Travel Agents Assist Stranded Travelers

When tragedy struck in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania, the travel management at AAA East Penn immediately made an assessment of our own clients who were out of town, looking at who was traveling abroad.

The largest number out of the country was 31 people who were in Egypt on General Tours' "River of the Pharaohs" group, escorted by AAA Escort Donna Peragallo. Within two hours of the collapse of the World Trade Center, we started receiving phone calls from concerned family and friends. The group was about to board Sonesta Nile Goddess for a four-night cruise down the Nile.

Robin Blose, manager of Travel Services, and Maryann Valent, Manager of Group Travel Operations, immediately contracted General Tours to learn the status of the group. They kept in daily contact with Donna and also the local tour coordinator and General Tours escort who were with the group the entire time.

Donna reported that the group was fine, and felt safe on the cruise. Friends and relatives continued to call our group tour department, and the main concern for all was when they would be able to return, since all air travel was halted and they were scheduled to return September 16, on Egypt Air out of Cairo.

The flight was cancelled, and General Tours worked with our agency to keep all the travelers together for their return flight home on Tuesday, September 18. While it may have been possible to get some on an earlier flight, it was prudent to have them stay two more nights in Egypt, and then fly home together.

Of course, many people experienced problems with their travel arrangements in the days and weeks following September 11. But, in the light of all the personal losses suffered by so many, travel delays and difficulties were met with patience and cooperation.

The events did underscore, however, the value of working with a qualified, experienced travel agent and an agency whose partnerships with travel suppliers makes them more accessible in difficult times.

Even AAA's National office was affected as 300 associates were at AAA's annual Travel Conference meeting in Belgium on September 11. Michael Milligan, senior editor for Travel Weekly, was also at the conference and AAA travel professionals at the meeting assisted him with his return travel. In an article, he stated, "I'm not sure what I would have done if I had booked my travel arrangements over the Internet."

That sentiment has been echoed by others who turned to their AAA travel agents for help when they were stranded, needed to re-book, wanted to know what their options were for cancellations, etc. The first few days after the crisis, the phones were not busy. But in the weeks after September 11, the value of being able to pick up a phone and speak to a travel agent was reassuring. Calls came for rental car bookings by those unable to fly back home, for maps and driving directions, re-booking, etc.

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Published in the November/December 2001 issue of the AAA Traveler.