the airline "had to find ways" around continuing the service using its own planes.
Bahamasair also recently determined that servicing more international destinations would become a greater part of its strategic plan going forward, and having shifted out of Treasure Cay, went on to launch a new Nassau/Palm Beach service.
"It wasn't simply a matter of economics but also long-term planning," said Woods of the decision to end the direct service.
"Treasure cay didn't warrant a 50 seat Dash 8 going in there; the loads were very dismal."
Among the other resort properties that will benefit from the newly re-launched airlift, which will see Pineapple Air fly a 19-seater plane into Treasure Cay, are the Bahama Beach Club and the Pineapple Point Resort.
Kappeler said: "Bahamasair did find the answer of Mondays and Thursdays for time being, but the group did ask that they do some due diligence and they agreed to do so, to see if Mondays and Thursdays is when the highest demand was there historically.
"Traditionally vacation rentals are rented Saturday to Saturday so we proposed that they please look at Monday and Thursday, as we are certainly concerned that it is Saturday that is absolutely one of the busiest days for travel. They agreed to do it but they haven't got back to us."
Kappeler said that with a 900-strong resident community, 88 employees and as many as 600 people who work inside Treasure Cay servicing the privately owned villas that are entered into a rental pool, it is important that the government "recognize we need to do more to assist that traffic" flowing in and out of Abaco in a convenient and cost-effective fashion.
Michael Albury, former president of the Abaco Chamber of Commerce, said he supported Bahamasair "farming out" the service.
"(The Nassau/Marsh Harbour/Treasure Cay service) is losing proposition. They should definitely fly with a smaller airline. If there's not enough business for a big plane send a smaller one -that's the only way Bahamasair will stay in business."

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