By expertly routing and deploying specially chartered aircrafts, Air Partner has returned passengers to their destination point within 36 hours of cruise incidents – a remarkable response time.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – In the past year alone, Air Partner has successfully evacuated over 2,500 passengers from cruise ships around the world. Due to recent events, Air Partner’s Commercial Jets Department has now developed an unprecedented global contingency plan that ensures cruise passengers get home quickly and comfortably in the event of an incident.
Worldwide, the cruise industry launches roughly 10,000 annual voyages and is capable of supporting nearly half a million passengers, at any given time. Despite this, the likelihood of a major cruise incident is extremely low, but Air Partner is still urging the cruise industry to have advanced plans in place for their 20 million annual passengers, prior to leaving port.
“These incidents never seem to occur during banking hours and there’s a world of difference between chartering a flight and evacuating thousands of people on a moment’s notice. Preparation makes all the difference,” said Phil Mathews, President of Air Partner, North America.
By expertly routing and deploying specially chartered aircrafts, Air Partner has returned passengers to their destination point within 36 hours of cruise incidents – a remarkable response time.
“The cruise lines we currently work with are deeply concerned with the care of their guests. For them, passengers are the priority and we developed this plan to provide guests with the best possible service and peace of mind.”
Global Expertise and Experience
The contingency planning for Cruise Ship Companies is an additional product offered by Air Partner, who has a distinguished record serving Fortune 500 multi-nationals and governments around the world during many recent crises situations (Fukushima, Arab Spring, hurricane relief). Their extensive evacuation experience and global reach gives them the ability to streamline the relief process and quickly bring passengers home.
“When we talk about experience, it isn’t just about “having been there and having done that”. The advantage of experience comes from building the right relationships with the right operators. We know what’s needed, who to call, and have the reputation to get aircraft moving, without waiting for money to change hands. Not a lot of brokers can say that,” said Mathews.
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