The Nassau airport – recently renamed Lynden Pindling International Airport – continues to get poor reviews from users with some of them writing in to a popular website complaining about the poor conditions of the facility.
Skytrax, whose website ﾖ www.airlinequality.com ﾖ allows airport users to rate airports around the world, says it is the worldﾒs leading air transportation research organization specializing in global airline and airport customer surveys.
A recent comment on the now Lynden Pindling Airport came from John Frewen-Lord, who said despite the fact that only a few passengers were in the arrival terminal when he visited the airport, it took nearly 45 minutes for the luggage to arrive.
“[I] hate to think what it would be like if things were really busy,” he said.
Carly Kells, another user, described the airportﾒs check-in system as “chaotic”.
“I do realize that this is a very small airport, but they need to improve this situation drastically before I will return,” she said.
Robert Andrews added that after reading the reviews about the Nassau airport, he was beginning to wonder whether it was worth traveling to The Bahamas.
Roland Rodgriguez said that while New Providence is in good shape, the airport “is a mess.”
“My wife and I have plenty of choices for vacation, and next time Nassau is off the list ﾖ and they can thank the airport for that,” he wrote.
Another user, Veronica Rabassa, expressed disappointment that she had to haul her luggage around the airport.
“It was the most messed up, chaotic situation that I have ever endured,” Ms. Rabassa wrote. “The airport has determined that we shall never return to Paradise Island ever again.”
Albert Vitale writes, “Avoid Nassau at all cost.” And Natalie Smith adds, “The staff at Nassau airport are the rudest people I have come across anywhere in the world!”
The negative comments that have poured in to government and airport officials from residents, visitors and investors have prompted the government to embark on an initiative they claim will make the Lynden Pindling International Airport the envy of the region and the jewel of the Caribbean.
During the renaming ceremony a week ago, Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said, “Over the next two years, there will be tremendous growth taking place on this acreage with new and modern terminals and increased runway capacity to accommodate an air traffic boom.”
Officials have said the project will cost around $200 million.
The government expects to drive this process through hiring managers for the airport and has already targeted the Canadian-based Vancouver Airport Services.
But officials have yet to finalise a management agreement with the company, although they continue to assure that this will happen “soon”.
By: Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
