Air-traffic controllers returned to work last week after the Greek court blocked union plans for a rolling strike, but travelers quickly found it wasn’t business as usual.  With airport personnel being extra careful to allow only a certain number of flights per hour, travelers faced significant delays and cancellations.

Unions say flights are being limited due to safety concerns, but there’s no denying the focus on safety also makes it easier to justify demands for additional staff and overtime pay.

Travelers to Greece should also prepare for the nation-wide truck-driver strike, which has impacted the delivery of gasoline to nearly everyone, including thousands who’ve been stranded when their rental cars ran out of fuel. It’s gotten so bad that drivers are being advised to gas up in Macedonia, if they’re in the area.

With ground transportation difficult, to say the least, the Greek military stepped in July 30 to deliver gasoline to airports, electricity plants and hospitals.

That could make things a bit better, but business conditions are going to be less than ideal for quite a while.  Travelers should pack their walking shoes and keep an eye on airport delays.

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American Airlines (AA) appears to be taking a cue from British Airways by recruiting management to serve as cabin crew should its flight attendants walk off the job this summer.  When and if the strike will happen is anyone’s guess; the union needs agreement from the National Mediation Board and a 30-day “cooling-off” period before it can legally leave the job.

But American Airlines isn’t hedging any bets—it’s asking 4,000 managers to go through 17 days of flight-attendant training at Fort Worth’s American’s Flagship University and Flight Academy.  In a memo to leadership, American stated the job would be “demanding and at times unpredictable, and flexibility and patience are a must.”

Business traveler should watch the negotiations and prepare for a strike as early as mid-July. They should also know that “flexibility and patience” will be a must.

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Unite union, which represents British Airways Cabin crew, began the first of five day strikes May 24 following a weekend of tumultuous talks that included gate-crashing protesters and the realization that a union representative had been tweeting about negotiations.
According to a CNN blog, once British Airways CEO Willie Walsh realized he’d been the subject of tweets, including “about to make another attempt to persuade Willie Walsh to stop trying for regime change and stop being vindictive,” chances of a last-minute deal were done.  The union representative later used Twitter to offer to apologize, which likely had union supporters rolling with laughter. 
With more tweeting and less negotiating, it’s unlikely the strike will end quickly. A BA spokeswoman said Monday the airline is running 50% of short-haul flights and 60% of long-haul flights from London's Heathrow Airport. Flights at Gatwick and London City are operating as normal.

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British Airways has won a last minute bid to stop its cabin crew from striking May 18, with British courts saying the employees’ union did not properly distribute results of its February ballot.

Travelers might have gotten a break for the next few days, but they’re advised to follow the news closely. It’s unlikely the dispute between British Airways and its cabin crews will be permanently resolved any time soon.

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Travelers to the UK can expect significant flight disruptions if British Airways cabin crew moves forward with its plans for a series of four five-day strikes. Earlier this week the union representing more than 10,000 British Airways employees announced its members will strike May 18-22, May 24-28, May 30-June 3, and June 5-9.  

Each strike is separated by a one-day return to work, a 24-hour period in which cabin crew will be at best distracted, at worst inefficient and cranky.

Until contract negotiations are settled, travelers are advised to consider alternate airlines, particularly for flights within the UK. Long-haul flights, especially those from abroad to the UK, will get staffing priority, but could still experience significant delays and cancellations.

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Travelers to Europe could be hit with even more flight disruptions by mid May, but this time it’s due to human nature rather than Mother Nature.  A third strike by the airline's Unite Union members is almost certain, with the year-long dispute over wages and working conditions turning into a squabble over travel perks and disciplinary actions.

When things get personal, as these negotiations have, they tend to get nasty. The union, which must provide seven-days notice before any strike, is now talking about a 20-day walkout.

This follows British Airways’ recent firing of the union’s branch secretary, Duncan Holley, saying he had taken unauthorized vacation to complete union business.  In a BBC report, Holley calls his firing “politically motivated.”  

According to the TimesOnline, the union is also angry the airline won’t return full travel “perks” and that it hasn’t reinstated 55 suspended employees. While the airline appears to be meeting most of the union’s original demands, it now faces a slew of new concerns and union members don’t seem to be budging.

In a prepared statement, airline representatives wrote "British Airways is disappointed but not surprised that Unite has clearly orchestrated a rejection of a very fair offer that addresses all the concerns raised during 14 months of talks.”

Union representatives are expected to meet Monday to discuss next moves. The Guardian reports representatives are seriously considering a series of four five-day strikes, separated by 24-hours of work.

As for the airline, it’s reportedly considering legal action to stop any strike plans. Travelers will want to stay tuned and watch for any strike announcements.

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To predict the path of the flight-disrupting traveler-stranding Icelandic ash cloud, look to the weather — we know conditions now, we can guess what will happen tomorrow and next week is blowing with the wind.

NASA has kept tabs on Eyjafjallajokul’s stream of ash, which has shown no signs of stopping since the April 15 eruption that caused a near total shutdown of airspace over Europe.  Most recently, the ash cloud disrupted travel in Ireland and the UK, but flights began today after the wind shifted west toward the Atlantic.

