Expansion comes as part of an agreement between Flight Disruptions and One Sky Claims Solutions Ltd (OSS) to extend their valuable cost-saving services to GCC airline companies with operations in Europe.
Australia-based Flight Disruptions Pty, Ltd (FD) has announced its expansion to UAE markets in a bid to aid airline companies in the nation and across the wider region cope with flight disruptions, delays and cancellations; improve customer loyalty and reduce operational costs.
The expansion came after a timely partnership was formalised between Flight Disruptions Pty, Ltd (FD) and Ireland’s One Sky Claims Solutions Ltd (OSS), who have come together to provide their valuable cost-saving services to all Gulf carriers or any carrier operating to the region as an outstation base.
Already operating in a fast-paced, expensive and competitive environment, the global aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit by the fallouts of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, forcing operators to look at quick, innovative solutions to ensure business continuity.
FD aims to serve as a one-stop shop provider for passenger services needs during a disruption, and this goal is made stronger by OSS’ EU261 solution. This partnership will help airlines to reduce these costs, while increasing customer loyalty and will see the companies jointly market and sell a wide array of complementary services to assist airlines when flights are disrupted at European airports.
The EU Commission’s recent Steer Report on the impact of EU Regulation 261 on compensation to passengers for flight delays and cancellations found the total cost of this legislation to be €5.3 billion in 2018. The report also estimates an additional €100-€500 million in administration costs for airlines.
Greg Shaw, Flight Disruptions Pty Ltd, Managing Director, said: “Both FD and OSS are going to offer a range of solutions for airlines to save money. We plan on being the one-stop shop for delays and disruptions, saving airline costs related to passenger claims. We are a strong operator in Australia, supporting close to 50 airlines nationally in a range of services from hotels, transport, mishandled baggage delivery, crew hotel negotiations, crew transport and cashless payment cards. We offer a one-point contact for the entire range of support options at great prices. Airlines can offset one service with another and save.”
Jim Callaghan, CEO, One Sky Solutions, said: “Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air and all airlines that fly into Europe, as well as airlines that fly into the UAE and the region, have been affected by the costs involved to comply with EU261. The cost-saving options offered by FD and OSS will be a crucial support to Gulf carriers, as well as carriers flying to the region, and an attractive solution given the current situation in the travel and aviation industry.”
Flight Disruptions is new to the European market, but currently assists a number of airlines in Australasia with their flight disruption needs and have recently opened an office in the Middle East. Their services include sourcing and booking hotels and ground transport on behalf of airlines for disrupted passengers and providing baggage delivery services. They also have a partnership with MasterCard to offer innovative payment methods for airline passengers during a disruption. The company also assists airlines to source better deals for their crew hotel needs.
OSS provides a cloud-based platform that links airlines to legal experts in all major European markets, who can assist airlines dealing with Regulation EU261, as well as Montreal Convention passenger and baggage related claims. OSS also provides a call centre that can contact passengers on behalf of the airline and arrange for a settlement of their claims. The OSS Platform enables airlines to store all their information regarding EU261 claims in one place, which can be used for data analytics to help avoid similar disruptions in the future. This innovative solution can dramatically reduce an airline’s costs of managing passenger claims; reduce the overall number and cost of claims; and improve customer loyalty by dealing with claims in a timely manner.
