In light of the tragic events in New York and Washington D.C., as well as concerns about flight schedule reliability and safety, EGSA recently canceled its fall conference, scheduled for Sept. 23-25 in Puerto Rico.
According to EGSA, Boca Raton, Fla., although commercial air traffic in the United States in no longer grounded, it is not yet at 100% capacity. At this time, the association does not know whether air travel will be fully restored by the end of the week when attendees and staff would depart for Puerto Rico. Many flights associated with the fall conference were scheduled to originate or go through Miami International Airport, which was designated this week as one of eight high-risk airports in the United States. Given the high level of tension currently associated with air travel, EGSA officials are concerned flights may be grounded again, possibly leaving attendees stranded in Puerto Rico or in transit.
“This is a trying time for our nation. As a gesture of respect for those who so tragically lost their lives, coupled with the need to judiciously weigh the risks facing us at this time, the EGSA Board of Directors and staff have elected to cancel the Fall Conference,” reports EGSA. “We offer our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those who perished on September 11.“
All registration and activity fees paid for the conference will be fully refunded. Some companies may prefer to transfer these payments to the Spring Convention, to be held at the Mansion Del Rio Hotel in San Antonio on March 17-19, 2002. For more information on conference refunds, contact Christine Mally at (561) 750-5575 or visit www.egsa.org.
Note: Although the hotel in Puerto Rico is aware of the cancellation, EGSA advises attendees to call the hotel directly at (787) 888-6000 to make sure their reservation is canceled and ensure their credit cards are credited with any security deposits.