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After the Ash

Posted in Blog, The Wire by AirPlus US Team
Tags: Business Traveler, communications policy, The Wire, travel management, volcano ash

Travel management improvements emerge from the ash of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

When the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano shut down European air space this past April, it stranded more than 10 million travelers across the globe. As travel management professionals know all too well, it was their company’s responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations during the crises for their business travelers, as well as a safe return home. While most companies worked hard to live up to this responsibility, doing so came at a cost, according to a recent online poll of travel buyers and suppliers conducted by AirPlus International.

With the advantage of hindsight, however, many companies are revising policy and process to reduce the impact of future transportation crises on their travel programs.
Eyjafjallajokull crippled the operations of European airlines, as well as intercontinental flights originating in countries from the United States to South Africa to Thailand. Nearly 100,000 flights were cancelled during the height of the crisis, costing airlines more than US$2 billion. As the volcano continued to choke up ash into May, pockets of additional cancellations and delays rippled through the European airways. The full impact of the eruption on the airlines has yet to be calculated – and the same is likely for the companies whose business meetings were cancelled or postponed.

More than 73 percent of the companies surveyed by AirPlus indicated their travelers or travel management program was affected in some way by the eruption. The majority of respondents indicated that extra travel expenses incurred by stranded business travelers had a significant impact on their travel programs. While additional costs may have been the most widespread concern, respondents revealed several others.

Communication is key during a crisis and, thanks to technology, most survey respondents (nearly 88 percent) cited adequate communications with grounded travelers. Cell phones proved essential to the effort, with 28 percent of survey respondents indicating they were the most effective method of communication. The company email address was the other essential tool, and with 70 percent business travelers now carrying smartphones, receipt of these messages was likely supported by this type of mobile device.

Still, nearly one-third of survey respondents indicated they wanted to make sure their communications plan during a crisis is more clearly defined and easier to execute. They will be revising their communications policies and procedures in response to the weaknesses in their travel programs.