Keeping business travellers safe and secure in the digital age. Key Considerations

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Conrad Fletcher
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1 Keeping business travellers safe and secure in the digital age. Key Considerations

2 1 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL Summary Business travellers are becoming increasingly aware of the challenges around travelling to certain locations or the logistics of getting from A to B when pandemonium hits, and they want to make sure that they - their family, friends and colleagues - can feel secure about their safety, especially if something goes wrong. An increase in incidents and extreme weather related events around the world is making it more imperative for travellers to be traceable - and to have the connectivity required to check in and mark themselves as safe. In this context, businesses are increasingly being forced to reassess their responsibilities when it comes to employees and their travel: for example, the European Court of Justice ruled in 2015 that travel to work counts as working time. As more and more employees travel to an increasingly wide range of locations, the businesses they work for are facing new challenges when it comes to issues such as health, safety and duty of care. And while none of this may come as a surprise, it does come at a time when terrorist attacks and natural disasters are at the front of many travellers minds.

3 2 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL Introduction A brief overview Travel is a risky business. Whenever employees set foot outside their regular workplace, their exposure to security, safety or medical problems increases. There are many reasons why, including: They stand out from the local population. They often visit unfamiliar places. Tiredness/Jetlag may affect their judgment. There are more/unknown health threats. Driving, even to the airport, is always a risk. Flying and rail travel are relatively safe, but car travel (an element of most business trips) is not, especially if the traveller is doing the driving. There is however a good chance of some sort of incident occurring during a trip. Examples include unrest at a destination, mugging, theft, car accidents, natural disasters, weather disturbances and potential illness. Of course, the level of risk varies according to the trip, and the vast majority of journeys pass off incident-free. However even a simple day-trip from Dublin to Brussels can include an element or risk albeit less than than a tour of the oilfields of southern Iraq. No trip is however totally risk-free. So all travellers face risk when they travel, and this risk is shared by employers too. If employees suffer injury or illness on a trip, the company could face legal and financial consequences, damaging their reputation.

4 3 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL Situation In March 2018, Storm Emma threw the plans of thousands of people travelling to and from Ireland into disarray with many flights in and out of Ireland cancelled as a result of the weather conditions. Ryanair, EasyJet, Aer Lingus and Flybe all grounded dozens of flights, with a total of 1000 flights cancelled at Dublin Airport. Approach Atlas Travel Increased staffing levels in all regions to handle large call volume and reschedule all flights affected on behalf of its corporate customers. Atlas helped travellers around the clock and over the weekend outside of normal working hours. Outcome We worked with our customers to account for travellers and helped those affected around the clock. All business travellers were accounted for and either returned home safely or continued their travel safely. On that day we managed over 700 calls to our contact center in Dublin and through our homeworking network, inquiries increased by 174% with 130% additional hours worked to alleviate customer issues. It is especially in times like this that we truly step up, help mobilise your staff and Atlas is relentless in making sure that your employees are contacted and communicated with in times of need.

5 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL About Atlas Travel Atlas Travel is a modern travel company who have driven change and innovation in travel for over 50 years.

The Atlas difference is our ability to deliver smart solutions coupled with our commitment to deliver the highest quality personalised serviced while helping companies transform their travel

6 5 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL About Atlas Travel Atlas Travel is a modern travel company who have driven change and innovation in travel for over 50 years. We are a next generation corporate travel management company with a difference. The Atlas difference is our ability to deliver smart solutions coupled with our commitment to deliver the highest quality personalised serviced while helping companies transform their travel programme. We are an Irish-owned and managed company who have been recognised by Deloitte as a Best Managed Company 2017 and 2018 and have been voted Best Corporate Travel Management Company in 2015 & 2016 by the Irish Travel agents association and Best Travel Management Team at the Institute of Travel Management Awards We look forward to working with you to assess your needs now and into the future. We have extensive experience of working with customers to facilitate transition to a new service and we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to manage your travel programme. Experience the Atlas Travel difference for yourself.

7 6 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL The increased level of risk for travelling employees, heightens the corporate liability of employers that have a legal and moral duty of care to their staff.!

8 7 ATLAS TRAVEL - REINVENTING BUSINESS TRAVEL Atlas Travel Services 38 Pearse Street Dublin 2, Ireland Tel : (1) corporatesales@atlas.ie Web :

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