Case study - Rescuing stranded passengers
Faced with repatriating thousands of stranded passengers following the collapse of XL Airways, the Civil Aviation Authority was responsible for ensuring that all passengers were flown back to the UK with minimum delay following the end of their holiday.
Emergency response
The sheer scale of the operation meant that the CAA was unable to fly all passengers back to their original departure airport resulting in thousands of travellers finding themselves displaced and requiring transport for both themselves and their luggage.
With limited resources the CAA needed to secure coaches of various sizes at extremely short notice from every major airport in the UK to get them all back home quickly and safely. With no initial idea of the scale of operation, the CAA made the decision to outsource the management of ground transport to Connections just hours prior to the first transfer.
"During the ensuing two week period, Connections secured enough vehicles to transfer 12,000 passengers from airports spread as far afield as Gatwick and Glasgow - quite often with only a couple of hours notice."
A managed solution
With a national network of hundreds of approved suppliers, Connections was well placed to manage the sourcing of vehicles and also played a pivotal role in the liaison between the CAA, operators, drivers, airport authorities and on occasions, concerned passengers.
During the ensuing two week period, Connections secured enough vehicles to transfer 12,000 passengers from airports spread as far afield as Gatwick and Glasgow - quite often with only a couple of hours notice.
Whilst vehicle availability was the priority, Connections was also tasked with the management and communication of the costs incurred. By comparing the market it was possible to secure suitable vehicles at market rates, thereby protecting the CAA from potential exploitation of an emergency situation. In addition, Connections ensured that all operators were paid on time and thanked for their co-operation.