ACIS to the Rescue: How Our Duty Officer Network Takes Care of Travel Hiccups

Your safety and well-being on tour is our top concern at ACIS, which is why we have a full service team in place to make sure your needs are met. Out on the road, your Tour Manager takes care of your group, but if larger problems arise – A student’s passport goes missing, a traveler is in need of medical attention, a flight delay, basically anytime the airlines try to ruin our good fun – ACIS has a Duty Officer on-call 24/7, ready to work on the problem.

Just this past weekend alone, there were some notable stories of ACIS Duty Officers going the extra mile to make sure the ACIS travel experience was as smooth as possible, even in some crummy situations.

Learn More About ACIS Safety and Security

An Unexpected Boston Saint Patrick’s Day

A flight delay from Rome meant that one group would miss their connecting flight from Boston back home to Memphis, and there were no additional flights out that night. The Duty Officer worked with the group leader to get everyone rebooked on a flight out the next evening and booked the group at a local Boston hotel.

But we didn’t stop at simply providing room and board: Since the new flight didn’t take off until 8:00 PM, the group was treated to a full day of Boston exploration. Lucky for them the layover was right near ACIS headquarters! ACIS Senior Sales Director Jill, who is a Boston local, used her own Sunday off to help the group make the most of their layover. That morning she met up with everyone for breakfast and then brought them on a personally guided tour of the city. It just so happened to be Saint Patrick’s Day, so Jill escorted them to the traditional Southie St. Paddy’s parade, a truly Boston experience! It’s this kind of above-and-beyond dedication that makes us proud to have the team we do, and we know the groups appreciate it too.

The Lost Green Card

Just before returning home from Italy, a student lost their green card needed to gain re-entry to the United States. The Duty Officer worked with both the Tour Manager and the student’s parents to come up with a solution. The Group Leader and Tour Manager remained behind with the student in Rome for two additional days to wait for an expedited shipment of a new green card. While they waited, ACIS went the extra mile to book additional activities. We don’t want those extra days in Rome to go to waste!

Extended Stays in Barcelona

One group’s connecting flight home from Barcelona through Amsterdam was unexpectedly cancelled by the airlines. Unfortunately, there was not a feasible option for the group to rebook their flight back to the States through Amsterdam without a significant trip extension, so ACIS quickly got to work rebooking their flights home directly from Barcelona. ACIS rebooked all of the flights back to the states and provided meals, hotels, and entertainment for the group.

Up, Up and Delays

ACIS Group Leader Natasha called the Duty Officer line to let them know the airlines had experienced a technical issue, and they had to deplane. As it turned out, the mechanical problem was fixed and they were able to fly from Denver to Frankfurt as planned, but the delay meant they would ultimately miss their connection to Berlin. ACIS quickly rebooked the group on a later flight and provided funds for taxi transit to their hotel to save on lost time, as well as drinks with dinner.

Why Choose ACIS? Our Committed Team

No matter the issue, ACIS will be there to assist! It’s part of the assurance we give groups and one of the ways we distinguish ourselves from other educational travel companies. If you want quality care and a dedicated team behind you every step of the way, you’ll want to book your tour with ACIS.