Abnormal situations and Design

I got to experience such a situation first hand when Eyjafjallajoekull started to erupt.
On Saturday I learnt that my Sunday evening flight to return to Frankfurt is cancelled.
Now starts the process of finding alternatives ways to get home.

• Step 1: Being a weekend, the office travel help line is not responding to calls.
• Step 2: Delta numbers stated on their websites have a minimum waiting time of 45 mintues
• Step 3: Delta website offers no UPFRONT information on the home page of volcano related updates. Click on 'Flight Information' > Itineraries > (Here there is a small one liners about flight schedule impact) > Enter confirmation number > Click on Find Alternatives > The date drop down only allows you to find an alternative for the 'next day' (tomorrow). Wow! Given the situation, isn't it obvious that the next day will not be available? What if I was willing to wait for 2 weeks and wanted an alternate flight?
• Step 4: Check general flight availability to somewhere in Europe via Delta's regular flight booking feature. ERROR! This facility is not available currently

After all these attempts, to do something from my hotel room I was left with no other option but to go to the airport.

A huge line waits in front of the Delta international counters.  A Delta staff gives us a 'Service Advisory' post card with a number to call and tells us, either you wait in the line here or you call them and be prepared to be put on hold for a long time.

I got a new reservation for the following Sunday, 25th April.

Meanwhile, my office travel team helps me get on a flight to Rome on Tue evening instead of waiting untill Sunday.

Once in Rome, I figured there are no flights to Southern Germany available. So train was an option.

In the Rome train station ticket counter I am welcomed by posters stating, 'all trains to Northern Europe are booked untill 23rd April 2010.'

Service Design
I noticed, there seems to be some attempt to 'filter' the desperate versus the not so desperate passengers. I can understand the need to 'filter' to be able to manage the volume of impacted people, but I wonder if this is the best way to do so:

• Delta provided the 'Service Advisory' number on postcards handed out only at the airport. (A different number from those mentioned on their website). So did they assume, that the really desperate passengers will come to the airport? So they will hand this number to just them?
• In the Rome train station, these posters of trains booked untill 23rd April might have made many passengers go away without waiting in line. To me, the definition of Northern Europe was not clear. Was it UK/Scandinavia/northern France/northern Germany or did Frankfurt/Stuttgart/ etc also fall under this because they were towards the north from Rome. So I decided to check anyway. I was desperate indeed.
• I did manage to get a train ticket to Stuttgart, leaving the same evening.

Perhaps I was plain lucky. But when things are in so much flux - bookings, cancellations, these reservation systems would be constantly updating...so it cannot be true that everything is completely booked. If that was the case, the counters could well be closed. Right?

Moreso, in abnormal situations, the design of such services need to be more 'comforting' to its consumers. But more often than not, systems fail to function efficiently, when they are needed the most.

Compared to a lot of other impacted people, I was fortunate enough to be relatively more comfortable. It however made me think, of ways such situations can be handled better. How can these services be handled better?
Posters stating, 'all trains booked...' at the entrance of ticket counters; getting a special phone number to call only at the airport somehow makes me distrust such services.

• Perhaps in such situations, some people are more comfortable talking to another 'human being' than interacting with some machines?
• Alternatively, can there be some 'self service' machines installed in airports/ train stations that lets you analyze your options - if you are willing to wait, what are your options...if you are desperate, what are your options...
• For those who can wait, perhaps there are some package deals of accomodation, pick up and drop to/from the airport/train station; combine this with a flight/train/bus tickets; local SIM card/ internet facility etc.
• For those who cannot wait, suggest alternate routes, pricing information etc.
• Essentially: some 'decision support' possibilities
• Many people were running out of money - can there be some ways to help them get some money on loan untill they get to their destinations? - in the days of huge bail outs, clearly, there can be some way to help people out
• Many international airports do not have a basic 'sleeping in' facilities - with stringent immigration regulations; visa time running out, cant there be a way to offer passengers a way to sleep in the airport in a more comfortable way? I know some airports - e.g. Schiphol made a lot of attempt towards such things. Even were flexible with their visa norms. However, not every airport and country did as much.

Design of Train Stations
Europe, like India has an extensive rail network. Thousands of people travel by train on a daily basis. Typically people tend to have more luggage while travelling by train (compared to travelling by air). Yet, so often, train stations do not offer simple facilities like, luggage trolleys; escalators/ elevators to move between levels;enough seating space; places to store luggage saftely for a few hours; an in-transit hotel to be able to sleep in...

Perhaps it is too much to expect such facilities in every train station in a country. However, I think it is important that the MAIN train station of BIG CITIES to have them.

While I have more questions than answers right now, I see a world of opportunity out there to better design services, spaces to handle abnormal situations better. Would love to hear and discuss ideas from you all too...