Mayday Air Jamaica Takes Stand against Spirit Bid

A former president of the Jamaica Airline Pilots Association (JALPA) has sent an open letter to Spirit Airlines, asking the low-cost carrier to drop its bid to purchase Air Jamaica and disclose the purchase price to the current and former Air Jamaica employees who are determined to keep the country’s only airline under Jamaican ownership –even if it means purchasing it themselves.

Wesley Sampson and his organization, Mayday Air Jamaica mean business, said that if Spirit Airlines does not walk away from the deal, Mayday Air Jamaica and its supporters will picket at Air Jamaica in Miami on Dec. 15. Sampson is staging the peaceful protest knowing full well its potential to disrupt holiday travel at one of the nation’s busiest hubs.

Mayday Air Jamaica contends the national airline of Jamaica is the only net foreign exchange earner the government of Jamaica owns; to remove it completely from Jamaican ownership would be to push the country further into poverty.

In addition to asking Spirit Airlines to withdraw its offer to buy Air Jamaica and publicly disclose the terms of its purchase deal, Mayday Air Jamaica is asking the Jamaican government to sell the airline to the employees at the same terms, at a 20 percent discount designed to show support for the people of Jamaica.