The Eyjafjallaj?kul volcano in Iceland spews a cloud of volcano dust over European skies closing airspace for six days.
“The team at Emirates Holidays has been in contact with every single client – helping them to either extend accommodation or find cheaper accommodation – that has been the biggest challenge. To be in contact with hundreds of clients individually is a massive job.”
He added: “We had to redirect our staff – we have a pool of staff who are trained to deal with emergencies, but we had to get a few more people on board.”
And with Dubai being a long-haul destination from Europe, there was simply no other option but to wait for flights to become available said Haensel.
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“If you live in Europe you could try to go on trains, buses, or rent a car but if you are on a long-haul holiday that makes it more difficult so that’s the story with our clients. You really have no other alternative because of the distance involved.” Haensel estimated it would take up to four days to clear the backlog of passengers once the flight ban was lifted.
PULLING TOGETHER IN A CRISIS
Anwar Abu Monassar from DMC The Vision said one positive to come out the chaos was that the industry did pull together in the crisis. The Vision had a group of 250 people from Europe who were stuck in Dubai for five extra days.
Monassar said his hotel partners “behaved very well - assisting us, giving us complimentary rooms, and helping us to accommodate them.” The Vision also offered their DMC services for free to assist the stranded group.
“Some flights were not cancelled till the very last minute and no one knew what was happening. But we arranged trips to Abu Dhabi, to Oman, and we created a situation where people were able to enjoy it in the end.”
And while agents and operators pulled out all the stops to help their stranded clients, those who booked independently and on the cheap are probably still the ones waiting desperately for a flight today.
Leo Fewtrell, general manager, Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group said: “I think this situation perfectly illustrates the benefits of booking with a responsible agency who can be held accountable by a trade body such as DTTAG. This gives a level of comfort to customers that they are dealing with companies that take their responsibilities seriously.”
Agents agreed that the crisis had given them a chance to show their dedication to their stranded customers : “By booking with the travel agent, the passenger is eased out of coordinating directly with the airline or hotel, The travel agent takes care of it all,” said Fitzsimmons.
“At times like this agents are expert and know when and how to contact the right people,” added Al Rais.
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