Flight VN19 taking off on December 19 from Hanoi to Paris would have been just another flight had it not been for the appearance of Bubbles, whose extraordinary journey home was very emotional and unforgettable for the team that coordinated his case.
On December 16, June Murphy caught his flight home at Rangoon International Airport, Myanmar. He was supposed to travel with his pet dog, Bubbles, back to France for Christmas and the New Year holiday. However, his pet could not accompany him due to a damaged ventilation system of the cargo compartment on the A321 aircraft in operation that day — which VNA had informed him of in advance.
It was the second time he had received notice, and, at that time, VNA had not been able to determine precisely when Bubbles would be accepted as an AVIH (animal in hold) for technical and scheduling reasons. Although Mr. Murphy was quite distraught, he had no choice but to return to France alone and left his dog in his assistant’s care in Myanmar. He requested that VNA send his dog to France as soon as possible.
On December 18, the representative of VNA in Rangoon (RNG) was informed that Bubbles could now be accepted as an AVIH on the next flight from RGN to Hanoi. The representative then contacted relevant units of the Passenger Service Department, such as PSC and Special Service Request (SSR), to find a way to bring Bubbles back to his owner as soon as possible.
It is easy for an AVIH to fly with its owner, but an AVIH flying alone on a long, multi-legged journey to France – known for its strict Customs procedures – is a completely different story.
After some discussion, a task force, including the representatives of VNA in RGN, PSC, SSR, VNA in CDG, VIAGS NBA, and NOC, was established. Out of the many suggested solutions, the decision to let Bubbles travel as “lost luggage” was finalized. It meant that Murphy would be granted access to the baggage reclaim area by the representative of VNA in France to pick up his pet. It would also help to save him some hassles from dealing with the French Customs. In the meantime, Bubbles was well fed and taken care of. All involved wanted Bubbles’ trip back home to go as smoothly as possible.
PSD and SSR promptly asked for confirmation from all contact points. The contact point at RGN sent all documents related to Bubbles – including the flight number – to all contact points when the plane took off. When the flight landed at NBA, VIAGS and NOC coordinated to pick up and take care of the AVIH during the transit. Regular updates were sent to the team’s chat group, which helped all members keep track of Bubbles every step of the way. They all heaved a sigh of relief at the completion of each step.
When the flight landed in Paris on the early morning of December 20, the representative of VNA in France called the passanger (who had been previously emailed by VNRGN) to notify him that the flight had landed and that the paperwork on the AVIH was being finalized.
When he arrived, he was elated to see his lovely Bubbles, and the first thing he did was to give his little friend food and water, which was exactly what VNRGN had reminded him to bring via advance notice. It was a perfectly executed plan that lived up to the service standards of VNA.
The representative of VNA in France – after handing over Bubbles to Murphy – informed the team in Vietnam and Myanmar of the successful handover and took a photo of Murphy reuniting with his dog. That was the moment when the team finally felt a weight being lifted off their shoulders.
Nguyen Mai Huong-COMM
