C Travel, the agents who deal with the majority of local flight bookings to Asia, has been inundated by guest workers attempting to fly home in the aftermath of the unprecedented destruction wrought across the Indian Ocean basin by the powerful tsunamis.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette yesterday, general manager Carl Paiva said his staff had been "rushed off their feet" since opening after the Christmas break, trying to book passages home for those anxious to be with their families.

However, he warned those who did not possess a visa to pass through the US faced a wait of up to two weeks until they would be able to journey to the crisis hit region.

"Since the catastrophe we have been flat out," he said. "We do most of the business to Asia from Bermuda and from September right up to Christmas we are really, really busy at any rate in here with people going home over the holiday.

"Back to back people have been making reservations to get home and we have been trying to sort out their visa situations so they can get out of here. A lot of people have not been able to get in touch with their families and many of them do not know what is going on and are desperate to go home."

Those requiring visas will have to surrender their passports to be sent to Washington, Mr. Paiva said, adding this can be a time-consuming process.

"Those who have visas can leave the Island relatively quickly," he said. "Those who don't face a wait of two weeks or so. The courier service at this time of year, with skeleton staffs, is not as quick as at other times of year and the whole process has been slowed ever further in recent years with the advent of greater terrorism security measures."

Asked whether C Travel was offering any bereavement discounts to it's customers, Mr. Paiva replied the company "does not control the fares" and are merely "brokers for the airlines".

"We do however have the good fortune to be affiliated with the largest travel marketing company in the US, Virtuoso Air," he said.

"We are therefore able to get certain rates well below normal fares and some will be able to take advantage of that. But if not, the cost is fairly high at this time of year."