(L-R) Sue Kuti, together with fellow PTM Jill Wilkinson, representative for Hamilton Hill WA, and Michelle Michael-Pecora. MS Wilkinson returned to Perth before the ash cloud impacted on airline operations.

TravelManagers had personal travel managers caught up in the drama of the Chilean Ash Cloud recently as two of them were stranded in Buenos Aires. Michelle Michael-Pecora, representative from Castle Hill and Sue Kuti representative from Randwick, New South Wales had extended their stay in South America after completing a Chimu Adventures Fam Trip to South America when the volcano struck.

In typical personal travel manager style Ms Michael-Pecora says their immediate concern was for their clients.

“While it was an inconvenience not being able to get home and fellow PTMs were assisting us with our clients, you can’t help but think immediately about your clients, whether any of them were affected and ensuring other clients’ ongoing travel requirements were met. Thankfully this was easy.”

Ms Michael-Pecora says the systems at TravelManagers enabled them to be able to communicate with their clients, fellow PTMs and the National Partnership Office as if they were both back in New South Wales.

“There was no impact on our clients at all as we were able to remain fully operational via our laptops with TravelManagers’ virtual office with full booking, accounting and administration facilities. We did joke it was as if we’d set up the first TravelManagers operation in Argentina!”

Ms Kuti says they put their personal travel manager skills into action to get themselves home.

“We were originally supposed to fly home 15 June but it soon became apparent this wasn’t going to happen. Our experience and virtual office access assisted us no end, without that we wouldn’t have got home so quickly.”

Ms Kuti is no stranger to challenging circumstances assisting her own small group tour which she was escorting in Cuba when the Swine Flu pandemic broke out a couple of years ago.

“Having an intimate knowledge of how things work and who to talk to is a massive advantage. With our laptops with us we were able to not only continue to look after our clients normal travel needs but also research and advise our insurance company on the best option for getting us home.”

Both women finally arrived home on 21 June, via Miami and Los Angeles, a week after their original flight was scheduled.

“It worked out to be about 43 hours of travelling including ground time but thankfully being a personal travel manager with TravelManagers we could keep working and, while we were travelling,  our clients continued to get the high standards of service they’re used to from supportive fellow PTMs.”

The Chimu Adventures Fam Trip to South America was in recognition of TravelManagers sales.

“Despite being overshadowed by the volcano erupting it was an outstanding Fam Trip, but that’s a story for another time.”

For more information and a confidential conversation about joining TravelManagers, please email Suzanne Laister at suzannel@travelmanagers.com.au