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U.S. Relief Package Fails Larger Corporate Travel Agencies: Travel and Transport CEO

Matthew Parsons

Skift Take

Kevin O’Malley has joined forces with the biggest agencies in a new lobbying group, but with the virus escalating, it's not guaranteed they'll be able to bend the ear of Washington.

Corporate travel agencies in the U.S. are suffering a double blow. The first decimated bookings as global travel abruptly halted. Now, after watching the devastation spread across Asia and Europe, agencies are bracing for a knockout punch from the next phase of the pandemic. Yes, the government reacted with a $2.2 trillion aid package, said Travel and Transport’s CEO — but he argues it has left many corporate travel agencies, particularly those that are mid-sized, to fend for themselves. Kevin O’Malley spoke to Skift about why he joined forces with rivals to hire a lobby group, how the crisis hit the Omaha-based business, and how he's preparing for the recovery.

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The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Skift: How has Travel and Transport been affected so far? Kevin O’Malley: It’s been quite a journey in a short period of time, to go from a relatively strong January to see our transactions drop off to almost no bookings at this point. There have been some clients traveling, companies doing essential work, or medical work related to hospitals. But mostly our volume has gone down by 95-plus percent. It’s never something you would actually plan for. Skift: What actions have you had to take? O’Malley: Like many in travel, we

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