Travel Counsellors has hailed the efforts of two of its agents who went “above and beyond” over the bank holiday weekend to salvage their clients’ Orlando holidays after flight cancellations.
Matt Morgan, from Birmingham, and Hornchurch-based Claire Bottone both swung into action to quickly rebook their clients.
Morgan had just ordered a Chinese on the night of Good Friday when he received a text message from the airline cancelling his customer’s flight to Orlando scheduled for the following morning.
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He quickly sourced alternatives by speaking to the agency’s duty office and called the client to explain.
The client was out having dinner – and by the time the customer was on dessert, Morgan had re-booked the flights, changed the car hire and advised the hotel of a later arrival before resending all vouchers.
He said: “The client was amazed. What could have been a disaster for the client turned into a brilliant example of how I’m there for my clients every step of the way.”
Bottone’s clients were a multi-generational family who were set to leave for the airport to begin their long-awaited Walt Disney World Resort holiday, which had been postponed because of the pandemic.
Less than 12 hours before departure, flight was cancelled because of the strikes at Heathrow, and they were not protected by the airline on an alternative flight.
Bottone left her family dinner to work on alternative options with the duty office, but she could not find any.
“I had to make the heart-breaking phone call to tell them that the holiday would not be happening,” she said.
“They were devastated. Already packed, they wanted a holiday not a refund.
“I felt so desperate for them and worked through the night to try and find them something, anywhere.
“In the early hours, I could not believe I had managed to secure some freshly available Orlando flights that would give them an 11-night holiday, a little shorter than originally planned but they would still be able to enjoy plenty of the Disney itinerary they had already made.
“After a few hours’ sleep and working with the duty office team to put all the other elements in place; I made the call to let them know that Mickey Mouse was back on the agenda.
“I may have been exhausted, but it was great to hear the family say they were happy and excited all over again.”
Most of the agency’s clients had a smooth travel experience over the Easter break.
The agency had 17,000 passengers travelling, up by 31% compared to the Easter holiday in 2019.
Searches through the company’s in-house booking platform Phenix for last-minute Easter holidays showed Tenerife, New York and Dubai were the most popular options.
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