Latest news with #ZaneKerby
Travel Weekly
4 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Congress members request repeal of refund rule affecting travel advisors
ASTA on Monday shared its support of a letter that nine members of Congress sent to the Department of Transportation, urging the DOT to review its airline ticket refund policy. The Society has lobbied against the policy, which requires the merchant of record for airline tickets to refund customers if flights are canceled, regardless of whether they have the funds. While agencies are not often not the merchant of record for air sales, they are when they buy blocks of seats at wholesale prices and resell them with a markup. Nine Republican members of the House of Representatives signed a letter to DOT secretary Sean Duffy urging a review of the policy. They are Beth Van Duyne (Texas), Mike Bost (Illinois), Scott DeJarlais (Tennessee), French Hill (Arkansas), Kimberlyn King-Hinds (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Rich McCormick (Georgia), Maria Elvira Salazar (Florida), Pete Stauber (Minnesota) and Daniel Webster (Florida). In the letter, the lawmakers wrote that since the rule went into effect last October, "travel agencies have been accountable for financial compliance in a situation they have no control over." Constituents have reported the rule is "a substantial hardship for their small businesses," they added. "Travel advisors and agencies often operate on slim margins and the rule requires them to front capital they often do not have." ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby said, "Requiring small business travel advisors to extend credit from their own pockets to pay airline refunds is a gross misplacement of responsibility that must be rectified, and I applaud these members of Congress for recognizing this inequity and taking our plight to new leadership at the DOT. "Fixing this misguided rule remains ASTA's top policy priority, and the support of Congress will go a long way toward that goal."
Travel Weekly
23-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
ASTA courses are part of the curriculum at Florida International University
ASTA hopes to expose more students to the career of travel advising through a collaboration with Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Two of ASTA's online educational programs are now part of the curriculum for hospitality students at Florida International University (FIU): "Roadmap to Becoming a Travel Advisor" and "Geocultural Guide for Travel Advisors." Students will also receive a one-year ASTA membership at the Future Travel Professional level. That gives them access to webinars, ASTA events and other members-only resources and activities. Michael Cheng "We are excited to partner with ASTA to offer this essential and unique opportunity to the future leaders of hospitality," said Michael Cheng, dean of the Chaplin School. ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby said that by providing students "industry-relevant training and opportunities to engage directly with travel professionals, we are not only investing in their future success but also strengthening the pipeline of talent that will drive the future of our industry."
Travel Weekly
07-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Advocacy efforts by ASTA, ACTA take the stage at AMG's confab
ORLANDO -- "How many of you have had trouble collecting hotel commissions?" ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby asked a room full of advisors at American Marketing Group's Travel Market 2025 here -- and throughout the room, advisors vocalized their agreement. "It's a big problem," Kerby said, "and it's something ASTA has taken very, very seriously." ASTA two years ago published a list of suppliers who pay commissions within 30 days of an advisor remitting payment. While he didn't provide further details, Kerby said ASTA is gearing up to take on the suppliers who aren't on that list. "We're going to really start calling out those people who do not pay commissions on time, because that's a problem for the industry," he said to applause. "It's a problem for you; it's a problem for us." Kerby was part of an on-stage discussion about advocacy alongside Wendy Paradis, president of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA). Kerby highlighted some of ASTA's other advocacy efforts of late, including its battle to repeal the rule requiring the merchant of record, in some cases agents, to refund airline passengers even if they don't possess the funds; a recently won tax battle in Nebraska; and a fight against a new 11% tax on bookings for cruises in Hawaiian waters. For Canadian agencies, a focus on tariffs In Canada, the No. 1 issue for travel agencies is the potential impact of tariffs implemented by the U.S., Paradis said. Right now, agencies are mostly in wait-and-see mode, but the implications of tariffs could be great. ACTA has done forecasting regarding tariffs and what would happen if they stayed in place, as is, for any length of time. For people to travel, they need to have jobs and disposable income, and if the tariffs sap jobs and income of Canadian advisors' clients, advisor business would be affected. "Should they stay in place, the impact on Ontario and Quebec, which are the largest travel industry provinces in Canada, is much worse than the pandemic," she said. But the effects would take "months and months to unfold," Paradis said. In the meantime, ACTA continues to advocate on behalf of Canada and the travel industry. Travel advisors working with an older clientele will likely fare better, she said: Baby Boomers are the largest group of travelers in Canada right now, and for the most part they are empty-nesters with paid-off mortgages. Millennials and Gen X travelers, by contrast, are likely less resilient.
