Inside Travel's Political Spending: Where the Industry's Money Is Going Now

Skift

24-06-2025

Federal law prohibits corporations from contributing directly to federal political candidates, but these funds from executives can still go a long way to furthering their policy interests.
During 2025, travel companies and trade associations have been using their federal political action committees to send millions of dollars to candidates and national parties, according to a Skift analysis of Federal Election Commission records.
Federal law prohibits corporations from contributing directly to federal political candidates and committees. But they can sponsor PACs, generally funding them through contributions from executives.
Those PACs can then make political contributions to the campaigns of members of Congress, so-called 'leadership PACs' controlled by members of Congress and national political party committees. Most make contributions on a bipartisan basis. The money helps bolster travel interests' other public policy influence efforts, such as directly lobbying lawmakers.
Here's a rundown of notable travel and tourism industry PACs and their financial activity through the first five months of 2025:
American Hotel & Lodging Association
Amount Given: More than $661,000 among about 150 political candidates and committees.
Major Recipients: These national party committees got $15,000 each: The National Republican Congressional Committee; National Republican Senatorial Committee; Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Congressional campaign committees: House Republican Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) are among the PAC's top recipients this year.
What AHLA says: The AHLA's PAC says it 'protects our industry's interests and strengthens our political voice in the electoral process on the federal, state, and local levels' and aims to 'build relationships with candidates running for elected office who advocate on behalf of the hotel industry.'
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, AHLA's PAC has donated a slightly greater amount of money to Republican interests than Democratic candidates, according to federal data analyzed by nonpartisan political research organization OpenSecrets.
The PAC entered June with nearly $900,000 in reserve.
Delta Air Lines
Amount Given: $376,000 among nearly 100 political candidates and committees.
Major Recipients: The leadership PACs of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), which each received $5,000. The Congressional Black Caucus PAC also received $5,000.
Delta's PAC has contributed $15,000 each to the National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
What Delta Says: Delta's criteria for making a PAC contribution includes a candidate's leadership position, committee assignments, stances on key company priorities, representation of Delta operations and people and the 'likelihood of election success,' as well as his or her 'ethics and their commitment to working towards racial equality,' according to a political contributions and activity report Delta published last year.
'No single criteria category determines whether a candidate does or does not receive a contribution and contributions are evaluated on an on-going basis,' the report states.
Red vs. Blue: Delta's PAC has shown a preference during the past decade for donating to Republican candidates over Democratic candidates, according to OpenSecrets.
Delta's PAC entered June with more than $236,000 cash on hand.
American Airlines
Amount Given: $174,000 among nearly 80 political candidates and committees.
Major Recipients: The National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee — $15,000 each. The campaign committee of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund are among federal committees booking $5,000 each so far this year.
In April, American Airlines' PAC also gave $5,000 to the campaign committee of Mattie Parker, the Republican mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, where American Airlines is headquartered.
What American Airlines Says: PAC contributions 'are made in support of issues important to our company and the aviation industry, and to our team members' and shareholders' interests in the company. They are not based on the personal political preferences of individual team members, executives or board members,' according to American Airlines' Public Policy Engagement and Political Participation policy.
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, American Airlines' PAC has tended to favor Republican candidates over Democratic candidates with its contributions, although it gave slightly more to Democrats than Republicans during the 2023-2024 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.
American Airlines' PAC entered June with more than $242,000.
United Airlines
Amount Given: More than $152,000 among more than 60 politicians and political committees.
Major Recipients: Topping the list at $15,000 each are the National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
United's federal PAC also gave $10,000 in April to the campaign committee of Houston Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat. United maintains a hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
In March, the PAC also gave $1,000 to the campaign of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who died in May.
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, United's PAC has been decidedly bipartisan in its political giving, contributing to Democratic and Republican candidates almost evenly, according to OpenSecrets.
United's PAC reported more than $104,000 cash on hand entering June, according to FEC records.
Southwest Airlines
Amount Given: $82,000 among about 40 different candidates and political committees.
Major Recipients: House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) are among those receiving Southwest's largest PAC donations this year — $5,000.
What Southwest Says: 'Our intention is for all political contributions to promote company interests and not be influenced by the private political preferences of any employee,' Southwest states in its '2024 One Report' that in part details its public policy and corporate governance goals.
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, Southwest's PAC has split its donations almost evenly between Republicans and Democrats, according to OpenSecrets.
Southwest's PAC entered June with more than $376,000 in reserve, FEC records indicate.
Alaska Air Group
