ASTA Fights for Travel Advisors Amid Busy Week of Congressional Hearings

by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 2:10 PM ET, Thu November 30, 2023

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has been on the frontlines pushing for legislation benefitting the travel advisor community for years and this week saw one of its most impressive efforts.

The United States House of Representatives held two hearings this week of significant interest to ASTA and the advisor community.

An Education and Workforce hearing took place Wednesday regarding the Department of Labor's latest overtime rule, followed by a Transportation & Infrastructure hearing on the consequences of delaying the FAA Reauthorization bill on Thursday.

ASTA reached out to both committees before this week's hearings, outlining priorities relating to both discussions. For example, the organization noted that its member agencies are overwhelmingly small businesses operating on small profit margins with labor costs being their primary expense, key factors to consider when it comes to legislating overtime rules.

Additionally, ASTA stated that "as compared with other businesses in other industries, travel agencies are also more reliant upon work performed 'after hours' to meet the needs of clients traveling around the world who often require immediate assistance."

In regards to the FAA reauthorization bill, ASTA continues to push for a travel agency seat on the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, a new "Passenger Experience Advisory Committee" at DOT and a streamlined system for fulfilling air consumer disclosure requirements during "offline" transactions such as those taking place over the phone or face to face within 18 months of enactment.

ASTA is also seeking to clarify an agency's obligations to issue a refund, as many times the airline and not it has the funds being sought.