Atlas Looks in the Rearview Mirror
as It Begins Its 25th Year in Business

As Atlas Travel International begins its silver anniversary year, there's good reason for celebration. This company, founded in 1986 by Elaine Osgood, has earned a reputation as one of the most respected travel management firms in North America. Many things have changed in the travel industry over the past quarter century, but Atlas Travel's commitment to its customers, employees and the evolution of the travel industry has never wavered. Here's a look in the rearview mirror…

When Atlas Travel was founded, almost half of the world's flying public was based in the U.S. and legacy carriers dominated the industry. When Elaine opened that first office, she had already recognized that the repeat nature of corporate travel would be the foundation of her agency, in good times and in more challenging ones as well. As she launched her second career (having been an advocate for children in the welfare and public school systems until 1986), she had one employee and no customers. She knocked on lots of doors and slowly…ever so slowly…convinced businesses to trust her with their travelers.

In the 1990s, the low-cost airlines (Southwest, JetBlue, AirTran) emerged, presenting legacy air carriers with a serious challenge to their dominance and profitability. In response to the economic conditions, legacy carriers decreased commissions paid to travel agencies from 10% to 8%, then 5%, and finally to 0. At the same time, the entrance of Expedia, Orbitz and other online tools into the marketplace heralded a sea change that, in combination with economic factors, forced many regional agencies out of business. Atlas Travel saw this as an opportunity. It was one decade after she opened, in 1996, that Elaine left the Uniglobe franchise and Atlas Travel International struck out on its own as an independent travel force in New England and across the country.

Reflecting Elaine's personal tenacity, creativity and positive energy, Atlas Travel focused on innovating travel technology as a key piece of the industry's evolution in the 1990s. The agency initiated online booking capability, launched what has become the gold standard in reporting and developed a first-to-market tracker for unused tickets.

With a keen belief that travel technology was a tool, but not a panacea, Elaine continued to invest in people. Unwilling to concede that distance or geography could impact the quality of the agents that she could attract to her agency, Elaine built a network of virtual offices as a means of attracting and retaining the best travel professionals in the nation. Over its second decade, Atlas Travel's virtual agency would stretch across all U.S. time zones to best serve her growing list of corporate customers. Atlas Travel clients continue to report regularly that it is the agency's “personal touch” that sets it apart.

When airline reimbursement vanished, Atlas Travel reached out to its clients to discuss the need to charge fees. These customers responded with loyalty and referrals (the main source of Atlas Travel's continued growth).  

In 2001, the travel industry and our country suffered incomparable loss; once again, Atlas Travel clients rallied as everyone pushed through a difficult recovery. In January 2005, as an upturn was within reach, a travel summit entitled "Letting the GNE out of the bottle" dealt with the impact of new distribution providers entering the marketplace. Airlines were serious about further reducing costs.

In 2006, the legacy Global Distribution Systems rolled out an "optional program" that guaranteed access to all available fares, at a cost. This time, as a thank you to clients, Atlas did not pass increased costs along to them. That year, Atlas Travel moved up to #10 in the Top 100 Woman-Led Businesses in Massachusetts, becoming the only travel agency to make that list.

As Atlas approached the quarter-century mark, the agency and its customers faced a global recession and tectonic changes in the landscape of travel. As mega agencies gobbled up many of the regional firms, Atlas Travel International has continued to challenge the status quo and has remarkably seen its best years yet. In the past five years, Atlas has grown from just under $60M to nearly $200M.

We thank each and every one of you for choosing Atlas Travel International. We never forget that it is your loyalty and support that has made this company a success. We look forward to continuing our relationship as we continue our evolution.