Silver Airways Left A Void To Be Filled

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MIAMI – One of the biggest resorts on Abaco is now re-strategizing for the summer season, after Silver Airways abruptly ended its service to all its local destinations, including Abaco.

Passengers found out late Tuesday night that the airline was stopping operations the very next day and offering refunds for credit card purchases.

Marketing Director for the resort, Brent Ingraham, says they are actively working on a backup plan.

Brent Ingraham – Director of Marketing, Abaco Beach Resort
“We’re now having to strategize on how we’re going to make up for those seats. The Abacos, we are into our busy season right now, so people are either having to scramble to look for alternative airlift into the Abacos.”

Ingraham was representing the resort at the Ministry of Tourism’s Global Sales Mission in South Florida this week.

With two daily flights to Abaco on average, he says Silver Airways provided 85,000 seats to Abaco annually.

Aside from the Abacos, Grand Bahama, Exuma, Eleuthera, Bimini, and New Providence are now down an international carrier.

So far, Ingraham says guests are managing to find alternative carriers to reach the island. In the long term though, he believes it will impact summer travel during the resort’s peak season.

Brent Ingraham – Director of Marketing, Abaco Beach Resort
“It’s certainly a void, and finding a way to fill that void is going to be the challenge for us, like I say, especially during this time of the year when it is our busy season. We want to make sure that we at least end the season well and look for alternatives, so we are going to do all we can.”

In light of Silver’s fallout, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, Chester Cooper, confirmed the Ministry is in talks with airline partners like American Airlines and Bahamasair to try and close the gap.

Despite it all, Ingraham remains hopeful.

Brent Ingraham – Director of Marketing, Abaco Beach Resort
“Their capacity has certainly been very well, so where are those persons now going to look for alternative seats? The good thing about it is that there is West Palm Beach with Bahamasair, there is American Airlines out of Miami, and certainly the other charter flights with MakersAir, Tropic Ocean Airways, TradeWinds. I think at the end of the day, those airlines will recognize the opportunities that exist and they can take advantage of it.”