Liberty Travel

Liberty Travel
Industry Travel
Founded New York, NY; 1951
Founder Fred Kassner and Gilbert Haroche
Headquarters Ramsey, New Jersey, USA
Number of employees
 2,200
Parent Flight Centre Ltd.
Subsidiaries Gogo Worldwide Vacations
Website www.libertytravel.com

Liberty Travel is a retail travel and cruise company headquartered at 69 Spring Street in Ramsey, New Jersey, United States.[1][2][3] In 2013, Liberty Travel had 170 stores in 14 states, and a total of 2,200 employees.[4][5]

Liberty Travel owns Gogo Worldwide Vacations, which markets vacation packages wholesale to independent retail travel agencies.[1][2]

In 2008, Flight Centre Ltd., the largest travel company in Australia, acquired Liberty Travel and Gogo for $135 million.[2][6][7]

History

Liberty Travel was co-founded in 1951 by Fred Kassner and Gilbert Haroche, New York University classmates who started as a two-man operation in New York City.[1][8] Initially, they focused on travel to the Catskills and Miami.[1] They offered all-inclusive vacation packages that the general public could afford, which was at the time a novel approach.[1][9]

Gilbert Haroche has been called the originator of the package vacation with the companies "deluxe economy package" offered in the early 1950s.[10] Thereafter new destinations were added one by one and the concept took off alongside the age of jet travel. Haroche expanded the stores and became responsible for the retail side of the business (Liberty Travel) whereas Fred Kassner, his founding partner, became responsible for the wholesale business, Gogo Tours, which sold packages to agencies. [11]

As of 1998, Liberty Travel had 200 stores in the Northeastern United States and Florida, and was the largest privately owned leisure travel chain in the U.S., with over one million customers annually.[1][12]

Recent News

Liberty Travel was featured on ABC's Nightline in September 2011 on the subject of Travel Agencies and how this business model is still relevant to today's travelers.[13]

In May 2012, Liberty Travel introduced their new CEO, Emma Jupp.[14]

In 2012, they opened a 10,000-square-foot flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City, with plans to open 10 more similar storefronts as large as 8,000 square feet around the United States in the next 5 years.[15]

In 2013, they partnered with USA Today on the publication’s yearly 10Best award in travel.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Edwin McDowell (October 8, 1998). "Fred Kassner, 71, Who Made Travel Affordable for Many". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) Wins Two Flight Center USA Awards". South Florida Caribbean News. October 19, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.libertytravel.com/media/media-kit.pdf
  4. ↑ "About Liberty Travel". Libertytravel.com. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Liberty Travel, Inc. – Company Profile by Insideview". Insideview.com. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  6. ↑ "The travel industry's long, strange trip – The Deal Pipeline". Thedeal.com. November 11, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  7. ↑ Marx, Anthony (December 20, 2010). "Flight Centre buys US travel outfit". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  8. ↑ Tharp, Paul (October 7, 1998). "Liberty Travel Founder Dies". The New York Post. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  9. ↑ "About Liberty Travel". Libertytravel.com. May 17, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/where_travel_begins_liberty_travel
  11. ↑ http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Fred-Kassner,-cofounder-of-Liberty,-Gogo,-dead-at-71/
  12. ↑ Arney, June (August 22, 2000). "Travel chain coming to Maryland New Jersey-based Liberty Travel plans 12 more branches; Travel". The Sun. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  13. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vPJoJUld8o&feature=youtu.be
  14. ↑ http://www.travelagentcentral.com/consortia/gogo-and-liberty-get-new-presidents-35418
  15. ↑ Levere, Jane L. (November 20, 2012). "Liberty Travel Opens a Flagship in Midtown Manhattan". The New York Times.
  16. ↑ "Best all-inclusive resorts for romance". USA Today. October 27, 2013.

External links

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