Every cloud...

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In between starting my career in travel in 1988 and the morning of Thursday 15 April 2010 there were nearly 6,000 working days during which the potential threat of volcanic ash in UK airspace was specifically not mentioned.  I’ve attended countless contingency planning meetings where all manner of possible incidents have been discussed and prepared for.  Earthquakes, hurricanes, flu pandemics, terrorist incidents – you name it, we had a plan for it.  But the volcanic ash cloud scenario somehow never made an appearance.



Eyjafjallajokull was travel's worst nightmare; an unpredictable natural event capable of completely paralyzing the UK travel industry and causing continuing disruption for weeks if not months.  But we had no warning that such an event was possible and consequently no contingency plan in place to respond.  All of which is a bit of a worry really.



If we've been so badly caught out this time you have to wonder what other threats lurk below the surface waiting to surprise us?  I've had a good think on your behalf and the bad news is that I haven't managed to come up with any.  Optimistically, this could because an erupting volcano in Iceland represents the pinnacle of unpredicted disruption but I fear the reason I can't think of another is precisely because I didn’t think of this one in the first place.



Every cloud has a silver lining and this one, whilst costing tour operators tens of millions of pounds in the short term has without doubt provided a priceless opportunity to demonstrate to customers the benefits of booking a package holiday.  The response to the crisis was swift and decisive – the major holiday companies deserve enormous praise for both the speed with which they acted and for taking control of the PR message, which could so easily have turned against them.  Stranded package holiday customers were taken care of, accommodation organised and food provided.  In stark contrast, independent travellers were in most cases left to fend for themselves.



At Kuoni we worked around the clock to repatriate our stranded customers and to contact others who were due to travel.  Everyone in the business instinctively knew what needed to be done and didn’t rest until every last customer was back home.



In Thailand the situation was further complicated by growing political tensions, and when the Foreign Office advised against travel to Bangkok, I personally flew to Thailand to reassure our customers and to assist with the efforts to bring them home. As it turned out, this turned into quite an adventure which ended with me escorting fifty guests back to the UK via the Maldives.  If the response of those customers is anything to go by, we may well look back to this incident as a tipping point – when the public finally recognised full value of booking with a tour operator.  



Dealing with the unpredictable isn’t easy but when the unpredictable happens we should see it as an opportunity to shine.

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