Long after all the stranded passengers have returned safely to their homes, we in the travel industry are still reeling from the extraordinary and unprecedented situation triggered by a cloud of volcanic ash. Invisible to the naked eye, we simply had to believe authorities that yes, it was unsafe to fly and no, it was impossible to estimate for how long.

Quickly responding to travel disruptions caused by the volcano, BCD Travel implemented crisis management plans. Emergency provisions included extending normal operating hours of travel consultants, escalating customer communications and pinpointing the whereabouts of client travelers worldwide.

Call volumes more than tripled in many of BCD Travel’s operations, including the T24, our company’s after-hours service network at Schiphol airport.  Around the world and around the clock, BCD Travel consultants stepped up to help meet client demand by signing in from home and working extra hours or shifts.

While volcanic ash taxed BCD Travel operations, we were able to provide many stranded travelers with levels of service unavailable to corporate travelers without strong travel management company and supplier partnerships. The raison d'étre for our organization in many ways.

Although we were unable to help everyone as quickly as we wanted to due to the very high volume of calls, many clients did express their gratitude for our efforts.  Never before have we received the quantity and quality of compliments that we did from BCD Travel passengers, travel managers and senior management in our client groups. I am proud to say that despite the enormous challenges, our staff showed the dedication and flexibility needed to cope with this extraordinary situation. 

It’s good for you to know you can count on BCD Travel to assist you when needed. The ash may not be out of our air for ever.