Let’s get together

INDUSTRY leaders have called for emergency communication guidelines to be introduced across the trade following the tsunami tragedy.

Operators are concerned about difficulties encountered contacting customers after the disaster because some agents holding vital contact numbers of holidaymakers and relatives remained closed over the Christmas holidays.

Now ABTA is calling on the trade to suggest a new set of good practice guidelines. At a Council of Regions meeting this week, members flagged up the problem of accessing details for flight-only customers in tsunami-affected regions.

Kuoni managing director Sue Biggs said: “The only problem we’ve had was our inability to get hold of clients because travel agents were closed.”

Biggs called on agents to consider supplying operators with customers’ phone numbers when they book. She denied they would be used to poach customers.

Similarly, First Choice was unable to contact six customers in Florida – when their charter flight was delayed for 31 hours following the decision to redirect it to deliver aid to the Maldives – because the agency the clients had booked with was closed.

MD UK distribution John Wimbleton agreed having customers’ phone numbers would help in emergencies.

AITO chairman Richard Hearn said operators needed a central list of out-of-hours contacts of agents and backed Biggs’ call for customer details. “There’s no question operators would respect the spirit in which phone numbers were given,” he said.

TUI UK commercial and retail director Derek Jones said TUI already requires all independent agents to provide emergency numbers.

ABTA chief executive Ian Reynolds added: “I can’t believe agents were not able to provide contact details for reasons of data security.”

Although an ABTA database of emergency out-of-hours agent phone numbers was created around eight years ago, it fizzled out because it was never used.

ABTA said it is now considering creating good-practice guidelines. Possibilities include a standard form for agents to fill out which gives client contact details.

Advantage supported the move. MD John McEwan said: “We’d be strong advocates of drawing up best-practice guidelines so operators and retailers can work together in emergencies.”

But some agents remain unconvinced of operators’ motives. AITO specialist travel agents chairman Andrew Brownrigg said: “So many operators go behind agents’ backs to offer deals direct to customers.”

Midconsort chief executive Charles Eftichiou said: “There is a lot of mistrust from agents towards operators. But we could do with sharing information.”