Interline Value Vacations was founded in 1978 by Alba Mungo.  Alba started her airline career at Flying Tigers, then went on to become the first female sales rep for Alitalia Airlines.  She then worked in the Interline Department and at that point realized although airline employees benefited from free or greatly reduced air travel throughout the world, once they reached their destination, they had no access to reduced-rate hotel, car rentals or other travel-related services.  Thus was Interline Value Vacations born, the first of the “Interline Agencies.”

IVV’s first concentration was on Jamaica and the then-new idea of all-inclusive resorts.  Because all-inclusive resorts already have food, beverage and staff on a continuous basis, selling last-minute nights at a reduced rate brought in revenue that would have otherwise been missed.  Alba convinced these resorts to offer greatly reduced rates to airline employees on a last-minute basis, based on their ability to get there quickly and conveniently on space-available flights.

The next step was cruises, which operate on the similar idea of additional last-minute revenue being found money. 

In 1995 Karen and Katie Bauer purchased the company, and convinced the resorts and cruise lines to open their discounts to our military personnel as well.

In 2006, technology had approached the point where it was possible to make the entire staff home-based.  Interliner (the affectionate term for Interline Value Vacations, based on the internet address) uses Voice Over Internet Phones and a web-based reservations system that allows all agents to immediately see updated records of clients in real-time.  Almost all bookings are done online through special wholesale portals for the cruise lines and resorts, and imported into the Interline res system. This greatly reduces any errors associated with incorrect sailing dates, travel times, etc.  Although the company was founded in Los Angeles and still considers LAX "home", our agents are working from their homes in the US everywhere from New York to California. 

While Interliner is a full-service agency with a toll-free number for client phone calls, a majority of our business is done via email with our world-wide clients.  We communicate on a daily basis with everyone from soldiers in Iraq planning leave to flight attendants on layover in Hong Kong, and of course with a significant amount of state-side airline and military personnel.  And we welcome friends and family who might not qualify for the interline or military discounts.  We will still offer our fabulous service and the best possible rates.

While Interliner was the first of the interline agencies, we are not the largest.  But we are the best.  Our medium size gives us recognition as a top producer for all the major cruise lines and resorts, but allows us to maintain a quality and a personal connection with our clients that the newer, larger agencies cannot.  We are proud of the fact that we stay loyal to our base of airline employees and military personnel.  Interliner is not a division of a huge agency looking for market share from the general public.  We are Interliner, and we intend to stay that way!

Comments welcomed!  Just email karen@interliner.com.