Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Air
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

Travel Agents Saved the Day as Hurricane Lane Approached Hawaii

by Cheryl Rosen / August 29, 2018
Travel Agents Saved the Day as Hurricane Lane Approached Hawaii

Hurricane Lane brought heavy skies over Waikiki last week. Photo: Sandra Foyt / Shutterstock.com.


As Hurricane Lane bore down on Hawaii last week, the destination wedding that travel agent Geoff Millar was planning for a client and 30 guests was hardly looking like the trip of a lifetime.

But, after 15 years in the business, and with a specialty in all-inclusive resorts and Hawaii vacations, Millar was unperturbed. With little fuss — and at no cost to the couple — he moved everything, from airline tickets to hotel accommodations to airport transfers to table decorations. And on Tuesday, just seven days behind schedule, the group flew off to their dream wedding in Hawaii, with no extra baggage other than a great story to tell of how their travel agent saved the day.

Millar says that his heroism really entailed little extra work on his part. His experience in the region, and the clout of his $8 million annual travel spend, prepared him to deal with wind and rain and other catastrophes through a combination of local partnerships and the right travel insurance.

“We deal with hurricanes all over the Caribbean ever year, so it’s kind of second nature to us,” he said. “You have to have a plan and a good partner. We use mainly Funjet, Apple Vacations and Travel Impressions; they handle hurricanes year after year after year, and act as our partner on the ground.”

In light of the storm, American Airlines was allowing customers to change their tickets at no additional cost. Millar also had booked through Apple Vacations, whom he says did the lion’s share of the work, and he had advised the group to take Apple’s “cancel for any reason” travel insurance policy.

Related Articles

How to Become a Travel Agent: A Guide for the Perplexed
 

“It’s beneficial in hurricane season to have someone in the middle to help you through the process, to have two people working on the problem rather than dealing with the hotel looking out for its own best interest,” he said. “It took us two days to get everything done, but we were able to move the whole thing and stay at the same resort, and all the moving around didn’t cost the couple anything.”

Millar, of course, was not the only travel agent working to keep travelers out of harm’s way. Jamie Jones, of WhirlAway Travel in West Chester, Pennsylvania, for example, took a frantic call from a Hawaii honeymooner who was not even her customer. Yet.

“I got him reaccommodated from Lanai to Big Sur, and he had his car rental, hotel confirmation, destination guide and first-night dinner reservation ready when he landed,” she said. “Then, he got a five-category upgrade when he checked in, along with the rest of our free amenities.”

Ashley Bennington, of Janelle & Co. Travel in Rochester, New York, also had honeymooners in Hawaii; they were supposed to fly from Maui to the Big Island on Thursday. Knowing their flight was likely going to be canceled, “we weighed our options between keeping them on Maui or going to the Big Island a day early. I recommended heading to the Big Island and got their flight, hotel and rental changed. We were so thankful they did, as their resort was hardly hit and they were able to enjoy the spa in the middle of a hurricane. Maui was hit much harder than where they were.”

And at Millennium Travel in New York, Toni Russo Romeo’s clients in Kauai decided to cancel the move to Maui they had been planning. Instead, she switched their flight on Hawaiian Airlines to Las Vegas via Honolulu, and they spent four nights in Vegas. “I found a flight for the return on a one-way ticket back to New York because United wouldn't change the destination on their return ticket,” she said.

Owner Ina Schweitzer, of European Travel International in Riverside, California, meanwhile, had a pretty easy time of it, just doing what travel professionals always do when trouble hits. With a worried family of 13 on Kaanapali Beach, watching Lane draw closer, “I was really just a voice of reason,” she said. “Their flight home was on Thursday at 1:00 pm; I advised they leave their hotel early just in case there was flooding on the highway. They ma

  7
  3
Related Articles
Two Tour Operators Disappear, Leaving Travel Advisors and Customers in the Lurch
What We Did for Love: Tales of Travel Agents Who Went the Extra Mile
The Best Places to Cruise in 2019 According to Travel Advisors
Oceania Insignia, Newly ‘Reinspired,’ Sets Sail on 180-Day World Cruise
Border Security Expert and Air Force Vet Turned Agent is Making Travel Accessible
Four Travel Agents Shake Up Their Business Models for 2019
Harley Davidson’s Ken Schmidt Offers Advice for Travel Agents
Seven Tips for Traveling During Hurricane Season
Experts Say MGM’s New Resort Fee Might Be Good for Travel Agents
20-Year Industry Veterans Offer Tips for Travel Agents

MOST VIEWED

  1. U.S. State Department Updates Jamaica Travel Warning to Level 3
  2. First Hand Look at the Soon-to-Open Sam Lord's Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort
  3. Vantage Travel Website Down, Cruises Canceled Last Minute
  4. TSA Will Now Allow Teens to Access PreCheck with Parents or Guardians
  5. Tips for Delivering Bad News to Your Clients
  6. 25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans

MOST EMAILED

  1. 5 Reasons You Need to Use a Travel Advisor Now More Than Ever
  2. First Hand Look at the Soon-to-Open Sam Lord's Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort
  3. U.S. State Department Updates Jamaica Travel Warning to Level 3
  4. Vantage Travel Website Down, Cruises Canceled Last Minute
  5. U.S. to End COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for International Travelers
  6. 25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Collette Promotes Vice President of U.S. Sales
Collette Promotes Vice President of U.S. Sales

David Cook is Collette's new VP of U.S. sales, effective immediately. 

Read...
TMR TV: Apple Leisure Group Vacations Executive Roundtable Discussion from Cancun

Travel Market Report hosted an exclusive ALGV Executive Roundtable Discussion from Cancun Mexico on Wednesday, February 24th.

Read...
When You’re Ready, We’re Ready

Here's to traveling at your own speed. When you're ready, we're ready with clean, sanitized vehicles and a low-touch rental process.

Read...
ALG Vacations | Ready. Set. Go.
Read...
Valerie Wilson Travel Adds Vagabond Travel as New Affiliate Agency
Valerie Wilson Travel Adds Vagabond Travel as New Affiliate Agency

The New Jersey-based Virtuoso agency is the latest to become affiliates of Valerie Wilson Travel. 

Read...
Allianz Partners USA Promotes Elena Edwards to CEO
Allianz Partners USA Promotes Elena Edwards to CEO

Edwards succeeds Michael Nelson, who has left the company in order to accept another opportunity.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
Cruise Trend Outlook 2023
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/TIZwKLcPwbg/0.jpg
We Appreciate our Travel Advisors
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Air |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy