Newsletter | May 2010 | Ashes to Ashes

The volcano trapped thousands of people far from home as the air space over much of Europe was sealed. It may have been quiet over Chiswick but what was it like to be caught in the eye of the storm? Here's one of our favorite travel agents to describe what it's like to live through chaos

Last month was a bad time for anyone involved in travel. If you were a stranded traveller, it gradually dawned over the weekend of 17th/18th that the airlines couldn't help you and the government hadn't even realised that a crisis had developed overnight. I was sitting in the office on the Saturday morning fielding several phone calls at once while watching Sky News which alternated between the ash cloud and the election campaign and the effect of the first Thursday’s debate. It was quite evident that no-one in a position of power felt they needed to be involved. Ten days on with the news channels having lost interest, there were still thousands of people stranded who could long since have been flown into Madrid on the Monday and Tuesday and then the UK thereafter. While the debate begins as to whether compensation is paid, I certainly think the government should have immediately commissioned UK airlines to fly extra flights to bring people home. Likewise, they could have given a guarantee that they would get people back from Spain if the airlines could get them there. Perhaps it was unlucky we were in the middle of an election campaign and it happened on the last weekend of the Easter holidays, but the lack of a contingency process was shocking especially in this post 9/11 world.

It's also exposed the flaws of not having a single, European air traffic control which Britain amongst others has blocked. Travel insurance should include natural disasters too, even if prices have to go up. I would make it compulsory - who has time to read the small print? Many tour operators and agents were badly exposed by the package rules that left them liable through no fault of their own. The consumer is very well protected now but we must also look to make sure businesses get a fair deal. Let’s hope that this event presages all sorts of change for the better.

For us the silver lining is that we were needed like never before. Indeed the last four months has been a succession of crises due to weather and strikes which have generated a huge amount of extra work usually with no scope for making money and often involving giving refunds and forsaking the commission made. However, pity the people who had booked online and whose only option was to ring airline phone numbers that were constantly engaged. I managed to get a family of four back from New York on Virgin by watching my screen over a period of two days and grabbing seats as they came up. Kathryn was back for her 18th birthday party, Lloyd and Allison for increasingly urgent work commitments. I did the same for people in Malaga, Bahrain and Johannesburg and my colleagues were working flat out to do the same. It was hard work but hopefully much goodwill was gained as a result.

Moving forward, has it affected bookings? I don't think so - we're getting back to normal albeit with a huge amount of ticket refunds and amendments to process. A lot of people have been forced to experience the European train network and have found it's a good way to get around.

Likewise there was a surge of bookings for villas in France when we heard the eruption might last two years! The cruise market continues to grow and this has done it no harm especially for those boarding in the UK. Personally I've never fancied a cruise but I've lost count now of how many people have said the same and then been pleasantly surprised when they've been persuaded to give it a go. It's all about choosing the right one for you and there's now a bewildering choice. My tip, ring a travel agent!