Travel Team Joins Agency Alliance

The Travel Management Alliance today announced that Buffalo, N.Y.-based agency The Travel Team has become the ninth agency to join the organization.

"I was interested in joining TMA because of the organization's reputation and the quality of the individual partners," said Travel Team president, Jean McDonnell Covelli, today in a statement. "They are respected leaders in the travel industry with whom I'm honored to associate. I welcome the opportunity to share ideas and benchmark our business against some of the best managed travel companies in the nation."

The Travel Team, which in 2004 had more than $44 million in ARC air sales, reported that 96 percent of the company's air sales last year were derived from business travel. A wholly owned subsidiary of Rich Products Corp., a privately held company with more than $2 billion in worldwide sales, the agency last year served 954 separate corporate accounts.

"Jean's been a great member so far and we're glad to have her," said TMA chairman Larry Austin, noting that The Travel Team officially joined the Alliance at the group's meeting six weeks ago. "It's really been an exchange of ideas and information. Jean's also the travel manager for Rich's department store and she's been able to share the circumstances she encounters in both roles."

TMA adds The Travel Team to its roster, which, the organization notes, collectively generates more than $2.5 billion in gross sales, with 500 ticketing locations in the United States and Europe. TMA partners are Liberty Travel of New Jersey, Austin Travel and Linden Travel Bureau of New York, Colpitts World Travel of Massachusetts, Robustelli World Travel and Worldtek Travel of Connecticut, Executive Travel Associates of Washington, D.C., and Tower Travel Management of Illinois.