Travel Cue – Delivering Crew Change Via Charter Flights In Times Of Need

The sudden wave of the Covid 19 pandemic has caused countries and companies to react rapidly in order to minimize the impact sustained. This resulted in multiple groups of people stranded in foreign countries & on vessels for unknown lengths of time and as the weeks progressed, it was certain that the most effective way to move crew off and on board the vessels is through the utilisation of charter flights.

Consequently, Travel Cue received an influx of charter requests from customers and non-customers for assistance with crew change not only to assist them off a vessel, but to get them to a vessel for the sake of business continuity. This service extension proved to be valuable as we saw a seamless movement of crew which can be attributed to the efforts of our team & our delivery during this difficult period.

Organising & executing charters has proved to be no easy task, especially operating in a field that is not within our usual scope. Needless to say, Travel Cue has persisted and our most recent charter this week for one of the largest marine companies saw the successful crew change to & from a vessel. Upon this success and the joy from executing this, we were further elated to receive the following feedback;

“Just wanted to thank you on behalf of < client name redacted >, for all the hard work you and your team put in to help us get our 19 Filipino seafarers home at last. It is much appreciated, and we will not forget what you managed to do when other travel providers just gave up or didn’t even respond. We look forward to seeing you once things are back to normal.”

If your company requires charter flights for crew repatriation, please contact us on connect@connectcue.com.

Given the nature of country specific & government specific regulations and border restrictions, it is imperative that companies exploring the charter flights route give ample time for coordination (2-3 weeks) since flight operations are still subject to multi-ministerial approval.

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Travel, regardless of the industry, is a 24 x 7 service as it is not limited to a location, it is global. Our travel technologies and unprecedented service enable seamless travel solutions within sectors such as, Law, Media & Advertising, Medical, etc. Every customer, regardless of time of day, time of the year or nature of Travel, Travel Cue ensures the ability to empower each and every travel programme.

Our service design reinforces our mission towards delivering the best service while we continue to connect with our customers 24 x 7, 365 days a year.

Coordinating the intricate travel details for our clients in a highly demanding environment such as Yachting requires precision in understanding not only the industry, but each specific yacht and their purpose. This allows for efficient execution; which is a highly sought quality within the yacht travel industry.

Our expansive procurement strategy ensures we continue to build our smart sourcing, including specialist marine fares for the yacht industry. This scope is an integral part of who we are, what we believe in, and the resultant customer experience.

We continue to enhance the brand identity of Genuine Care, Professionalism & Commitment and reinforce the value perceived by our customers through the experience of quality services.

Our ability to understand and build solutions for the Shipping industry is unparalleled.

Working 24×7 around the year, the unified team has in-depth knowledge of the intricacies in managing travel related to crew, technicians & shore based personnel with utmost care. Managing complex logistical requirements, further compounded by tight timelines and frequent last-minute changes, has become second nature in the way we operate.

With an effective global procurement we bring to our customers the best of class in cost efficiencies and quality of service standards. Leveraging technology, we bring peace of mind to our customers through transparency, accuracy and strong reliability in a genuine and caring way.

A structured approach towards organising crew rotations, be it for a supply vessel working in harsh conditions, an offshore accommodation unit or for rig commuters, ensures we are a reliable partner for our customers.

Working 24×7 around the year, our team manages the smooth coordination of multiple elements of the global mobility for customers in the offshore and Oil &amp; Gas industry.

Organising multiple movements of crew / commuters requires detailed planning, proactive analysis of costs elements and strong advocacy in collaborative process management.

We take pride in conceptualising and building bespoke solutions for our customers. Our technology based solutions complement the back to basics service approach and ensure that we provide our clients a strong data backed decision making capability.

Rahul Pereira

Global Operations Head & Shareholder

Rahul’s travel career started more than 20 years ago with a Corporate Travel Management company in Mumbai. After diversifying into Marine Travel in 2003, Rahul developed a passion for handling the time-sensitive travel requirements of ships’ crew and rig rotators.

As global head of operations, Rahul’s 15 years of experience in crew travel stands him in good stead in building and managing complex operational travel solutions for customers located in multiple geographies. Rahul now calls Singapore his home having moved over 15 years ago. He takes great pleasure and is fervent about mentoring the younger members and developing the skills and future talent of the operations team around the world. Rahul is currently pursuing his MBA and when his busy schedule permits, he enjoys playing golf and travelling to relax and unwind.

Joanna Kaunang

Deputy Managing Director & Shareholder

Joanna believes in investing time and energy on value building and mentoring strong, effective and self-sustaining teams. She is a true-blue travel professional with education background in Travel & Tourism.

She started her career with United Airlines and Swissair, where she was part of the corporate sales team and has held leadership roles in renowned travel management companies. With a successful career spanning over 20 years, she has extensive knowledge and understanding of large-scale multinational client servicing and an expert in travel programme implementation. Joanna supports the global business needs on a day-to-day basis and oversees the network expansion. Joanna recently achieved an MBA from Sunderland University and when not at work, Joanna loves to spend time at the beach with her husband and son.

Nagender Rao Chilkuri

Group Managing Director & Shareholder

Prior to Travel Cue, Nagender worked at Griffin Travel from 1995 till 2011 where he developed and implemented high growth business environments and expanded the operations through the Asia Pacific region, servicing large global customers. He started his career in the travel industry in 1991 after a six year stint in the Indian Army.

With over 25 years of industry experience in acquiring and managing customers in Shipping, Marine, Offshore and Oil & Gas industries, Nagender has held key operational and management positions and is passionate about building innovative organisations and high performing teams.

He holds an MBA from Northumbria University and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School General Management Program. When not at work, Nagender enjoys playing golf and spending time with his wife, daughters, and their four dogs.