Top notch hospitality in mid-air was just one of many things meted out by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Bahamasair during the National Flag Carrier’s Houston, Texas, USA, recent inaugural flight.
On Wednesday, November 15, 2017 Bahamasair Board Members, employees, members of the media and several visitors to The Bahamas were the first passengers to experience the inaugural Bahamasair flight from Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) in Nassau to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
On board the Classic Boeing 737-500 aircraft, the passengers were thoroughly entertained by flight attendants and media personality Paul Fernander, who dished out wonderful prizes for answering trivia questions about The Bahamas.
Upon approach at Houston, Captain Lawrence Jupp and First Officer Michael Pinder skillfully landed the aircraft on the runway at George Bush Intercontinental Airport – an art for which Bahamians pride themselves on having the best pilots. A thunderous applause was the reward for such smooth entry into Houston.
The Ministry of Tourism held a Welcome Reception in the Ballroom of the Houston IAH Airport Hotel.
Bahamasair executives attended: Tommy Turnquest, Chairman; Tracy Cooper, Managing Director; Frederick Donathan, Sales Director; and Woodrow Wilson, Senior Manager. Also welcoming the flight were: Lynden Rose, Bahamas Counsul General to Houston; Prescott Young, Bahamas Tourism Office Area Manager, Houston; and other officials.
Video presentations about The Islands of The Bahamas were shown and guest entertainer Rik Carey, lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning group, Baha Men performed a few of his hit songs.
A group of students from Prairie View A &M University Marching Storm and Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul marching bands performed a combined electrifying and pulsating, uniquely Bahamian, Junkanoo rushout.
“This is truly an exciting time for Bahamasair, and I deem it an honour to serve in my role at this time,” said Chairman Tommy Turnquest during the Welcome Reception. “As we launch this route, we trust that the traveling public will consider Bahamasair as their first choice when traveling to and from The Bahamas.
“We are satisfied that we are ready to meet the challenge to grow this route exponentially.”
On the Thursday morning, a formal Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Gate D, where the Bahamasair aircraft will be docked.
The flight departed at 8:00 a.m. to a water salute from the airport fire trucks as it departed Houston.
The return flight was a full aircraft of about 120 passengers – a number of tourists were visiting and were thrilled that they could fly directly from Houston to Nassau in a short jaunt.
The flight arrived at LPIA to a water salute from the airport fire trucks as it taxied in. The aircraft had an Official Welcome by Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, officials from the Ministry and other government agencies, Bahamasair, and LPIA. A Junkanoo group with their island rhythms met the passengers.
Mr. D’Aguilar, Minister with responsibility for Bahamasair, deemed it another step in the joint walk together and that the “best days” are ahead for Bahamasair.
Bahamasair came into being in 1973 with the purpose to connect the archipelago through safe and reliable air transportation. The airline boasts 14 domestic destinations, 9 international designations, including Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Providenciales in Turks & Caicos Islands, Port-Au-Prince and Cap Haitien in Haiti, and now Houston, Texas.
With Bahamian immigration statistics showing Texas as a growing market for stopover visitors, Bahamasair stepped in to facilitate expansion of the Houston market. 
The flight leaves Houston at 8:00 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays arriving in Nassau just after 11:00 a.m. It leaves Nassau on Sundays and Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. – allowing for a half-day on the beach or to enjoy Bahamian hospitality before boarding flight -- and arrives in Houston just after 7:00 p.m.
By Lindsay Thompson
Bahamas Information Services
