THEY MADE THE NEWS
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The late Joseph Stone, probably the most revered of ASTA presidents,
served as the Society’s chairman from 1978 to 1982. He was at the helm
when some of the most serious events affecting travel agents took place,
perhaps most notably the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.
Ronald Santana was executive director of ARTA from 1968 to 1989
and played a central role in certain industry affairs during those years.
Much of ARTA’s visibility and success is attributable to Santana, who
died in 1996. A lawyer and travel agency owner in Croton-on-Hudson,
N. Y., he was executive director from 1968 until 1989.
ASTA MOVES CONGRESS TO NEW YORK
Oct. 1, 2001
In a gesture of support for New York City after the 9/11 attacks, and because suppliers
were canceling out of its annual convention planned for Seville, Spain, ASTA abruptly
moved the site of its 2001 World Travel Congress to New York. The move severely
strained the Society’s relations with the Spanish tourism industry. The Tourist Office
of Spain pulled out of ASTA and threatened, but did not file, a lawsuit.
Earlene Causey was the first woman president and CEO of ASTA, 1992
to 1994. As director of industry affairs for Supertravel in Baytown, Texas,
she joined ASTA in 1974, helped initiate its first Industry Tax Summit in
1993, chaired ASTA’s Global Partnership Marketing Council and was president of the industry’s Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund. She died in 2004.
MEGA DEAL: AMEX BUYS ROSENBLUTH
July 21, 2003
American Express agreed to buy Philadelphia’s
Rosenbluth International for an undisclosed cash
price. The deal was projected to take the world’s
largest agency from $15.5 billion to nearly $20 billion
in sales. At left, Hal Rosenbluth, chairman and CEO
of the family business, and Ed Gilligan, vice chairman
of American Express Co., shake hands on the deal.
Warren Buckner, who heads Gayety Travel in Brooklyn, N.Y.,
along with his wife, Sonia, was one of the founders of the Giants agency cooperative 40 years ago. Buckner recently stepped
down as chairman of the board for the group, now known as
the Ensemble Travel Group. He remains as board member emeritus.
Milton Marks was the face of the Institute of Certified Travel Agents,
now the Travel Institute. He helped found ICTA in 1964 and served as its
president until 1988. He also was president of ASTA in 1963 and 1964.
His career goes back to 1935 when he began working in the family agency,
Marks Travel Service in Dayton, Ohio.
BUYER OF LIBERTY, GOGO
AIMS TO BE TOPS IN BRICKS
Nov. 19, 2007
Liberty Travel, a unique retail/wholesale operation that remained a family business
since its founding in 1951, agreed to a $135 million buyout by Flight Center.
The Australian travel giant said its goal was to become
“the largest offline travel agency in the U.S.”
UATP
Universal Air Travel Plan-
The only global travel payment system
issued and managed by airlines
• Detailed Data
• Central Billing
• No Foreign Exchange Fees
• Low Merchant Service Fees
• No Annual or Membership Fees
Powering Travel
Payment
uatp.com
UATP accounts are issued by these airlines: Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand,
American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines,
Northwest Airlines, Qantas Airways, Ltd., United Airlines, and US Airways.
AirPlus International issues the UATP-based company account for: British
Airways, Continental Airlines and Lufthansa German Airlines.
TRAVEL WEEKLY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
JUNE
16, 2008
53
