Glee Club trip canceled: travel agency unable to fulfill contract


by Jason O. Papadopoulos - Newspeak Staff

WPI's singing group, the Glee Club, and Wells College Choir of Aurora, N.Y., did not travel to Ireland, and canceled their planned performances there, after Voyageur Travel Services Inc. was unable to make the necessary travel arrangements and couldn't return the $46,000 payment it had received from the singers. WPI's lawyers are now trying to investigate the chances for reclaiming the money.

The two singing groups asked Voyageur Travel Services Inc., of Richmond, VA, to arrange their trip to Shannon Airport in the Republic of Ireland, after having chosen the agency for offering the lowest bid. The groups avoided using Rosenlund Travel Services Inc., the agency that WPI is usually serviced by, for financial reasons. No tour cancellation insurance was taken out, and reliable sources have stated that references of prior clients had been checked, and the company came in with a clean record. When the travel arrangements were being verified by the college prior to the planned date of departure, the agency indicated that it would not be able to arrange the transportation and stay for the groups.

The 68 performers from the WPI and Wells College singing groups had planned to travel to Ireland on March 1, and return to the US on the 12th. Performances had been planned for Trinity College, the University of Limerick, Canterbury Cathedral, and St. Mary Church in Walmer/Deal, with final performances at Wells Cathedral and St. Mary's Church in Bath. This trip would have marked the 25th year the two groups have sung together and their first joint performance in Europe.



WPI Community Newspeak This Issue
Give feedback: newspeak@wpi.wpi.edu
Maintained by: Troy Thompson