According to an Associated Press report, forecasters expect this pattern to last for about a week before the winds turn south, blowing the cloud back to Europe and possibly interfering with airspace.  It’s worth noting that meteorologists say the ash cloud’s path could change on a dime, so travelers are advised to watch the weather and keep a close eye on all flights.

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In the latest news, Scotland and Northern Ireland will face airspace closures starting at 07:00 AM May 5 due to the ash cloud drifting south from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano. The following airports will be affected:

Belfast International Airport (BFS)

Edinburgh Airport (EDI)

Glasgow International Airport (GLA)

Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK)

Aberdeen Airport (ABZ)

Inverness Airport (INV)

Travelers to Europe should stay tuned-- there's a very good chance this ash cloud will drift farther south, closing airports in Northern England and Wales.

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The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull has returned to the travel forefront, with its ash cloud forcing the closure of airspace in Ireland for much of the day May 4. The closure halted all flights traveling to and from Dublin (DUB), Cork (ORK), Shannon (SNN), Connaught (NOC) and Waterford Regional (NOC) airports for six hours, leaving travelers literally in the dust.

We hoped we’d seen the end of the volatile volcano after the six-day shutdown of air travel in Europe following the April 15 eruption. At that time more than 10,000 flights were cancelled and millions of people were stranded.

While there’s a good chance the worst of the impacts are behind us, Mother Nature could still have some tricks up her sleeves. The 1783 eruption of the Icelandic volcano Laki spread a cloud of ash across Europe for more than six months.

The full impacts of this eruption remains to be seen, but in the meantime travelers should keep an eye on the ash cloud while the rest of us practice a mouthful of Icelandic: Eyjafjallajokull, (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl).

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News Release Issued: March 31, 2010 9:00 AM EDT

Egencia's Strategic Meetings Management Delivers Framework for Success

Survey shows cost savings as focus for meetings and incentives in 2010 with opportunity to improve visibility and control of total spend

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Egencia™ Meetings & Incentives, the full-service meetings and incentives management division of Egencia, reaffirmed the company's commitment to the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry by formalizing its Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) service.  

"Egencia has a strong legacy of service and expertise, and we've been delivering those strengths to our meetings and incentives clients for many years," said Karen Weegar, Strategic Account Manager, Egencia Meetings & Incentives. "We understand the increasing importance of consolidating meetings spend and are well-equipped to help companies gain control of their programs through our Strategic Meetings Management service."

The Egencia SMM service provides effective end-to-end meetings solutions, driving value and delivering comprehensive recommendations that boost ROI throughout a company's total travel spend. The service is instrumental in helping to maximize the savings and efficiency of MICE programs.

In a recent survey of more than 200 travel managers, Egencia found that for 70 percent of respondents, the main focus for meetings and incentives programs in 2010 is identifying cost savings opportunities, which in turn will help improve ROI on meeting spend.

Also underscoring the importance of understanding meetings spend, NBTA released the results of a separate survey in February 2010 reporting that less than one third (27 percent) of travel buyers surveyed believe they have clear insight into their corporate meeting spend.  Thirty-three percent also admitted they do not have clear insight into where and how all of their meetings-related funds are being spent, making it difficult to recognize ROI-enhancing opportunities that can improve their bottom line.

To help companies consolidate meetings spend, Egencia SMM identifies opportunities to increase cost savings, visibility and control. Egencia works with clients to provide proactive, customized solutions that:

• Deliver a comprehensive view and ROI analysis of meetings and corporate travel programs
  

• Leverage scale with preferred supplier programs to extract more value
  

• Create a well-designed meetings implementation plan to streamline processes
  

• Develop MICE corporate policy and drive organizational compliance

Visibility into total meetings spend is important as it allows companies to analyze whether supplier spend is being appropriately distributed and adequately leveraged. In Egencia's survey, 30 percent of companies currently do not leverage their scale and those that do, do so infrequently.

"Without visibility into total spend, companies risk missing out on lower rates and value-added amenities," said Debbie Grossi, Director of Egencia Meetings & Incentives North America. "Complete spend visibility provides companies with the business intelligence they need to create greater value and increase the effectiveness of their MICE programs."

Backed by Egencia's global resources, experts and industry-leading technology, Egencia SMM service evaluates every component of a meetings program from start to finish. Egencia Meetings & Incentives combines professional full-service expertise and market-leading technology to give companies complete oversight and control over planning and spend, from procurement services and events (design, production and logistics) to program optimization and analysis.

For more information on Egencia Meetings & Incentives, go to www.egenciameetings.com.  

About Egencia, an Expedia, Inc. Company

Egencia is the fifth largest travel management company in the world. As part of Expedia, Inc., (Nasdaq: EXPE), the world's largest travel marketplace, Egencia helps businesses get ahead by offering the only truly integrated corporate travel service. Egencia's industry expertise helps drive results that matter, delivering meaningful advancements that have a real impact. By combining a powerful offline and online service, Egencia delivers a complete corporate travel offering supported by global market expertise and a best-in-class technology platform.

For more information, go to www.egencia.com.

Egencia and the Egencia logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

© 2010 Egencia, LLC.  All rights reserved.  

SOURCE Egencia, an Expedia, Inc. Company