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(London, 10 April) Cabin Crew Fleet Manager for CSA Czech Airlines, Hana Peskova, will this evening be presented with the Outstanding Service Award at the 21st annual OAG Airline of the Year Awards. Eddie Bell, Chairman of OAG will present the Award to Hana for her heroic efforts to help the people of Prague during some of the worst flooding the Czech Republic has ever seen.
Czech Floods Misery:
The airline industry as a whole has suffered over the last few years but the Czech floods compounded the difficulties for the staff of CSA Czech Airlines. Prague, in particular, suffered with the Underground system under water and some historical landmarks damaged by the floods. Thousands of homes had to be evacuated with residents given little or no notice to leave with just the clothes they stood up in.
Hana’s call to action:
Drawing on her twenty five years’ experience as an airline cabin attendant Hana marshalled colleagues at CSA into putting their emergency situation training into effect. Hana emailed around 700 CSA colleagues appealing for volunteers and co-ordinated the hundreds of offers of help that arrived within days.
CSA cabin crew were dispatched to schools around Prague that had been turned into makeshift shelters to take care of the elderly, the disabled and physically or mentally handicapped and acted as interpreters for those who could not speak Czech. Hungry aid workers including firemen, paramedics and doctors had sandwiches delivered by CSA Catering.
Requests for food, drinking water, medicines, nappies and a myriad of other things soon came pouring onto Hana’s desk. Rising to the challenge Hana and her colleagues set about transforming the CSA Czech Conference Area at Prague Airport into a warehouse and distribution centre for donations from CSA Czech staff until the floods had subsided and the city was able to return to its normal shining self.
And throughout all this, the airline continued to operate with cabin crew rostered for flights as normal.
Aftermath:
The relief agencies and other organisations involved in the flood crisis in the Czech Republic were full of praise for Hana and the CSA team’s efforts during this difficult time.
Eddie Bell, Chairman of OAG said:
“The OAG Airline if the Year Awards celebrate the highest standards in global air travel and publicly recognise the highest standards within the industry. Hana has shown the resourcefulness, courage and fortitude that epitomises all that is great about the airline industry. We believe she is a worthy winner of the Outstanding Service Award.”
Michal Krejci, Cabin Services Director at CSA Czech Airlines, who nominated Hana for this award said:
“We are delighted that Hana has been given this prestigious award from OAG. Hana has been a friend and colleague for many years and performs many small miracles on a daily basis. Her calmness under pressure during this traumatic time just illustrates how CSA can offer excellent service - not just in the air but on the ground and in the water as well!”
For more information, please contact Fiona Chow/Clair Waldron at Brown Lloyd James on 0207 591 9610. |
