Certares Takes Full Ownership of Avoya Travel, Andersons Depart
by Dori Saltzman
Certares Inc. has take full ownership of Avoya Travel, effective immediately. As a result of the ownership change, the Anderson family, which founded the Anderson Travel Agency (the predecessor of Avoya Travel) back in 1990, are leaving the company. Brothers Jeff and Michael will remain involved through mid-June to assist in the transition.
According to Certares, “This change reflects a strong vote of confidence in Avoya’s business model, platform, and future growth trajectory.”
The remainder of Avoya’s executive leadership team – including Phil Cappelli (chief sales officer) and Mark Francone (CFO) – will remain in place to ensure operational continuity and to support future growth of the Host agency in partnership with Certares.
“We’re grateful to Jeff Anderson and Michael Anderson, who helped build Avoya into an innovative leader in leisure travel,” Cappelli wrote in an email announcing the transition.
Certares first took partial ownership of the Host agency in 2021. Other travel brands that Certares has partial ownership of include: Internova Travel Group, LATAM Airlines, and several other hospitality and hotel groups.
