Fifteen business travel management companies, who belong to the Focus Travel Partnership consortium, are providing an emergency repatriation service.
Called ‘Helping You Get Home’, the initiative aims to help any travellers urgently wanting to return to the UK during the coronavirus crisis.
Abby Penston, Focus Travel Partnership chief executive, said: “The travel landscape is incredibly complex at the moment. With airlines cancelling routes and grounding aircraft due to the rapidly changing government advisories, our partners are telling us that they are experiencing a surge in demand from consumers, who are finding it difficult to make their own travel arrangements and are needing to return home.
“Many of these requests are not easy to fulfil, but our partners, who have live-data feeds on the status of airlines and who are used to fulfilling complicated customer requirements, are specialists and are the right experts best-placed to help out.
“This is why we are rolling out this service to the wider public, not just to corporate travellers.
“Many of our business travel agents also have leisure divisions, and these teams can dedicate time to helping those who need to get back to the UK.
“So, whether you are travelling for business or leisure or you have been on a five-star luxury trip, or are back-packing around the world and are having problems getting home, we can help.”
Focus Travel Partnership has 60 members with a combined turnover of £1 billion.
It is is a member of the Business Travel Association and partners are required to be members of Advantage Travel.
For details click here or call the Focus Repatriation Service on +44 (0)330 1072992.
The service will start from midday on Friday (March 20) and will be accessible 24/7.