ABOUT US

ASTA was formed in 1931 as The American Steamship & Tourist Agents Association. At a time when agents were booking about 85 percent of all steamship travel, ASTA was urging ship lines to adopt agent-friendly policies and working to persuade hotels and railroads to pay agent commissions.

When World War II curtailed all but essential travel, ASTA members fought for the survival of their association, and in 1946, when airlines cut agent commissions, we were there to fight for its members. Reflecting shifts in the industry, we changed our name to the American Society of Travel Agents.

In the 1950s, ASTA won a 27-year battle for rail commissions. Plus, as part of fulfilling our mission to encourage and enhance professionalism in the industry, ASTA introduced the travel agency industry's first basic training tool, a home-study course. 

In the 1960s, ASTA made impressive progress in education. We held our first School at Sea and opened seven travel schools. In 1968, when President Johnson announced plans to restrict travel outside of the United States, ASTA waged the largest grassroots campaign in our three-decade history.

The 1970s brought airline deregulation, leading to increased airline competition and the first rise in air commissions in 25 years. ASTA established ASTA Marketing Services, Inc. (AMSI), negotiating member discounts on quality products and services and the ASTA Political Action Committee (ASTAPAC) to help support our advocacy efforts. 

In the ‘80s, we continued our emphasis on education, holding Trainingfest, School on Rails, School at Sea and School on the Road. The decade was a period of significant growth for travel agents and the industry.  

In 1995, seven airlines capped agency commissions on domestic tickets. We responded by filing an anti-trust lawsuit and settled out of court for $86 million. Plus, advocating for agents and consumers, ASTA drafted and promoted an Air Travelers Bill of Rights which led to the Consumer Access to Travel Information Act.

In 2007, we re-launched our brand with a new logo and membership structure and enhanced benefits, including a redesigned website, member tools for advocacy, advertising and public relations campaigns, increased opportunities for global networking and improved online and home-study courses.

ASTA advocacy efforts scored major victories at the federal and state levels, saving the travel agency community more than $300 million. Among other initiatives, ASTA led the fight to prevent airlines from passing along merchant fees to travel agents and ultimately, their clients. 

ASTA continues to actively track and tackle regulatory and legislative threats that could negatively impact travel advisors. Our educational and advocacy efforts have helped members survive the challenges of the pandemic while our public relations campaigns promote the value of travel advisors to the traveling public.