Jason
Buck, a business travel account executive at
Leamington's Travel Management Group, was among
dozens of staff who put in serious overtime
to help stranded travellers find accommodation
and travel while they waited for delayed flights
in the aftermath of Iceland's volcanic eruption.
As
a reward for TMG's support during the problems,
British Airways offered its staff the chance
to enter competition to win a five-day trip
to Cape Town, including a ticket to see England
v Algeria and have brunch with football legend
Gary Lineker.
Jason,
of Bilton, Rugby, was the lucky winner and jetted
off from Heathrow on Wednesday (June 16).
"I
got an email from BA saying that I'd won and
I couldn't believe it. I told the girls in the
office and they didn't believe me - but when
they saw the message, they were all ecstatic
for me," Jason said.
"I'm
a big football fan and I've been looking forward
to the World Cup. I've only seen England once
- against Spain at the Bernabeu - and I was
escorting supporters for TMG Sport on that occasion,
so I'm very excited about going as a fan.
"I've
been ribbed by the lads at the pub but they're
just jealous that I will get to go over there.
I'm delighted though. I think it's great that
BA is saying 'thank you' to its business partners
and it's nice to know how grateful they are
to us."
Jason,
who has worked for the firm for 12 years, was
one of the 'frontline' staff during the crisis,
dealing with stranded clients to find alternative
travel and hotels.
David
Moore, director of business travel at TMG, said
it good to see the hard work by Jason and his
colleagues acknowledged.
"This
was a very nice way of British Airways rewarding
the efforts partners like TMG showed during
one of the most testing experiences our industry
has ever faced," he said.
"Virtually
all of our staff were in from the crack of dawn
and burning the midnight oil to make sure our
customers, whoever they were flying with, had
the support they needed and arrangements in
place.
"I'm
thrilled for Jason - he's been wearing a permanent
smile around the office - and we're grateful
that BA went to the trouble to offer our staff
this competition."
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