John Haskins Keeps A Focus On Capitol Improvements

In a hyper-charged election year, everyone has a political opinion, observes John Haskins, co-owner of Viking Travel/The Cruise Shop. But Haskins doesn’t save his political interests for the presidential elections. He works tirelessly, every year, to raise funds for ASTA PAC, and is active both in his home state and in Washington, D.C. He has built a national reputation within his profession for his commitment to advancing the interests of travel agents. 

“John Haskins is an institution, and we can’t thank him enough for his lifelong dedication to ASTA, the Midwest Chapter and the industry as a whole,” said Ann Chamberlin, ASTA SVP of operations.  

“John is our hero,” agreed Csilla Dali, president of the Midwest Chapter and owner of My Global Voyages. “He is relentless in his efforts to educate our agents on the importance of ASTAPAC and the work that is being done on our behalf in Washington. John has everyone’s love and respect, and for me personally he is an inspiration and role model.” 

“It’s hard to find enough superlatives for John’s commitment,” said ASTA SVP of government & industry affairs Eben Peck. “He is a true prodigy and he has chosen to devote his gift toward raising money for ASTA. He is a genuinely nice guy, and a little competitive. I’m not sure exactly what buttons he presses, but he gets the job done. After talking to him for a few minutes, the only question left to ask is ‘How much should I make the check out for?’ ” 

Haskins’ appraisal is a little more humble. “We’ve been somewhat successful in our chapter raising money for the ASTA PAC,” he concedes. 

Haskins’ commitment to ASTA dates back to 2005, when he became chairman of One Voice and helped establish ASTAPAC’s charitable match program. More recently his Midwest Chapter has won the first two annual ASTA Chapter Advocacy Awards, for raising more than $140,000 in the past five years. “Being an agent is a personal business. That’s what we build our business on, the trust that people put in us to book their travel. It’s the same with raising money,” he says. 

ASTA president & CEO Zane Kerby hopes more agents make the connection between donating to ASTAPAC and a return on their investment. He notes that early versions of the FAA reauthorization bill called for five new disclosure obligations for each air ticket sold, which would have cost the average agency over $5,900 per year in training and “talk time” costs. But ASTA’s strong PAC made it possible to “get our voices heard by the Members of Congress who matter most and strip those disclosures out of the final bill.” 

“PAC money gives us a fighting chance in the legislative arena against well-funded adversaries.  We all owe him a debt of gratitude,” Peck said.  

Haskins derives a sense of pride and accomplishment from being part of the political process. “Last year, when we had advocacy day in Washington, we probably had double the number of attendees as we have had in the past,” he said. “I wish everyone would experience that once, walking the halls in Congress.” 

“Thanks to his efforts and unwavering support, the travel agency community is well represented on Capitol Hill,” said Chamberlin, who has known Haskins since 1990. 

Dali credits Haskins’ persistence with his success. “He doesn’t take no for an answer.” 

But Haskins still remembers when his colleague Ernie Held first introduced him to fundraising, asking him to cold-call people to ask them to donate to ASTA PAC. “I froze in my tracks,” he recalled. “I had never done anything like that. I couldn’t imagine calling someone for money. I never thought I would reach the end of the list Ernie gave me.”  

But each year, he seemed to become more and more involved. While he loves what he does, he says he has tried to hand off his chapter fundraising responsibilities every year for the past few years. “I’ve resigned three times, I think,” Haskins laughs, and then sighs. And then laughs again. “I’m probably going to be here for a while.”