In the Hot Seat
Cruise editor Donna Tunney asked Costa Cruises' vice president of sales, Scott Knutson, about the company's response to crises. Read More
After coming face to face with two shipboard catastrophes within six weeks, Costa Cruises is vowing to make a comeback by leaning on two key assets: the historical strength of its brand and its travel agent partners, said Scott Knutson, the line’s vice president of sales and marketing.
Just as the Jan. 13 Costa Concordia accident started to recede from the headlines, a fire broke out Feb. 27 in the Costa Allegra’s generator room, leaving the ship adrift in the Indian Ocean until tug boats from an island in the Seychelles arrived to tow the ship to Mahe, Seychelles.
It arrived there March 1, after passengers endured 48 hours without electrical power.
The 820-passenger ship was carrying 627 passengers, mostly European but including eight Americans, and about 400 crew members.
“I wouldn’t wish this set of events on anyone, but it is in times like these when we find out who our agent friends and true partners are,” Knutson said. “These circumstances reinforce the value of a qualified travel agent who can listen to concerns, ask questions, get in step and respond skillfully.”
According to Knutson, Costa is relying on travel sellers to help restore its reputation.
“They are our greatest single asset in shoring up the public’s faith in Costa Cruises,” he said.
In the coming months, Knutson said, Costa will roll out “some new and creative ways to get our brand message across.” He didn’t provide any details, but added that the line’s “strong safety record over our 64 years of sailing” will help shore up its reputation in the long run.
Costa has faced criticism for what’s been described as a chaotic scene during and after the Concordia accident, which happened when the 3,200-passenger ship drew close to Italy’s Giglio island and ran into a rocky reef. The evacuation of the ship, which remains half-submerged off the Tuscany coast, was a harrowing experience, by all accounts, and many passengers complained of disorganization on Giglio in the aftermath of the accident.
In the case of the Costa Allegra, however, Costa took immediate steps to drop food and comfort items to passengers via helicopter, and sent a “care team” to board the ship as it was being towed to Mahe.
Team members met with passengers to assess their needs once they disembarked in Mahe and offered to compensate them with accommodations in the Seychelles so they could continue their vacations, free of charge.
According to the line, 376 passengers accepted Costa’s proposal.
“They will be accommodated at Costa Cruises’ expense, in high-quality hotels on the following islands: Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette and Cerfs,” said the line.
Costa also arranged homeward flights at the end of the passengers’ vacations. The remaining 251 passengers decided to return to their homes on flights arranged by Costa.
Knutson noted that an engine room fire is not unprecedented in the cruise industry but said that the Concordia accident was an “extraordinary and rare occurrence.”
Twenty-five people died as a result of the Concordia grounding, and seven remain missing.
The line has seen a marked decline in bookings, up to 35%, since the Concordia accident.
“While we have had a very unfortunate 45 days, what I have learned from our team and our partners is that adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it,” Knutson said.
Follow Donna Tunney on Twitter @dttravelweekly.