Amendment #1954 ensures the fiscal solvency of ticket agents, large and small May 6, 2024 —The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) issued a letter in support of an amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill currently under consideration by the U.S. Senate. Amendment #1954, sponsored by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), instructs the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue a new regulation within six months to clarify that “a ticket agent shall provide a refund only when such a ticket agent possesses, or has access to, the funds of a passenger.” Similar language was included in H.R. 3935, Sec ..read more

Monday, April 29, 2024 — Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its final regulations on the transparency of airline ancillary service fees and refunds to customers for delayed and canceled flights. What do the rules mean and how will they impact your business? Join Travel Tech on Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, at 1:00 pm for a free webinar featuring airline industry attorneys Jol A. Silversmith and Barbara Marrin of KMA Zuckert. Register Today Airline industry attorneys Jol A. Silversmith and Barbara Marrin will outline the top seven takeaways about these new regulations and ..read more

April 24, 2024 — Today, the Department of Transportation issued two final rules impacting the travel tech industry: the transparency of airline ancillary service fees and refunds of airline tickets for delayed or canceled flights. “Travel Tech has long supported the Department of Transportation’s goals to provide greater transparency to airline consumers on ancillary fees and clear guidelines on how and when refunds are made. Regrettably, today’s final rules fail to account for how these goals can technically be achieved, adding unnecessary costs and confusion for consumers,” said Laura Chadwi ..read more

The American Privacy Rights Act could be the first step in enacting national data privacy reform April 17, 2024—Today, the House Committee on Energy & Commerce held a hearing on the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 (APRA), a draft bipartisan, bicameral bill that seeks to create a unified data privacy standard across the United States. The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) has advocated for a single, uniform national privacy law that will protect traveler data and privacy no matter where they live and provide businesses certainty about their responsibilities.  Following th ..read more

April 1, 2024 – Travel Tech, together with the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and the Travel Management Coalition, sent letters to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure to highlight the provisions in the House and Senate FAA Reauthorization bills that apply to Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and request amendments and exemptions. Services provided by contract to TMC customers include duty of care, management of complex itineraries involving larger groups of employees, and of course ..read more

Final bill may be considered before the expiration of the FAA’s authorization extension on May 10th March 27, 2024 – This week, Travel Tech sent letters to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure as they work to align H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act of 2023 and S. 1939, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023 into one FAA reauthorization bill to be considered by both the House and Senate. Travel Tech’s letters highlighted its preferred changes to best support ..read more

March 13, 2023 — This week, President Biden signed into law funding to establish the first Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism position within the U.S. Department of Commerce. This position will be dedicated to developing and coordinating a national tourism strategy for the United States. “On behalf of members of the Travel Technology Association, we express our thanks to congressional leaders for including funding for the Assistant Secretary of Travel and Tourism office, and for the leadership of Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MI) in its ..read more

Laura Chadwick attends Global Travel Tech launch event at the largest travel trade show March 6, 2024 ― This week, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech)’s President & CEO Laura Chadwick is in Berlin for the launch of a new global travel association, Global Travel Tech (GTT) at ITB Berlin. Chadwick joined a panel discussion about Global Travel Tech with Emmanuel Mounier, Global Travel Tech Secretary General, and Mark Chan, Secretariat for ATTIA. “Global Travel Tech was established to represent the travel tech industry on the global stage. It will elevate our key priority issues ..read more

The Association Launches Online Resource to Highlight Its New Advocate Members and Others February 28, 2024 – Today, the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) launched its “Innovate” page to highlight the contributions and efforts of its member companies working to empower traveler choice and pioneer new technologies and tools to improve the travel experience.  The page launches with profiles featuring the association’s Advocate members, including its newest member AirHelp. As part of Travel Tech’s first-ever member expansion, the new Advocate member tier is aimed at startups and sm ..read more

Travel Tech President & CEO Presented at the Travel Trends AI Summit  Thursday, February 22, 2024 — The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry and consistent advocate for public policy that supports a competitive and transparent marketplace, presented at the Travel Trends AI Summit. This virtual event brought together travel industry leaders, technology experts, executives, and entrepreneurs to discuss how AI technology will impact the travel industry in 2024. Travel Tech participated in this timely event alongside leaders from Microso ..read more