Travel Weekly
02-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
ASTA's Zane Kerby addresses key issues for travel advisors
ASTA CEO Zane Kerby sat down with tours and river cruise editor Brinley Hineman at the Society's Salt Lake City conference last month, where they discussed AI and the impact it will have on travel advisors, the organization's key priorities for advocacy efforts and how members' businesses are faring amid an uncertain economy. Zane Kerby Q: What are some key advocacy efforts underway? A: We have really important touchpoints with the Department of Transportation and with Congress to try to get our members from under this onerous provision [about merchant of record refunds] that was written into the FAA [reauthorization bill]. It doesn't affect a whole lot of our members, but for the ones that it affects, it is extraordinarily dangerous, so we want that fixed immediately. We also have written to DOT secretary [Sean] Duffy, who reached out to groups like ASTA to ask them which regulations were no longer in the public's interest. Q: How is AI impacting things for members? A: I talked to the ASTA board about this the other day, and I feel like I'm the most concerned about it of any of the 15 advisors that sit on our board. They're still looking at it as a really good research assistant. The reason that our profession is sturdy is because of the trust that exists between consumers and travel advisors. I'm not sure that AI is going to supplant that trust with a bunch of haphazard recommendations. It doesn't feel to me like it's replacing the trust at all that exists between consumers and travel advisors. Q: There's a lot going on, with economic uncertainty and with the U.S. projected to lose $12.5 billion in inbound travel. What's on your mind? A: I'm really thankful that my job is not inbound tourism to the United States. The vast majority of our members are executing and planning trips that are outbound from the United States, and that business is very, very good. We certainly understand that public policy decisions that affect Americans' willingness to travel abroad is important to keep our eye on. As we have talked to our members, both here and in surveys beforehand and anecdotally over the last several months, so far -- touch wood -- business is going very, very well for members. Obviously, it's something we want to keep an eye on, and we try to be proactive. But it's certainly not helpful to opine on every public policy decision that's made. When public policy decisions that are made affect our members' businesses, we will react and act appropriately at the time. Q: So it's not affecting advisors planning outbound travel? A: That's largely the case. Now, there are pockets: We're in the D.C. area, and so when I talk to advisors in the D.C. area, on the luxury side, everything is going gangbusters. But for those who are affected -- there's a large federal workforce in the D.C. area, and so some of that uncertainty [that comes] with layoffs and proposed layoffs has affected some travel in that sort of midtier range. Q: What about members planning domestic travel? A: Members are getting a lot of questions around the national parks this year, for obvious reasons. I think that it is having some effect, but it's not [having a big impact]. Even the domestic business is good -- pockets of stress, but nothing I'm worried about.
Travel Weekly
22-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
At its annual conference, ASTA continues to highlight advocacy efforts
SALT LAKE CITY -- A key message of the 2025 ASTA Travel Advisor Conference was the importance of advocacy, with travel agencies facing hurdles from federal regulations and a changing tech landscape. ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby said this year's conference "doubled down" on education and strengthening advocacy efforts. He referenced challenges the industry is facing, with the rise of AI and direct bookings, and applauded advisor efforts to adapt. "There are lots of forces pushing on our profession," he said. "New battles are already forming. More regulation is coming. More book-direct schemes are being tested. More AI chatbots are sending your potential clients to a two-star hotel and telling them it's the Ritz. More scam artists are dragging down our collective reputation. So we must continue to stand shoulder to shoulder together." Though Kerby said that AI is no replacement for the human touch of a travel advisor, he said that advisors who harness the technology are likely to outpace those that resist it. He said advisors that use it to lighten their workload are "energized by their ability to have something like this that does take away a lot of the grunt work." Vice president of advocacy Jessica Klement outlined the organization's advocacy goals, including pushing for the repeal of the "merchant of record" rule for refunding airline passengers, which requires the merchant of record to refund customers if their flights are canceled. Most agencies are not the merchant of record for air sales, but they might be if they specialize in group travel, buying blocks of airline seats at wholesale prices and reselling them with a mark-up. The federal rule does not stipulate a time frame for airlines to refund travel agencies, which are often small businesses that don't have a lot of cash on hand. ASTA took the issue to Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican representing Florida's 27th district, who introduced the Flight Refund Fairness Act in September, which would exempt small travel agencies from the rule. Klement also discussed ASTA's support of extending the Section 199A tax deduction, which lessens the tax liability for independent contractors. Around half of all advisors qualify for the deduction. The organization is also ramping up its focus on connecting consumers with advisors. ASTA is renewing its focus on promoting VeriVacation, an online platform for consumers to connect with verified travel advisors. In coming weeks, ASTA will strengthen its promotion of the site, with consumer-awareness campaigns earmarked in the organization's budget, Kerby said. The platform highlights ASTA Verified Travel Advisors and aims to fight against travel scams and give consumers peace of mind about who they are working with. ASTA welcomed nearly 1,300 travel advisors to the conference, where advisors on Wednesday heard from travel industry leaders and a powerful message from motivational speaker Aron Ralston, a mountaineer and best-selling author whose survival story inspired the movie "127 Hours."
