Cruise lines should avoid putting specific policies in place to deal with further ash cloud airspace closures because it might mean they will be able to do less for some customers.
Trudy Redfern, Silversea Cruises UK managing director, said according to a strict interpretation of the law, lines have no obligation to provide financial assistance to cruise-only customers.
“If we did put a policy in place and stick to the regulations, if it’s cruise-only, to be honest we do not have to do anything,” she said.
“It’s better in a way not to have a policy, because then you can be more flexible. It’s a bit unfair to say the cruise lines were not helpful.
“It’s hard to put a policy in place when you do not know what going to happen. We have to look at each situation on an individual basis.
“On a fly-cruise basis we are bound to help them, but on cruise-only obviously we do not want to lose those customers, so we did what we can.”
Jo Rzymowska, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines general manager, said the line learnt lessons from the crisis and was had worked with its ground handlers to ensure there will be more support in the future.
“Forty per cent of our business is fly-cruise and we did what we had to do to assist them. With the package regulations we do have to understand what we are responsible for.
“We did what we could to assist cruise customers only in giving them information. The travel agents and cruise lines could have worked better on it.
“You have to understand, as a repackager, the responsibility you have to that customer.”