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Travel Advisors Welcome DOJ and DOT Inquiry into Air Travel Competition

 

 

Industry Trade Group Views this Development as a Vital Response to its Year-Long Advocacy

Alexandria, V.A., October 25, 2024 — The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) was pleased to learn that the Departments of Transportation and Justice have jointly issued a Request for Information (RFI) relating to the state of competition in air travel. A number of developments such as the mergers and acquisitions approved by the DOJ in the decades following deregulation of the airlines in 1978 have contributed to an alarming decline in competition in the U.S. airline industry, resulting in both higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.  

Travel advisors sell 735,000 air tickets daily, and they have witnessed first-hand the effects of airline consolidation throughout the history of commercial aviation. Once agents of the airlines, advisors are now their consumers and assist travelers in choosing the best air travel options. This has led to increased prices, decreased choice and lower satisfaction among travel advisors’ clients.  

ASTA formally brought these concerns to the attention of both agencies more than a year ago, and as such we welcome the opportunity presented by the RFI to share our members’ views on this critically important issue.

 

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ABOUT ASTA
Rebranded in 2018 as the American Society of Travel Advisors, ASTA is the leading global advocate for travel advisors, the travel industry and the traveling public. Its members represent 80 percent of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel. Together with hundreds of internationally-based members, ASTA’s history of industry advocacy traces back to its founding in 1931 when it launched with the mission to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. For more information about the Society, visit our mission statement.  

 

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