Even with Hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans last week, Carver Clark Farrow did not cancel his travel plans. At least not right away. He looked forward to checking into the Ritz-Carlton in the French Quarter on Labor Day weekend before heading back to his office in San Jose, Calif.
“I hoped the storm wouldn’t hit,” said Mr. Farrow, the managing partner of a law firm. “But last week, the situation became dire, and it was obvious this trip was a bust.” So he reluctantly called off his meeting there, figuring “it just wasn’t meant to be.”
For business travelers, dodging hurricanes is an annual ritual that, like weathering summer thunderstorm delays or winter blizzards, gets easier with practice. And road warriors like Mr. Farrow, who grew up in the United States Virgin Islands, have had plenty of time to perfect it.
But Katrina is different somehow. Although most business travelers insist that the human catastrophe it unleashed has not induced them to call off trips to hurricane-prone regions like Texas and Florida, they confess to having second thoughts about making plans for subsequent visits.
They have also gained a heightened awareness of the duration of the hurricane season, which is just getting started and runs through the end of November, though the storms can strike as late as January.
Brenda Rivera, a financial systems specialist for an advertising agency in Austin, Tex., exemplifies the soul-searching that many travelers are experiencing. Ms. Rivera had organized a meeting for herself and 119 other members of a software user group on Sept. 20 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, a high-rise hotel in the French Quarter. Despite the threat of a hurricane, she at first had no intention of postponing it.
But then, when Katrina’s path veered toward the city, she wasn’t so sure. “When I saw the news Monday, I said ‘uh oh,’ ” she said. “That’s when I knew we had a problem. People were calling me and asking if we still had a meeting. I didn’t know what to do.”
Hyatt allowed her to cancel the meeting without penalty. But TV images of the misery and lawlessness in the flooded city has her wondering about the wisdom of scheduling business trips to vulnerable coastal areas in the future. “I would think twice about going somewhere like Tampa during hurricane season,” she said. But, apparently torn, she quickly added, “I can’t let the fear of a hurricane run my life.”
Katrina could not have come at a worse time for Campbell Hausfeld, a company in Harrison, Ohio, that makes air compressors, air tools and pressure sprayers. Campbell Hausfeld is in the middle of what Deb Brown, its travel manager, called a “sales blitz” that is being hamstrung by the effects of the storm throughout the Southeast. “My travelers are experiencing long flight delays and cancellations,” she said. “They have a lot of concern about how these disruptions will adversely affect their meeting schedules.”
The storm and the prospect of more hurricanes on the way have made Ms. Brown more aware of the harm that weather anomalies can inflict on the company’s bottom line. “I’ve increased my focus on being responsive and flexible to my business travelers’ needs,” she said. “I’m monitoring flight status for all employees that are on the road and assisting them when they encounter problems.”
On Labor Day, traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year, everything seemed to run smoothly. Two major airports – New Orleans International and Gulfport-Biloxi International – remained closed to commercial flights and were being used for humanitarian relief and rescue efforts.
With only a few exceptions, Interstate highway traffic appeared to be no worse than on other holiday weekends. In Mobile, Ala., a ramp bridge from the Route 90 causeway onto Route I-10 remained closed because five concrete spans had been destroyed by the storm surge, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
In Mississippi, only Route 90, which straddles the shore from the Alabama state line to Waveland, Miss., was still impassable yesterday, according to the state’s Department of Transportation. Portions of Routes I-10 and I-55 around New Orleans were closed, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development was warning of “significant” delays on Routes I-10 and I-12 west of Baton Rouge to Slidell.
Online travel management companies, such as Expedia Corporate Travel, are tracking the aftermath of Katrina and its likely effects on clients, and report that disruptions for travelers have been limited.
But Mitch Robinson, a spokesman for Expedia, said that attitudes among Expedia’s business clients have shifted during the last week. There is a feeling now that “honestly, some things are more important than work,” he said. “And if conditions look like they could become ominous, no one will think less of you if you delay a business trip or leave early.”
That kind of talk hasn’t been heard in corporate travel circles since 9/11, and it is still far too early to tell whether it will make employers rethink their travel policies. It is easy to see why some travel managers might start to put a premium on prudence, though, in the view of Ellen Keszler, the president of Sabre Holdings’ Corporate Solutions, which operates Travelocity Business.
“This is the first time in recent memory that a major regional business center has been essentially eliminated for a period of weeks or potentially longer,” she said.
Certainly, the latest technology is helping companies keep closer tabs on their employees’ travels and steer them out of harm’s way. But technology can’t solve every hurricane-related problem, as Teresa Giacalone, a software sales executive based in Hartford, found out in the wake of Katrina. Ms. Giacalone, whose territory includes Florida, said her sales efforts had been disrupted by last week’s events. “I call people and they say, ‘Listen, I can’t talk. I have to batten down the hatches,’ ” she said. With parts of her coverage area paralyzed by the storm, she does not know when she can resume her normal schedule.
“I’m not thinking any differently about traveling to areas that are vulnerable to a hurricane,” she said. “In my line of work, you get used to the disruptions. It’s one of those things. You watch the weather and say a prayer and hope it doesn’t hit you.”
