The Retail Travel Agents Association (ARTA) has stayed out of the headlines in recent years, but the 60-year-old organization said it has never stopped defending its travel advisor members, particularly when they have a dispute with suppliers.
Recently, ARTA made a rare expression of public support for American Airlines’ decision to review its distribution strategy, which had been widely seen as anti-commercial. Behind the scenes, ARTA did not support what it called a “forced and clumsy adoption of the current problem-ridden NDC strategy,” said board member John Faulds, a travel consultant at Travel Destinations Inc.
ARTA said it publishes a daily e-newsletter, keeping members informed about industry issues and potential travel issues. But it generally operates quietly and doesn’t make many statements beyond its member base.
According to Faulds, the main reason for this is also one of its biggest advantages.
“One reason we sometimes seem quiet is that we don’t have member providers or their money,” Faulds said, so the organization has little budget for marketing or public relations.
But that brings with it what he called a unique advantage: They have no qualms about approaching suppliers directly.
“It allows us to call things by their names. If there are suppliers who are not dealing with agents fairly, we can call them out. When you are an organization that has suppliers as members, it is a little more delicate, I would say” , said Faulds.
ARTA also sits on the ARC Joint Advisory Council for the Agent Reporting Agreement, which it uses to “express our views quite effectively,” Faulds said.
While ARTA does not publicly disclose how many member agents it has, Faulds said the readership of its daily e-newsletter numbers “several thousand” advisors. Members are located throughout the country, primarily along the East and West Coasts, with a particularly active chapter in Southern California.
Lately, all eyes in the travel agency community have been on American and its distribution strategy. The carrier last year removed fees from legacy GDSs, among other measures, to get agencies to use New Distribution Capability (NDC) channels. However, in May, American CEO Robert Isom announced a reversal of this strategy. ASTA led the attack against the carrier.
In a statement, ARTA called Isom’s announcement “a step in the right direction” but noted that it was still cautious about the airline and its policy.
ARTA disagrees with the NDC in general, Faulds said, because it “kind of doesn’t work,” causing additional work for travel consultants, especially in handling reservations. For example, Faulds said he made an NDC reservation for clients going to Paris. One of them was unable to attend and had to change the reservation. He had to make several changes, spending five hours on the phone with an airline.
“And, of course, all for my total zero percent commission,” he said. “How do you charge it?”
Helping agencies respond to changes at American over the past year is among the ways ARTA tries to prepare members for a range of travel industry issues.
ARTA this month is asking members to be ready for a summer of travel disruptions due to storms and possible labor disputes.
“The storms that have disrupted travel in recent weeks will likely intensify as the summer progresses,” the association said in a recent statement, noting that recent storms in the Midwest have resulted in “chaotic experiences” for travelers.
ARTA offered practical advice to advisors: ensure customers’ mobile phone numbers are included in each Passenger Name Record in case of disruptions, proactively review itineraries for short connections that need to be monitored, and always offer travel insurance in advance.
“Once a storm is announced or a union declares a strike, travel insurance will not cover these losses,” ARTA said. “The time to buy is now, while these events can be covered. Forewarned is forearmed.”
Founded in 1963, ARTA celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. The association is governed by its board of directors, which meets four times a year, in addition to more frequent Zoom calls.
