Garden City First AAA Location to Establish Travel Store

You know about their 24-hour roadside assistance and the discount tickets to theme parks, but there is probably a lot you don't know about the AAA New York travel store, located at 229 Seventh Street in Garden City.

It was the first AAA location in New York to establish a travel store. That was more than 10 years ago. Today, every AAA location has a retail store. Garden City's provides a host of services – from booking a cruise to buying last-minute items to carry onboard a flight.

In an Internet age when consumers can go online and purchase airline tickets or book a cruise themselves, many travel agencies have suffered. Some have gone out of business or been taken over. AAA has felt the impact in some areas, too, such as its TripTik business, which is down a few percentage points. But the economies of scale that a North American organization like AAA can leverage helps it withstand the economic hard times.

In a still-soft economy, business is fairly brisk at the Garden City location.

"We still have our die-hard members who have been with us 50 years and who come in here and go through TripTik Travel Planner page by page," says Judy Civitano, manager, AAA New York. "Some people want their hand held, they want that extra attention, and that's something you cannot get on the Internet."

The AAA Garden City office on Seventh Street has 13 employees, including five auto travel agents for domestic travel and four travel agents for airline and international travel. Two of the agents have more than 25 years with the company.

"You can't beat the experience we have, we have a lot of longevity here," said Civitano, who has worked 37 years for AAA, starting when she was in high school.

Travel agents at AAA are committed to providing good customer service. They go through an extensive 12-week training program before being hired.  

People Are Traveling Again

Civitano said there has been a definite upswing in travel this year among AAA members, many of them Garden City residents. From cruises to the Caribbean to long weekends in New England, Civitano says "there are a lot of last-minute, budget-type trips, and we are seeing more luxury travel as well. It's not where it once was but it definitely has picked up. Everyone needs to unwind, to relax. They need to get away and detox."

The AAA travel store is stocked with luggage, backpacks, tote and duffel bags, travel books and specialty maps, automotive and travel accessories and children's games. Members save a minimum of 20 percent on brand-name items including Samsonite, American Tourister and Lewis & Clark.

The baggallini bags, which were designed by flight attendants, are particularly popular because they are lightweight, durable and feature numerous pockets to store tickets, currency, passports and sunglasses.

"People who have shopped at other places come here and can't believe how affordable the prices are, especially for members," Civitano said.

The AAA New York travel store in Garden City is open Monday through Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.