Global travel is rarely free from disruption, from airline delays and extreme weather to volcanic eruptions, terror incidents and rising geopolitical tensions, including the current conflict in the Middle East, events can unfold quickly and often without warning.
When they do, organisations that manage travel need more than just a booking service, they need a calm, experienced and rapid-response travel management partner that knows exactly what to do next.
At Access Bookings, crisis response is built into how we operate and with almost 40 years of experience as a specialist travel management provider, we understand that when the unexpected happens, speed, clarity and decisive action make all the difference. It’s why global TV and film crews, production teams and corporate clients continue to trust us to keep their people moving safely, no matter the circumstances or time of day.
The moment an incident breaks:
- Our crisis management is activated and using real-time traveller tracking systems, our team immediately identifies who may be affected and where they are located.
- Travel managers and production leads are given live visibility from the outset, while our dedicated crisis team begins direct outreach to travellers to confirm their safety and outline next steps.
Travel Disruption Management
Our experience has in fact spanned some of the most challenging travel disruptions of the past decade:
- 2016: During the Brussels bombings, we executed a full crisis travel management plan, moving from having no accommodation secured in the city to sourcing all required rooms in a single day to support media deployment. At the same time, we provided structured, hourly incident reporting and identified nominated safe hotels to ensure traveller security.
- 2017: When Mount Agung erupted in Bali, triggering airport closures and widespread flight cancellations, our team managed both outbound evacuations and inbound media crew movements. Operating across a seven-hour time difference and contacting more than 40 airlines simultaneously, we handled a 50% spike in overnight call volumes while maintaining clear communication with travel managers and production leads.
- 2019: When a major travel company collapsed, leaving thousands stranded globally, we acted within hours to reroute affected clients, secure alternative flights and arrange reimbursements for future travel plans.
Also, airspace closures, including the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud disruption, further shaped our ability to respond rapidly to large-scale, multi-country travel crises.
We also know that disruption rarely follows office hours and our 24/7 global support team scales instantly to manage increased call volumes and complex routing challenges.
Whether the requirement is to evacuate travellers, reroute journeys, secure last-minute accommodation in fully booked cities or deploy crews directly into unfolding situations, we work swiftly through our global supplier network to find solutions where others cannot.
“Our reputation has been built over many years on managing complex travel scenarios in high-pressure environments and we are adept at handling multiple amendments at short notice, coordinating across time zones and maintaining full cost transparency throughout. Even during significant global incidents, we continue to provide structured reporting and visibility to procurement teams and travel managers, ensuring control is never lost.”
– James Austin, Director of Organisational Development.
TV, Film and Sport
Production crews cannot afford uncertainty around travel movements, specialist equipment or rapidly changing filming schedules and that’s why we’re tried and trusted by global TV and film and broadcast sports crews because we understand the urgency, flexibility and discretion required in these situations.
Duty of care sits at the heart of our service and with a team of over 180 travel professionals speaking more than 22 languages and regional coverage across key global markets, we provide reassurance as well as logistics. At any hour, clients know an experienced travel management provider is on hand to respond decisively.
“Effective crisis management begins long before disruption occurs and we review risk exposure, establish escalation procedures and ensure reporting structures are aligned well in advance. This preparation allows for faster decisions and stronger outcomes when circumstances change unexpectedly.”
– James Austin, Director of Organisational Development.
After almost four decades in travel, we understand that crises test partnerships and that’s why we don’t simply rearrange flights and hotels, but to protect people, maintain operational continuity and provide calm leadership when it matters most. When the unexpected happens, we’re ready.