Travel agencies and airlines comforted concerned travelers Thursday and advised them of their options after the morning bombings in London.
Jean Day Maschinot, owner of Bonnie Brae Travel, said she has gotten calls from customers, including some going to London next week and the week after.
“Everything by then should be pretty much back to normal,” she said, “so we’re advising them to certainly not cancel their trip.”
Maschinot said none of her clients have canceled trips to London because of the bombings, and clients who arrived in London Wednesday called her to say they were fine.
“We have been advising travelers that if they were scheduled for the Eurostar (train), not to travel unless necessary,” she said.
British Airways operates the only direct flights between Denver and London. Spokeswoman Diana Fung said the airline’s transatlantic flights are “relatively unaffected,” although some flights within Europe were cancelled.
Travelers scheduled to fly in or out of London on British Airways until July 15 have the option of rebooking to another flight or an alternative destination. Fung said the level of no-shows on flights is normal.
International travel bookings are expected to soften slightly as a result of the attacks, but analysts expect the impact to be minor and short-lived. The most acute effects will likely be felt in London. Bob Whitley, president of the United States Tour Operators Association, said members report some travelers scheduled to leave for Europe this week are postponing their trips.
United Airlines spokesman Jeff Green reported “minimal delays” on the carrier’s 12 daily flights between London and U.S. cities. Some flights averaged as much as 96 percent full, he said.
The company is moving crews from downtown London hotels to an airport hotel “to ensure their safety and keep them closer to the airport,” Green said.
United chief executive Glenn Tilton said in a message to employees Thursday that the company was not aware of any United employees or family members injured in the attacks, but would continue to monitor the situation.
United temporarily revised ticketing policies for travel to and from London’s Heathrow Airport, allowing passengers to change their itineraries.
Ray Neidl, an airline analyst at Calyon Securities, said he does not expect airlines to experience significant effects.
“People want to travel, and I think they’re becoming more used to unfortunate things happening,” he said.
Airlines do not expect a massive number of cancellations, Neidl said, because “no aircraft, no airlines were involved in the terrorism.”
Customers of Navigant International, a corporate travel management company based in Arapahoe County, can make changes to their plans, said Keith Taylor, the company’s senior vice president of marketing.
“Personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to go to London, and I’m actually making a trip there in two weeks,” he said.
This is a peak vacation time in Europe, and many flights are heavily booked or sold out.
In light of the London attacks, the Association of Flight Attendants at United said it is suspending protest events and any work stoppages in response to the termination of its pension plan. About 700 of the union’s members are based in London.
Separately, FedEx spokeswoman Sally Davenport said some customers in London may not get their packages on time, and FedEx may not be able to pick up packages from them, due to gridlock and requirements to withdraw from affected areas in central London.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-820-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
