Case Study:
Crisis Management
Sustainability & Responsible Travel
Background
During a significant operational disruption at Heathrow Airport, all outbound flights were grounded with little advance public notice. Events of this nature are well recognised across the industry as high-impact incidents, typically leading to immediate congestion at airline service desks, rapid sell-out of airport hotels and severe constraints on onward rail and ground transport.
As a British Airways preferred supplier, Meon received early operational indications that disruption was likely before the situation was communicated publicly via airport or media channels. This early awareness allowed our team to review live bookings and identify travellers due to transit through Heathrow that day, enabling proactive planning rather than reactive response.
Challenges
At the time of the disruption, Meon was supporting approximately 30–40 travellers scheduled to depart from or connect through Heathrow. Once such events become public, availability of alternative flights, accommodation and onward transport diminishes rapidly, while costs escalate sharply.
The key challenge was to secure viable alternatives for affected travellers before capacity across airlines, hotels and transport networks was exhausted — all while maintaining clear communication and meeting duty of care obligations during a fast-moving, high-pressure situation.
Our approach
Using early operational insight, Meon’s consultants reviewed live bookings and identified travellers at immediate risk. Action was taken several hours before the public announcement, enabling a proactive rather than reactive response.
The team contacted affected travellers and bookers directly and worked closely with airline and accommodation partners to secure alternative arrangements. This included rerouting flights, reserving nearby accommodation and arranging onward rail or ground transport while availability still existed. Throughout the incident, travellers received clear, regular updates and clients had real-time visibility of the actions being taken.
Results
The team contacted affected travellers and bookers directly and worked closely with airline and accommodation partners to secure alternative arrangements. This included rerouting flights, reserving nearby accommodation and arranging onward rail or ground transport while availability still existed. Throughout the incident, travellers received clear, regular updates and clients had real-time visibility of the actions being taken.
