Bahamasair flight attendants call in sick

Bahamasair flights on several family islands were cancelled this evening after the majority of flight attendants, scheduled to work, called in sick.

Flight services were impacted on Freeport, Abaco, Georgetown and Eleuthera.

Union infighting prompted action by flight attendants who claim that Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU) President Gladstone Adderley and General Secretary Susan Palmer are trying to spite them by refusing to meet with them or negotiate better working conditions for them in the industrial agreement with executive management.

The two AAAWU executives have also been accused of keeping flight attendants in the dark about negotiations and undermining them.

Some workers also feel that Palmer and Adderley are giving them the short end of the stick and have changed the wording in the proposed industrial agreement without discussing it with members.

This as members of other unions have received better compensation.

Customer service representatives are now waiting to see how this situation plays out before they take similar action.

Growing tension within the Union comes at a bad time for the airline as Bahamasair has plans to expand its fleet by four aircraft by summer 2023.

Following a rough 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a virtual halt, the national flag carrier reported a stronger than expected summer in 2021.

In 2021, the airline recouped about 60 to 65 percent of 2019’s numbers. The airline also experienced a relatively good holiday travel season last year.