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NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 1991
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En route to Gulf via SBC
WHEN asked to process 14,000 passport applications for Servicemen preparing to take part in Operation Granby in the Gulf the Services Booking Centre (SBC), in London, looked to the Navy for help. Four junior ratings from HMS Warrior, Dolphin, Drake and Nelson were drafted in to cope with the workload and within a few weeks passports had been issued to the Service personnel concerned. Providing visas and passports at such short notice is only part of the work carried out by the SBC and is a reflection of the excellent links the centre has established between London-based foreign embassies and High Commissions. The main part of the SBC's work involves the booking and ticketing of duty passengers drawn from the whole of the UK onto flights, whether RAF, charter or commercial airlines. Other tasks include preparing documentation for the movement of some 10,000 families who fly out to join heads of families serving abroad and the Family Documentation and Passport office has even been known to provide advice on the movement of pets, schooling and employment. The SBC is also the focal point for all Indulgence travel from the UK available to serving members of the armed forces, MOD civil servants and certain direct dependants of these two groups. Unused seats on RAF and MOD charter aircraft, which are not required for duty pas-
sengers, are ceded to the SBC 48 hours or less before departure for allocation to Indulgees. In excess of 30,000 applications are received annually — but there is never a guarantee that Indulgence seats are secure! The Navy very often has different travel requirements to the other services and MAA John Stanbrook, who heads the Navy desk, deals with up to 70 calls each day and vets up to 3,000 applications to travel per month. Flight details are then arranged for naval personnel joining establishments abroad such as those in Hong Kong and Gibraltar and routes are also worked out for those individuals required to fly out and meet their ships in ports all over the world. Wing-Cdr. Mike Yule, commanding officer of the SBC, believes that after recent reorganisation the centre is well on the way to providing real value for money. "We have to provide the best booking service for all our customers."he said. "And we have to work out the best deals with the airlines." "Heads of departments and budget holders are at liberty to approach travel agents to see if they can offer a more attractive option but 99 times out of 100 the SBC is always more competitive."
Above: MAA John Stanbrook checks the flight details of one of over 3,000 applications made each month to the SBC's Navy desk. • Left: Only 14,000 passport applications to go! AB(M) Paul Jones (HMS Drake), STD Paul Ibbetson (HMS Dolphin), AB(MW) Zane Billington (HMS Nelson) and LS Shaun Millington (HMS Warrior) get to grips with the paperwork as troops are put on standby for Operation Granby. 0 Below: BA sales agent Helen Reid explains to MAA John Stanbrook what discounts are on offer at the SBC's new leisure unit.
Pictures: PO(Phot) Clive Deer, DPR(N).
BA SERVICE TAKES OFF BRITISH Airways have always been involved with duty travel arrangements made through the Services Booking Centre — indeed, some £15 million of the MOD's travel budget goes through BA making them the airlines biggest corporate customer. But with the introduction of a new "leisure" initiative by the SBC's commanding officer, Wing-Cdr. Mike Yule, BA is now offering an extra service — discount facilities on some of their scheduled flights. The facility is restricted to Service personnel, MOD civilians, their spouses and unmarried dependant children under 25, and reservations can be made, normally by telephone (071735 9555), at the unit located within the SBC. Discounts are available on routes to the USA, Canada, Cyprus and northern Europe including Russia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. "There has always been the need to provide a realistic alternative to the Indulgence system so this is why the new unit has been opened." said Wing-Cdr. Yule. "This is our first step into the leisure market and If the scheme is successful it could be extended to cover other routes." 0 Two free tickets to the USA are on offer in a prize draw to anyone purchasing a BA ticket through SBC before March 1.