Even with Hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans last week, Carver Clark Farrow did not cancel his travel plans. At least not right away. He looked forward to checking into the Ritz-Carlton in the French Quarter on Labor Day weekend before heading back to his office in San Jose, Calif.
“I hoped the storm wouldn’t hit,” said Mr. Farrow, the managing partner of a law firm. “But last week, the situation became dire, and it was obvious this trip was a bust.” So he reluctantly called off his meeting there, figuring “it just wasn’t meant to be.”
For business travelers, dodging hurricanes is an annual ritual that, like weathering summer thunderstorm delays or winter blizzards, gets easier with practice. And road warriors like Mr. Farrow, who grew up in the United States Virgin Islands, have had plenty of time to perfect it.
But Katrina is different somehow. Although most business travelers insist that the human catastrophe it unleashed has not induced them to call off trips to hurricane-prone regions like Texas and Florida, they confess to having second thoughts about making plans for subsequent visits.
They have also gained a heightened awareness of the duration of the hurricane season, which is just getting started and runs through the end of November, though the storms can strike as late as January.
Brenda Rivera, a financial systems specialist for an advertising agency in Austin, Tex., exemplifies the soul-searching that many travelers are experiencing. Ms. Rivera had organized a meeting for herself and 119 other members of a software user group on Sept. 20 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, a high-rise hotel in the French Quarter. Despite the threat of a hurricane, she at first had no intention of postponing it.
But then, when Katrina’s path veered toward the city, she wasn’t so sure. “When I saw the news Monday, I said ‘uh oh,’ ” she said. “That’s when I knew we had a problem. People were calling me and asking if we still had a meeting. I didn’t know what to do.”
Hyatt allowed her to cancel the meeting without penalty. But TV images of the misery and lawlessness in the flooded city has her wondering about the wisdom of scheduling business trips to vulnerable coastal areas in the future. “I would think twice about going somewhere like Tampa during hurricane season,” she said. But, apparently torn, she quickly added, “I can’t let the fear of a hurricane run my life.”
Katrina could not have come at a worse time for Campbell Hausfeld, a company in Harrison, Ohio, that makes air compressors, air tools and pressure sprayers. Campbell Hausfeld is in the middle of what Deb Brown, its travel manager, called a “sales blitz” that is being hamstrung by the effects of the storm throughout the Southeast. “My travelers are experiencing long flight delays and cancellations,” she said. “They have a lot of concern about how these disruptions will adversely affect their meeting schedules.”
The storm and the prospect of more hurricanes on the way have made Ms. Brown more aware of the harm that weather anomalies can inflict on the company’s bottom line. “I’ve increased my focus on being responsive and flexible to my business travelers’ needs,” she said. “I’m monitoring flight status for all employees that are on the road and assisting them when they encounter problems.”
On Labor Day, traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year, everything seemed to run smoothly. Two major airports – New Orleans International and Gulfport-Biloxi International – remained closed to commercial flights and were being used for humanitarian relief and rescue efforts.
With only a few exceptions, Interstate highway traffic appeared to be no worse than on other holiday weekends. In Mobile, Ala., a ramp bridge from the Route 90 causeway onto Route I-10 remained closed because five concrete spans had been destroyed by the storm surge, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
In Mississippi, only Route 90, which straddles the shore from the Alabama state line to Waveland, Miss., was still impassable yesterday, according to the state’s Department of Transportation. Portions of Routes I-10 and I-55 around New Orleans were closed, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development was warning of “significant” delays on Routes I-10 and I-12 west of Baton Rouge to Slidell.
Online travel management companies, such as Expedia Corporate Travel, are tracking the aftermath of Katrina and its likely effects on clients, and report that disruptions for travelers have been limited.
But Mitch Robinson, a spokesman for Expedia, said that attitudes among Expedia’s business clients have shifted during the last week. There is a feeling now that “honestly, some things are more important than work,” he said. “And if conditions look like they could become ominous, no one will think less of you if you delay a business trip or leave early.”
That kind of talk hasn’t been heard in corporate travel circles since 9/11, and it is still far too early to tell whether it will make employers rethink their travel policies. It is easy to see why some travel managers might start to put a premium on prudence, though, in the view of Ellen Keszler, the president of Sabre Holdings’ Corporate Solutions, which operates Travelocity Business.
“This is the first time in recent memory that a major regional business center has been essentially eliminated for a period of weeks or potentially longer,” she said.
Certainly, the latest technology is helping companies keep closer tabs on their employees’ travels and steer them out of harm’s way. But technology can’t solve every hurricane-related problem, as Teresa Giacalone, a software sales executive based in Hartford, found out in the wake of Katrina. Ms. Giacalone, whose territory includes Florida, said her sales efforts had been disrupted by last week’s events. “I call people and they say, ‘Listen, I can’t talk. I have to batten down the hatches,’ ” she said. With parts of her coverage area paralyzed by the storm, she does not know when she can resume her normal schedule.
“I’m not thinking any differently about traveling to areas that are vulnerable to a hurricane,” she said. “In my line of work, you get used to the disruptions. It’s one of those things. You watch the weather and say a prayer and hope it doesn’t hit you.”
Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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