Did you hear? The once-steamy love affair between travel agents and cruise lines is on the skids. Many agents are turning away from selling contemporary and premium ocean cruises and toward selling luxury cruises, river cruises, tours and land-based vacations. The impact on business has been all positive, they say. These agents aren’t an isolated few. “It’s more than a blip. It’s an issue out there, a multifaceted issue,” says industry consultant Jack E. Mannix, CTC.

This week the Airlines Reporting Corporation introduced Helix, a consortium-like program for travel agents. The move ignited an array of reactions, from mild puzzlement over motivation to certitude that the organization is overstepping its regulatory charter and trampling on what should be its neutral relationship with the travel agency community. Travel Market Report investigates the move, and its implications.