Ash from Iceland's volcano wreaked more havoc for the travel industry than 9/11.

Flight cancellations caused extreme stress and fatigue for thousands of travellers.

The volcanic eruptions in Iceland during April opened the eyes of many to the unequivocal value and support of a travel management company (TMC) in an emergency.

The impact of this incident on travellers, travel bookers and corporations was enormous, producing far wider ramifications than the crisis of 9/11. Figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed that at the height of the volcanic disaster, 1.2 million passengers were affected on a daily basis. A third of the global aviation industry was impacted, and airlines lost more than $1.7 billion within just six days.

Converting chaos into calm
At FCm, our teams around the world responded immediately to assist thousands of travellers who had been left stranded, stressed and exhausted. Through our global monitoring hub, we kept abreast of latest developments and issued regular travel alerts to our clients. We immediately ran reports to track the location of travellers who were affected, and liaised directly with those travellers to discuss and plan travel alternatives.

Global reach and insight
Our global network and multi-sourcing platform not only assured us of re-booking travel at the best available rates, but gave us unparalleled industry intelligence. FCm teams in Asia and the US were able to draw on the local knowledge of our teams in Europe regarding secondary airports, rail systems and cross channel ferries.

24/7 assistance
With the support of our after-hours teams, FCm was available to clients day and night, and throughout the weekend of the crisis. Our teams constantly monitored flight and seat availability, and re-booked travel to bring our clients home as quickly and safely as possible. We advised our clients on insurance options available to them, and saved them the angst of having to make any calls to airports or travel suppliers.

Lessons learned
Corporations who found the Iceland crisis the most challenging, and indeed frightening, were those who had made their bookings either with an online agency or direct with an airline. While FCm clients felt safe in the knowledge they had a TMC doing everything to assist them, other travellers were left with the near-impossible task of reaching and negotiating with suppliers themselves.

In a situation where travellers wanted a familiar voice to bring them home and employers wanted to uphold their duty of care and avoid price gauging, the role of the TMC was again highlighted as being irreplaceable.