ASTA Delivers a Post-Election Update

Image: White House in Washington, DC. (Photo Credit: Orhan Çam/Adobe)

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:10 PM ET, Thu November 7, 2024

With the dust continuing to settle after the U.S. presidential election, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has issued a statement on the election’s outcome.

The organization said that as it continues to examine this year's election results, one thing is for certain.

“As the global advocates for travel advisors for nearly a century, we have worked with numerous administrations and congresses to advance the interests of travel professionals,” ASTA said in a statement, adding “We’re looking forward to re-introducing ourselves to the Trump administration and new Cabinet members who will affect travel policy."

Looking to 2025, ASTA, a member organization representing travel advisors and professionals, said its priorities remain largely the same and include:

Educating policymakers on the key role travel advisors play in the bigger travel community, including booking 40 percent of all air travel to the tune of $95.3 billion in 2023.
Continuing to press legislators and regulators to reverse a policy that forces ticket agents to repay their clients for flight cancellations before they receive those funds from the airline.
Strengthening the travel advisor voice within the Department of Transportation.
Reevaluating a Department of Labor overtime rule, which is forcing steep increases in salaries for small businesses.

“We will have a busy year ahead, so keep an eye on your inbox for grassroots alerts—sent when we most need help on the Hill or with the Administration,” the ASTA statement continued. 

ASTA also issued its congratulations to the newest members of the 119th Congress, though results for several races that the organization described as key, have yet to be released including for Senator Jacky Rosen (D) in Nevada and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R) in Oregon.

“We know that Republicans will control the Senate next congress, and with his successful reelection, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will likely be chair of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over most travel policy,” ASTA’s statement continued. “As of this writing, control of the House of Representatives has not been decided, so it's premature to speculate on leadership and committee assignments.”

Both chambers are expected to hold leadership elections next week when Republican Senators will elect a new majority leader.

“We offer our congratulations to the winners and our appreciation for the efforts of those who came up short,” ASTA concluded.