JAX FAX's Clif Cooke is ASTA's Travel Journalist of the Year

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. October 14, 2008

ORLANDO, FL, September 10, 2008. Clif Cooke, founding publisher of JAX FAX Travel Marketing Magazine, today received ASTA's Travel Journalist of the Year Award at the Society's annual meeting held during THETRADESHOW. The award recognizes a journalist whose outstanding efforts have contributed to the promotion of the travel agent community.

"Since his days working with the airlines, Clif has learned the travel industry from the ground up. As he moved along his career path and entered the world of publishing, he never lost sight of the importance of travel agents and has geared JAX FAX to meet the needs of this important distribution channel," said Cheryl Hudak, CTC, ASTA president and CEO.

Cooke began his travel career in Pan Am Airlines' passenger services department, where he worked for 11 years, before joining TWA in 1966. After seven years with TWA, Cooke left to start Jet Airtransport Exchange, otherwise known as JAX. JAX developed the first computerized database of global charter flights and established an 800-line to provide travel agents with charter flights information.

After his first year in business, Cooke decided to print and distribute this information on charter flights to travel agents, in effect starting JAX FAX Travel Marketing Magazine. Over the years, with airline deregulation and the growth of consolidators, JAX FAX's focus switched from that of providing charter information to being a directory of airline consolidator information. Since then, JAX FAX has grown to include editorial content as well, including maps, FAM trip listings and more.

Cooke also pioneered in the last 1980s, the Eastern Bloc Travel Agent Training Program, designed to give travel students from Eastern Bloc countries the opportunity to intern with US companies, including JAX FAX and their respective government tourist boards. Cooke graduated from Duke University in 1952. Following his graduation, he served in the Korean War aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, Princeton.

ASTA's (American Society of Travel Agents) mission is to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. ASTA seeks a retail travel marketplace that is profitable, growing and a rewarding place to work, invest and do business.