A Marketing executive at Bahamasair was suspended for two weeks after she allowed passengers traveling on the airline to check two bags for free without authorization.
The promotion, offered to hundreds of Bahamasair passengers during the month of September, cost the cash-strapped airline $500,000.
The national flag carrier usually charges passengers $25 for the first bag, $45 for the second bag, $75 for the third bag and $125 for the fourth bag on international flights.
Passengers on domestic flights typically get one bag free but pay for additional pieces of checked luggage.
However, Lorell Burrows, nicknamed “the Queen of Bahamasair”, took it upon herself to launch the “two bags free” promotion without getting approval from senior management.
Management demanded that she cancel the promotion but Burrows refused, resulting in her immediate suspension.
The ballsy move hit the airline where it hurts as many flights to and from Florida have been packed in recent weeks.
Some passengers showed up at the airport check-in counter with their credit cards out, ready to pay the baggage fee but they were pleasantly surprised when Bahamasair representatives told them there would be no charge.
Whenever the national flag carrier offers the promotion, it usually makes the announcement on its website but that didn’t happen this time - an indication management did not sign off on it.
The airline can hardly afford to waive lucrative baggage fees at this time as it is still trying to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw borders closed and flights grounded for months in 2020.