Unexpected business trip to Europe #2

There is a term called a BCP, Business Continuity Plan. It refers to a plan that establishes guidelines in advance for how a company will maintain business continuity in the event of a potential emergency.

An unexpected business trip to Europe was planned. As the person responsible for preparing the detailed schedule, I believed that maintaining close communication with our North American agency DMC traveling with us was the most critical risk management strategy.

In order to meet the CEO of DMC at the final destination airport, I selected flights from Japan with arrival time as close as possible to his. I also made sure to allow enough time for a smooth transit time and connection, and to minimize costs as well.

That was the flight route via London Heathrow Airport to Václav Havel Prague International Airport.

On the morning of our first day of the business trip, I met up with Mr. K, Sonora’s senior sales manager, at Haneda Airport. By the time we boarded our flight to London, I was convinced that everything was going smoothly. I proceeded to confirm the rest of the itinerary during the flight, not doubting anything.

We arrived at Heathrow Airport in London almost on schedule. After a two-and-a-half-hour transit time, we were supposed to arrive in Prague, Czech Republic, that same evening. And we were scheduled to head to the hotel by car with the DMC CEO, who arrived about 20 minutes earlier than us.

However, no matter how many times I checked the electronic flight information display in the transit area, I couldn’t find our flight to Prague. Since our tickets had already been issued, though, we had no choice but to follow the signs and continue through the airport.

We wandered through the transit area, feeling uneasy, searching for our flight. Suddenly, a ground staff member called out to us and said,

Our unexpected, temporary entry into the UK. Then, there was the long queue at the ticket counter. Despite the advanced IT systems of the airport and airline companies, only analog methods could handle the emergency.

After waiting in line for four and a half hours with no explanation for the sudden flight cancellation, we ended up with an unexpected overnight stay in London following a heated exchange at the counter. To make matters worse, we couldn’t retrieve our suitcases from the airport and could only take our carry-on luggage. We had to return the next morning.

I arrived at my hotel room exhausted, only to find that no toothbrush was provided.

The phrase,

suddenly flashed through my mind.

The concept of BCP had completely slipped my mind. Why hadn’t I planned for such an emergency? With the flight delayed by a day, I would definitely miss the client visit scheduled for the next morning.

Had I anticipated this beforehand, though, there would have been a way to make it work, even if the flight had been canceled. I’ll save that lesson—where I failed to leverage my past experience.

< to be continued…>