Virgin Atlantic dispatcher went above and beyond
A Virgin Atlantic dispatcher has been commended for going above and beyond in TripAdvisor’s inaugural Exceptional Service Awards.
Vikki Gudge was one of six Brits honoured in the new awards, voted for by TripAdvisor travellers.
Gudge, who works at Heathrow, came to the aid of a passenger who was about to fly with another airline at the airport.
The panicked passenger stopped Gudge to tell her she had left her new mobile phone in a taxi on her way to the airport.
The Virgin dispatcher got straight on the phone to the taxi service and managed to travel down the driver.
"Within seconds Vikki took off running for the shuttle to a different terminal to go and meet the driver and retrieve the missing phone," said TripAdvisor.
"Twenty-five minutes later, out of breath, Vikki returned back to the passenger to reunite her with her phone and with minutes to spare, they made their flight."
"Vikki went above and beyond the call of duty to help a total stranger. She is my Virgin Angel!" added Carol Austin, the passenger involved.
Other UK winners included Tony Jackson, owner of Hillside B&B Durness, Vanessa Steele, owner of Anns Hill, Cockermouth, Janet Ann Baldry, owner of Park Cottage, Warwick, and Alan and Caroline, owners of Clipper Cove, Praa Sands.
Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor, said the awards were introduced to help improve service levels.
"Everyone who travels knows that the service you receive can elevate any trip to a memorable one," she said.
"A recent TripAdvisor survey revealed that more than two thirds of respondents didn’t think hospitality professionals receive sufficient recognition for their efforts.
"Through the Exceptional Service Awards, we’re trying to change that by acknowledging stars of the hospitality industry who made a difference by going the extra mile for their guests and clearly made a lasting impression on the TripAdvisor community."
The winners will receive a certificate and will be featured on TripAdvisor.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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