Amount Given: $37,000 to about two-dozen political candidates and committees. This is a modest amount and makes Alaska a smaller player among U.S. airlines.
Major Recipients: Top recipients of $5,000 each include the leadership PACs of Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and ASPIRE PAC, which is led by the Asian American and Pacific Islander Members of Congress organization.
What Alaska Air Says: 'No political contribution will be given or offered in anticipation or recognition of, or in exchange for, an official act,' Alaska Air Group states in its Policy on Political Contributions and Engagement. The policy lists candidate qualifications, candidate voting record and 'whether the candidate represents a geographic area where the Company has a major business presence, holds a leadership position, or serves on a committee with jurisdiction over policies and regulations important to the company' among the factors it considers before making a contribution.
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, the PAC has slightly favored Democratic candidates over Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets.
Alaska Air Group's PAC entered June with about $82,000 in reserve.
Airlines for America
Amount Given: The trade association's PAC has distributed $19,000 among a dozen political candidates and committees during the first five months of 2025, according to FEC records.
Major Recipients: The top recipient so far this year is the leadership PAC of Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), which received $5,000. Wicker serves on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, Airlines for America has favored Republican candidates over Democratic candidates, although its contributions have been almost even of late, according to OpenSecrets.
The PAC had more than $196,000 cash on hand entering June, FEC records indicate.
U.S. Travel Association
Amount Given: The association's PAC made its largest contribution this year — $30,000 — to the Johnson Leadership Fund, a joint fundraising committee led by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), which helps fund Johnson's campaign committee and leadership PAC, as well as the NRCC.
Major Recipients: The campaigns of Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), are among those receiving the most money from the association's PAC.
What the U.S. Travel Association Says: The PAC says it aims to 'support members of Congress and candidates who appreciate the vast benefits travel provides for the U.S. economy and American families' and 'educate federal policymakers about the economic, social and diplomatic importance of travel.'
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, the PAC has shown a slight preference for Republican candidates over Democratic candidates but generally donates on a bipartisan basis, according to OpenSecrets.
In all, the PAC has spread more than $142,000 across about 30 federal committees this year, and entered June with about $254,000 cash on hand, according to FEC records.
Asian American Hotel Owners Association
Amount Given: The association's PAC is a powerful force in Washington, D.C., which is evident by the more than $500,000 overall it's contributed to political candidates and committees during the first five months of 2025, according to FEC records.
More than 100 committees have benefitted so far this year.
Major Recipients: Its largest contribution: $80,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Association's PAC.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have each received $15,000.
Other top candidate recipients include the campaign committees of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and James Comer (R-Ky.), which each received $5,000.
What the Asian American Hotel Owners Association says: The PAC says it has 'aggressively cultivated relationships with elected officials in Washington, D.C.' and 'makes donations to legislators on both sides of the aisle who are on relevant committees, in leadership positions, or influencing policy that would make a difference for our members.'
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, the PAC has slightly favored Republican candidates over Democratic candidates, according to OpenSecrets.
The association entered June with more than $2.27 million in reserve.
American Society of Travel Advisors
Amount Given: The PAC has contributed almost $30,000 among eight federal political committees this year, with the leadership PAC of Thune and the campaign committee Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) each receiving top contributions of $5,000.
What the American Society of Travel Advisors Says: The PAC operates to ensure 'we're speaking with one voice in educating elected federal officials about our issues,' according to its website.
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, the PAC has swung back and forth across election cycles between favoring Democratic candidates and Republican candidates with its contributions, according to OpenSecrets.
The PAC had more than $676,000 cash on hand entering June, according to FEC records.
Global Business Travel Association
Amount Given: Relatively quiet so far this year, the association's PAC has spread just $6,000 among five political committees during the first five months of 2025, per FEC records.
Major Recipients: Top recipients of $1,500 each are the Graham Majority Fund — a joint fundraising committee led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — and the campaign committee of Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.).
Red vs. Blue: During the past decade, the PAC has generally donated money on a bipartisan basis, according to OpenSecrets.
Entering June, the PAC reported more than $137,000 cash on hand, FEC records indicate.
Boeing
The PAC of the American airplane and aerospace giant has contributed nearly $1 million to political candidates and committees this year, spreading the money among nearly 300 of them, Skift first reported last week.
What About the Rest?
Because of a quirk in federal law, corporate, trade, and special interest PACs may choose to file financial disclosures on a semiannual basis during nonelection years.
Several travel industry PACs have chosen to do so, including those sponsored by Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, MGM Resorts, Wynn Resorts, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Airbnb, Lyft, Airbus Americas, Cruise Lines International Association, and Expedia.
This means that they won't reveal their PAC finances during the first half of 2025 until next month, and then, not again until January.