Option to Donate to AIDS Fight When Traveling

Right before Thanksgiving, I had to fly for some training at my company’s headquarters in a different state. Having two small children under 4 years, my husband and I have not traveled by plane in a few years, so I was unprepared when I checked my baggage and the attendant asked me to cough up twenty bucks. I looked at her confusedly and said, “For what?” She said, “Twenty bucks to check your luggage.” I asked if it was overweight and then reminded her I only needed to check ONE bag of luggage, not twenty. She informed me that recent directives had tacked on that extra charge. Nice. Fortunately, the ease in which travel companies tacked on that extra charge may make it easier for them to offer other more charitable initiatives. In fact, pretty soon, air travelers will be able to donate two bucks or more in order to fight the AIDS epidemic ravaging third-world countries.

All donations will be given to the Millennium Foundation through this new MassiveGood initiative. This organization works hand-in-hand with the United Nation and aims to fight diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. The foundation was only recently developed in 2008 and had a hefty goal of designing inventive ways to fundraise for and financially back health goals established by the UN. This foundation is joining resources with UNITAID, an organization backed by the UN that aims to supply lower-cost drugs to developing countries.

Recently, Travelport, Sabre Holdings Corp. and Amadeus (all distributors of airline tickets) made announcements that they would add the option of donating for travelers by early 2011. Naturally, the donation is optional for all those involved in the process of ticket selling and buying, including travel agents, corporate buyers and online travel websites. One part of the process that has not been fully determined is how the travelers who are buying their airline tickets will know they are able to make such a donation. For example, those websites that offer buyers to purchase their tickets online are not going to be part of this new initiative. In addition, there has not been a solid decision whether or not those purchasing for corporate travel will be allowed to make donations.

Pam Wong, the spokeswoman for Sabre, says that her company is currently working on a pilot program “with a small number of agencies, with the goal of having a seamless process in place for travelers to make donations to the Millennium Foundation by early next year.” Wong did not remark on the fate of these changes within Travelocity (a website where buyers can search for discount airfare, hotels and car rentals), which is owned by the Sabre company.

The CEO of Travelport, Jeff Clarke, stated that the option to donate will be available on those tickets purchased in Germany, the U.K. and the United States in the early part of 2011. The option to donate should be as easy as choosing an option to add a hotel stay or car rental to the buyer’s itinerary. He states, “This is just one more choice for the consumer.” He also noted that the companies that provide this option to donate will not receive one cent of the donated money. He adds, “We view it as an investment in goodwill for our customers and the industry.”