Volcanic ash and flight disruptions - keeping customers informed

At Mail Boxes Etc. we weren’t prepared to wait for the dust to settle.  We knew our customers needed all the very latest information on how their deliveries were being affected by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, which is why we took special steps to provide it.

Our first priority was to keep parcels moving wherever possible.  During the worst of the flight disruption, we worked with our carrier partners to use road haulage to airports in southern Europe, including commercial airports in Spain and Turkey as well as Paris Charles de Gaulle when it was open, for long haul delivery to the USA, Canada, the Far East and Asia.  Carriers were also trucking consignments out of the UK and overland to any areas outside Europe wherever possible.  This minimised disruption to delivery times and avoided significant backlogs.  Looking ahead, it will also ensure that sporadic disruption to flights (still ongoing now) does not have a material impact on our customers’ consignments.

Meanwhile, our website became a vital information hub.  By insisting on constant updates from carriers, we were able to post the very latest information and keep it right up to date.  We backed this up with e-bulletins to our entire database, with the latest anticipated delays.  And of course, when all airports were closed, we advised customers if their consignments were likely to be affected by backlogs.

This is the kind of service that we know our customers have come to expect from Mail Boxes Etc. and it’s what sets us apart.