airline schedule changes

We were delighted today by a belated thank you call from clients we had helped when delayed by the recent airline schedule disruptions due to volcanic ash.

Delayed on their way out from Sydney, and then delayed on the return journey… all due to airline schedule changes made to avoid the volcanic ash, Mr & Mrs V were given hotel accommodation in Papeete while awaiting details of their return flight to Sydney. Unhappily when the information came it was that they had confirmed seats but only as far as Auckland. There were no details of their ongoing flight to Sydney.

They contacted us and we ensured they had seats reserved on the next available flight – no reservation had been made until then. With their reservation confirmed they were able to book their luggage through to Sydney and complete their trip with certainty, and in the shortest possible time. The alternative would have been to travel as far as Auckland then reclaim their luggage and try for a reservation on the next available flight which by then would have been much later in the day or on the following day. They avoided a long wait in Auckland and arrived home without further delay.

Your travel agent will look after you to the best of their ability in such situations – even given that there is no recompense for doing so. They are on call, by email and often mobile phone at all hours. In one case the agent was on the phone to Qantas for 5 hours – most of that time on hold. This high standard of client service is regarded as normal in the hundreds of individually owned and operated agencies around Australia. The agents do not charge their clients, nor do the airlines pay. It is a service ethic working in these situations that motivates the travel agent.

The hoped-for reward is the loyalty of their client.