Donald Trump’s return as US president won’t change the policy priorities of the American Society of Travel Advisors, according to Asta advocacy vice-president Jessica Klement.
She told Travel Weekly: “How we approach the new political leadership might change. But our priorities don’t.”
Trump is due to be inaugurated for a second time on January 20, having promised to slash taxes and regulations, impose widespread trade tariffs and deport millions of migrants. His previous tenure in 2017-20 began with a travel ban imposed on seven majority-Muslim countries, later widened to 12.
Klement said: “There is a lot of talk about cutting government spending, but it’s too early to call. Trump says a lot of things. The nature of an election is saying things that get news coverage. Where the Trump administration goes, we have to see. I would like to think a second-term president would learn from their first term.”
She noted: “He is not out there talking about travel agencies [and] a lot of the people we deal with are not political appointees. Most [departmental] staff are federal employees. We spend a lot of time with the Department of Transportation (DoT) and Department of Commerce, and there will be carry-over stuff.
“In the last four years the DoT was very consumer focused. Will the Trump administration be as consumer focused? We have an opportunity to reintroduce issues already decided by the Biden administration.”
Klement added: “There is a common belief travel agents were put out of business by the internet or went out of business during the pandemic. Policymakers just don’t think travel agents exist.” Yet she noted: “The Department of Labour forecasts 3% a year growth in travel advisor numbers in the next 10 years.”
Asta wants to reverse a DoT policy that forces agents to repay clients for cancelled flight before receiving refunds from airlines. It also aims to emphasise the role of travel advisors who booked 40% of US air travel, worth $95.3 billion, in 2023.
Klement said: “We’re working on refund rules which leave agents on the hook for refunds when a flight is cancelled. The DoT put out two regulations on this not taking account of the business model of agents.”
The DoT proposed new rules on airline compensation to passengers for delays and cancellations in December, which would bring the US more in line with EU rules.