Travellers question airline plans
Bunbury travel agents have been inundated with concerns from travellers after the MH17 disaster last week.
Two travel agents have told the South Western Times that travellers were seeking assurances about the safety of flight paths for upcoming trips, after the deaths of 298 passengers in Ukraine.
The Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down while flying in disputed airspace over the country which is in the midst of a conflict between the Ukrainian army and Russian-backed separatists.
The incident has raised awareness of other potentially dangerous flight paths and hot-spots around the world.
Crandon Keddie, part owner of Cathie Rice Travel, said there had not been any cancellations from his clients since the incident.
“It is still probably a bit raw and people are trying to digest it, ” he said. However, he said the travel agency had been contacted by a number of people concerned about the flight paths for trips they had booked.
“I don’t think it (the MH17 disaster) will stop people from flying but it will make people more aware of their flight paths, ” Mr Keddie said.
His comments were echoed by Jetset Bunbury owner Tony Piparo, who said he had received about 20 calls in two days about flights.
“I think people have been suspicious of the flight route they are on, ” he said.
He has had about eight clients changed their flights from Malaysia Airlines but many other clients had remained with the airline.
Mr Piparo said airlines were updating travel agents “a couple times” a day.
He did not expect the tragedy to result in a decrease in bookings. He said during his more than 20 years as a travel agent, the SARS outbreak in Asia had the biggest impact on bookings.
“People are resilient, ” he said.
“They will be wary but they want to travel. I still say it is safer to fly than to drive.”
Meanwhile, a special mass was held at the St Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday night as a tribute to the victims of the MH17 disaster.
So far at least 39 Australians, including seven from Western Australia, have been confirmed as among the casualties.
