Bob Papworth finds out how charity Save the Children UK and TMC Key Travel work together to look after their travellers in some of the world’s most dangerous places
WITH THE BEST WILL in the world, no-one would describe Juba, the temporary capital of the newly-independent Republic of South Sudan, as a sought-after destination.
Terrorism is an ever-present threat, violent crime is on the increase, corruption is endemic and disease is rife. The city’s badly-damaged airport remains unfinished, the war-ravaged streets have still to be repaired (and many are mined), air and public transport tends to grind to a halt in the rainy season, and only a scant few of its handful of hotels can be described as better than ‘acceptable’.
And it is into this hell-hole that Kay Burgess regularly sends her organisation’s travellers – in fact, she is justifiably proud of the fact that in the first ten months of 2012, she booked no fewer than 130 trips to the fledgling republic’s capital.
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‘Justifiably proud’ because Burgess’s title is contracts manager, facilities, with Save the Children UK. “The work we do underpins our belief that every child has the right to basic education, has a right to survive and grow healthy, has a right to adequate food and is free from hunger, and is protected from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation,” she says.
It is that mantra, and the philosophy behind it, that drives her – with the help of travel management company (TMC) Key Travel – to book her willing travellers into some of the least desirable and most dangerous parts of the world.
To say that Save the Children’s travel patterns are extraordinary is a big understatement. As her Key Travel account manager Samantha Whittle points out: “Quite often, Save the Children people are flying in [to situations] just when others are desperately trying to leave.”
And when Ethiopia, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Afghanistan feature high on your list of most-visited destinations, your travel policy has to be extraordinary too. How many travel managers can say, like Burgess: “Before travel, we need to ensure the traveller receives a risk analysis for the country they are visiting, and that they have received the appropriate level of security training”?
Even so, mandating Save the Children’s travel policy throws up all the usual challenges. “The message we are constantly trying to get across is that complying with policy is for their own safety and security,” says Burgess. “Like everywhere else, they all think they can get things cheaper, better and faster on their own, but we have to tell them to think about where they’re going and the possible risks they might be facing.
“You have always got two types of traveller – those who are used to travelling a lot and are used to the risks, and therefore maybe become a bit complacent, and those who don’t travel so often and who are simply unaware of what they could be getting into. Once you talk it through with them, they do begin to understand but, because of the nature of the work we do, it’s something we’re always trying to drive home.”
IMPROVING COMPLIANCE
Burgess says Key Travel has worked with her on policy compliance to help develop an authorisation process, so if a booker wishes to book outside of policy, there is a set process to follow to obtain approval. “Management reporting will then highlight the actions taken, on a quarterly basis, so that we can learn where and why we have to improve on compliance.”
She says making good use of the management information (MI) she receives from her TMC is vital. “That’s really the value of having a TMC, because what you can’t see, you can’t act upon. Once you can see what your travel patterns are, you can look to make improvements,” she says. “For example, we are doing a lot of rail travel in the UK and people have been buying flexible tickets. Because we have the MI and can see what people are doing, we are asking people to pre-plan and to book further ahead.”
Given the nature of Save the Children’s activities, savings are not always easy to come by. There is not a huge amount of competition on air routes between the UK and Islamabad or Dhaka, for example, so there is little incentive for airlines to keep fares down. Account manager Samantha Whittle says: “We have a very strong supplier team, who work with the airlines to ensure we have the best possible deals in place. Then we have an outstanding operational team whose consultants are very experienced in this kind of travel. They understand how to get these people to the places they need to be.”
VIS-A-VISAS
Whittle believes Key Travel is also particularly strong where travel documentation is concerned – Save the Children’s prime destinations are not generally known for the laxity or efficiency of their immigration procedures, and although the in-house visa team has good relationships with most of the relevant embassies, regular demand for emergency travel means the TMC often has to go the extra mile.
“Quite often we’ll have a situation where travellers are flying into Heathrow on their way to an emergency somewhere else, and they need a visa as quickly as possible,” says Whittle. “We will meet them at the airport, take their passports, sort out the paperwork and deliver the documents back to them, wherever they are. You can’t afford to wait to go through the standard procedures.”
A PLACE TO STAY
One area where Key Travel gets off relatively lightly is on hotel bookings, which constitute a relatively small percentage of Save the Children’s total transactions. In part, that’s because often there aren’t that many hotels in places like Juba, but also because the charity’s workers are encouraged to stay with other team members, usually in well-protected compounds.
Where hotels are required, the nature of Key Travel’s specialisation in the not-for-profit sector allows Whittle to take full advantage of other clients’ experiences and recommendations – conveniently, she also works on Key’s Oxfam account.
“They are all in the same line of business, and they are always willing to help us to help others, so we often take a lead from our customers,” she says. “If they have stayed in a particular property that has proved appropriate, they will recommend it to us and to others. In this particular sector, they are all very ready and willing to help one another.”
Kay Burgess is clearly a Key Travel fan. “They have vast experience of the travel industry and have demonstrated their understanding of the way we work in an ever-changing environment. Their agents are well trained and have a vast knowledge of the products available and the smartest routeing and travel advice.”
And of her job, Burgess says: “I am most satisfied when I get positive feedback on service delivery. Most [Save the Children] teams are busy getting on with their jobs, and see booking travel as a necessary evil, so when a team tells me that they are delighted with the support they have received, it makes it all worthwhile.”
There does remain, however, one as-yet-unfulfilled ambition. “I’d like to have more annual leave to visit some of the places I read about in my reports!” With the possible exception, no doubt, of Juba... n
SAVE THE CHILDREN BY NUMBERS
When the bean-counters have done their stuff, Save the Children UK contracts manager Kay Burgess (pictured right) reckons the organisation will have spent around £1.75 million on travel in 2012.
The overwhelming proportion – 84 per cent – of that sum will have gone on air fares, with air travel making up more than half (52 per cent) of all bookings. Rail travel accounts for 29 per cent of bookings and 8 per cent of spend, while hotels account for only 11 per cent of bookings and 5 per cent of spend.
Most frequently-booked destinations include Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Juba, Abuja and Kigali in Africa, and Bangkok, Dhaka, Delhi, Islamabad and Kabul in Asia.