Hurricane Wilma reaffirms our slogan, "Without a Travel Agent, You're on Your Own!"

30,000 travelers were stranded in the Cancun area as Hurricane Wilma swept in leaving massive devastation. The story of how different the ordeal was for different groups of them illustrates once more the value of booking with a travel agent. Actually, the premise goes even further than that - Booking with a travel agent who represents ONLY the most reputable and dependable "vacation suppliers" is essential. Unlike a few agencies that prominently advertise "cheap trips" in the Sunday newspaper, Gateway Express represents only the best travel companies with long histories of sound operation. One such "partner" is GOGO Worldwide Vacations. The foilowing story describes what GOGO did to rescue their clients and compares that with the fate of those who booked with lesser tour companies or on-line with Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz...

Shortly after Hurricane Wilma ripped through the Yucatan peninsula, some tour companies bused their passengers inland to Merida - a 10 hour ride - where the airport remained open. From there, it took 4 days for all these people to get on the existing flights. GoGo Vacations had 1,500 passengers in the area. As soon as the Cancun airport re-opened, GOGO sent in planes chartered at it's own expense to rescue most of these clients. With representatives on-site, two days later, the job was nearly complete. Most importantly, these people knew what was being done and what they could expect. On local fronts, thousands of agencies were working dilligently to get their clients home. Clients were able to be in phone contact with their agents back home.

Michelle Kastner, the President of GOGO Worldwide Vacations, wondered how the big web-sellers (referred to in our trade as the "10,000 pound gorillas") were doing to get their customers home. Afew phone calls and web searches revealed the bitter truth. The first call inquired of Expedia, "Is there an 800 number for stranded Cancun passengers?" The answer was "No". They posted the following on their website regarding it's hiurricane policy: "Cancellation or change fees associated with Expedia bookings will be waived as long as we are notified prior to your scheduled check-in time. We will advocate for you with our travel partners to waive their fees. (Airline tickets, for example, are subject to the rules of the individual carrier.) We'll help you make new travel arrangements if needed." The odds of stranded passengers in shelters accessing the web were, of course, nil.

A call to Travelocity was transfered to a customer service representative in India who refused to give out information without a trip I.D. Of course many tourists left everything - including their travel documents - in their hotels when they fled to shelters. Travelocity's web site listed the same policy as Expedia and included links to the various airlines. Orbitz advised travelers to contact the U.S. State Department. They later posted the same policy as Travelocity and Expedia.

Back at the travel agencies, thousands of agents were talking directly with their clients advising them of what was being done and working to get them home. Back in New York, the entire staff of Liberty Travel, which is affilliated with GOGO, met the charter flights to "Welcome their clients Home" and assist them in any way they could.

When things go right, you LIKE our travel agent; When things go wrong, you LOVE your travel agent!