Our hands-on team were faced with several obstacles when arranging the Caribbean getaway.
Going the extra mile for an incentive group
We were contacted by a MICE agency working for an insurance firm in the United States, who needed our help planning an incentive trip in the Caribbean. Following a stay in the Bahamas for the entire company, we were tasked with flying 250 of their top performers on for an extended break in Aruba as a reward for their hard work. With the client opting to transport the large group on one aircraft rather than booking several commercial flights, we set about arranging a private charter.
Our Solution
Route: Nassau > Oranjestad
Aircraft: Airbus A330
Knowing local airlines wouldn’t have a large enough aircraft for the group, our team decided to use a US-based carrier instead. Reaching out to our industry contacts, we sourced a wide-body airliner from an airline we’d worked with before, who had experience operating in the Caribbean and could secure the necessary permits.
A member of our team flew out to the Bahamas to meet the group at the airport, enabling us to quickly resolve several obstacles that arose during check-in. First, we stepped in to increase the luggage allowance when the ground handlers only printed tickets for one checked bag per person, despite many of the passengers having several pieces of luggage.
Next, check-in then came to a standstill when the checked bag conveyor belt stopped working. In order to avoid delaying the flight, our rep worked with the operator and airport staff to move the 350 bags to a different area of the airport for tagging, making sure every bag was accounted for as they were loaded onto the aircraft.
Our rep stayed in the Bahamas for an extra night after the flight had departed, giving the client a direct contact to locate any forgotten personal items and send them on.
The Finer Details
Flight Representation: Having a quick-thinking team member on the ground ensured we were able to avoid a delay caused by ground handling issues.