dojN001028.xml

dojN001028.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-12-27

Thursday, December 27, 2001 7:51 PM


To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to know, as well as, others in the Travel Industry, why the travel industry as a whole has not been addressed or offered assistance. There are thousansd of agencies in this country that are indivdiually owned, and many are staffed by individuals who work on commission alone. After the 9/11 events, these individual companies have been financially devastated by this diaster, and to date no one has addressed the financial losses these companies and organizations have suffered. Such as; travel agencies and tour operators. I, am such and individual who is working for a self employed owner of an agency. I have lost my position due to the decline in business since 9/11. I am facing being homeless, having my automobile repossessed and have no food in my home. There has been no assistance provided to those individuals who operate such agencies, why is this?

Yet there are millions designated to bail out the airlines. The airlines have suffered yes, as well their employees, however, individual travel agents who are paid on comission and operate on commission can not file for unemployment or have furlough pay as such with the airline employees. The airlines do not compromise the totality of the travel industy. The travel industry is comprised of many other types of individuals, yet these professionals have not once been mentioned or offered any assistance and some are facing bankruptcy. Why is this?

Also, on another note. There was never any thanks to Nova Scotia for all their assistance during this crisis. I, was one of those stranded passengers, along with another 10,000 people who were stranded in this Province. Yet no one has offered a thank you or even mentioned what happened to all those stranded people. Doesn't anyone realize that we were stranded for an additional five to six nights, that we were not prepared for finanically? Why aren't these individuals being focused on and offered some, if minimal assistance or at the very least recognition for being stranded and the trauma involved being stranded in a foreign country and feeling displaced and almost orphaned.

Yes, those lives lost and their families, friends and associates will never recover from this loss. But no one has yet to ask what it was like being in a foreign country and seeing a plane fly into the towers, as an American and how that has affected us. Some of us returned to no jobs, or decreased salaries, as in the travel industry and yet these issuses and people have been totally ignored. I think we deserve to be recognized at the very least for what we have also lost.

My friend, who owns her agency is barely hanging-on, and she is the sole support of her family. The consolidators and tour operators that we deal with have had to alternate their staffing because they can not afford to pay their personal for a full 40 hours. This is still happening, again, why is there no focus on this? Yet we are encouraged to travel, however, how can the media encourage people to travel when there is no support of the travel industry or any kind of bail-out funds for the travel industry.

Were is the Americanism in this, in the total disregard and ignoring the importance of this industry? Who is the first person a traveler calls when they are stranded? Not the airline, but the agent who sold them the ticket and/or the tour or vacation package and where would we be if there was not travel agent to call and assist that stranded passenger or solve that all important vacation problem when you are in a country that has English as a second language, who does this person call? The travel agent.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment

2001-12-27