It doesn't appear that YTB can get a break these days. This is only the latest in bad news for the online travel company.

It was announced in mid January that the Norwegian Crusie Line (NCL) had terminated their business relationship with the travel agency YTB (Your Travel Biz). After years of booking cruises for travel clients of YTB, the two companies have stopped doing business together, as of January 20, 2009.

The report came out that Norwegian Cruise Line quit taking any more new bookings from this travel company full of controversy in the past 2 years. Although, NCL will continue to service the existing YTB reservations, and pay commissions that are still due on bookings made prior to the recent January announcement.

People question how a travel company in the business of booking a variety of travel, including cruise bookings, for a client can continue to function without the support of some of the major travel suppliers in the travel industry.

Companies that have previously terminated their business with YTB are Royal Caribbean (another huge Cruise Line), Azamara, Perrillo, IATAN, Celebrity, (just to name a few). And now they have to add Norwegian Cruise Line to the list of suppliers refusing YTB service. And we all know how huge and successful NCL cruises are to the avid traveler.

YTB has been considered to be a "card mill" by many in our travel industry, and they have been called out on it several times. YTB also faces a lawsuit in September through the state of California, for accusations of an MLM performing a pyamid scheme.

You may have also heard that earlier this year Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) also stopped accepting reservations from independent agents affiliated with the travel company Joystar. Joystar is also considering filing Chapter 11. Travel agents, and others have filed a petition for involuntary bankruptcy against this Joystar travel company.

Rest easy that all online travel companies do not run in the same manner as these troubled agencies. I recommend that you get more information on the travel company TraVerus Travel.

Larry Buhrandt

daytodaytravel@gmail.com

615-824-9772