ASTA Launches Social Media Contest Ahead of Global Travel Advisor Day

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Frontier is looking to award 10 lucky winners with four round-trip flights — and is throwing in a special flower bouquet to celebrate Mother's Day. Each winner of the airline's "Flights and Flowers" contest will receive four round-trip tickets to be used within Frontier’s network, as well as a $100 bouquet from popular flower delivery service Teleflora.

On Global Travel Advisor Day (May 1), Ensemble revealed that it owns the domain name GlobalTravelAdvisorDay.com.

The U.S. government's agreement on a final bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presents a mixed bag for travel agencies and advisors across the country, according to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).The organization was successful in its efforts to secure a provision that streamlines offline disclosures surrounding air travel and establish the Passenger Experience Advisory Committee within the Department of Transportation (DOT) to advise the Secretary and the FAA Administrator on improving the passenger experience in air transportation customer service."This will reduce frustration with the air ticket purchase process and lessen the unnecessary burdens on our members' business operations while keeping critical consumer protection intact," said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby about the offline disclosure victory.However, ASTA expressed frustration with DOT's new airfare refund rules that could negatively impact agencies by leaving them on the hook to issue a refund as the "merchant of record" even if they've already passed the funds over to the airline."We were thankful when the House originally recognized this important distinction. Unfortunately, the final compromise between the House and Senate kicks this issue back to a DOT that has shown a clear lack of understanding of how travel agencies book air travel," added Kerby.

In honor of Global Travel Advisor Day, coming up on May 1, Riviera River Cruises is rolling out a series of booking incentives throughout the entire month of May.

Global Travel Advisor Day. (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group)

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) announced its disappointment in the new rules for airlines, which outline when to refund travelers for delays and how to disclose fees properly. 

Last week saw big travel brands come together in a variety of ways.

A United Airlines passenger has been ordered to pay the carrier more than $20,000 after forcing a flight to divert.

Here at TPG, we believe travel has the power to change the world. Since 2017, we have raised and donated more than $5,000,000 and 70,000,000 points and miles to charitable organizations, including one that is changing the world one family at a time by granting life-changing wishes to deserving kids.

WHY IT RATES: Individuals interested in attending the marquee event will have to join the waitlist now.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor

Etihad Airways' superjumbo — and the most exclusive cabin in commercial aviation — is once again flying to the U.S.