PRESS RELEASE

November 27, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
Allen Kay
Travel Industry Association
202-408-2136, akay@tia.org

TRAVEL INDUSTRY LEADERS SAY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND SHOWS GOVERNMENT CAN IMPROVE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

WASHINGTON D.C. — Travel industry leaders today said despite weather-related delays in some parts of the country, overall the Thanksgiving weekend showed that a comprehensive approach to improving the travel experience can work.

Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association, said President Bush, the Transportation Safety Administration and the airlines, among others, all deserve credit for the role they played in helping making the holiday travel process run smoothly.

He emphasized that steps similar to those taken to reduce delays and increase efficiency during the past week need to be made on a permanent basis.

“An efficient and secure air travel process is critical to the success of our nation’s businesses, hotels, restaurants, attractions and other members of the travel community,” Dow said. “Government can and must be partners with the private sector to put in place systems and processes that give confidence to travelers that they will arrive safely and on-time to their destination with a minimum of hassle.”

Added Jonathan Tisch, Chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loews Hotels: “Over the busy Thanksgiving holiday, the federal government demonstrated its ability to create efficiencies in our nation's airways. The free flow of travel is vital to America's economy so it is of paramount importance that the FAA focus on expanding capacity, improving efficiency, maintaining safety and allowing airports to meet current and future passenger demand."

The Travel Industry Association and Travel Business Roundtable recently announced their intention to combine forces, largely because of rising concerns over the domestic travel process.

Prior to the start of the holiday season, President Bush announced that the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense, among other government entities, would take steps to help reduce air traffic congestion and delays at airports over the Thanksgiving travel period.

The Travel Industry Association, National Tour Association and Travel Business Roundtable last week released results of surveys of likely primary voters in Florida and South Carolina which showed that travel is important to voters.

Those surveyed overwhelmingly feel government can do far more to improve the air travel experience, and that presidential candidates have not adequately addressed important travel-related issues thus far during the campaign. Between one-third and one-half said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who does. For more information, click here.

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The Travel Industry Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $740 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. TIA is proud to be a partner in travel with American Express. For more information, visit www.tia.org.

The Travel Business Roundtable (TBR), a strategic partner to the Travel Industry Association, is a CEO-based organization representing all sectors of the travel and tourism industry. TBR’s mission is to educate public officials and policymakers about the important social and economic contributions of the travel and tourism industry. For more information, visit www.tbr.org.

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