From the Golden Age of TWA to the Future of Luxury Travel: A Conversation with Craig Pavlus

It Started in the Golden Age of Flight

Ask Craig what first-class travel meant in the 1960s and ’70s and he lights up. As a young man inside TWA’s Royal Ambassador Service, he watched elegant meals carved and plated tableside — crisp linens, fine china, and as many as seven entrées offered over a leisurely two-hour dinner. His order? Usually the chateaubriand or the lamb chops.

“The silverware was actually real silver!” he recalls — and prime sirloin, broiled to each guest’s taste, was so central to the experience that TWA featured it in its advertising.

That front-row seat to hospitality at its finest shaped everything that followed. Craig began his career at TWA as a ticket and gate agent, rose to President of TWA Getaway Vacations, and went on to serve as Senior Vice President of Marketing — front-to-back industry experience, from the customer-service counter to executive strategy, that still guides how Pavlus operates today.

Seeing the Future in a Web Browser

Craig pinpoints the moment everything changed: 1993, and the arrival of the NCSA Mosaic web browser. Though it was built for military and academic use, he saw something else entirely — a way to reach customers anywhere, at any hour.

“It could place a company’s visibility, products, services and marketing messages in front of consumers everywhere across the world. And it could do so at any time of the day or night,” he says.

Because the browser could display text and images together in clean, magazine-style layouts, even a small company could compete with the giants. It was the insight that helped grow Pavlus Travel into a national cruise and tour specialist.

What Luxury Means Now — and What Never Changes

Luxury travelers, Craig notes, still want those first- and business-class seats — and they sell out quickly — while coach and premium economy too often disappoint on legroom and comfort. Hardware evolves, expectations shift.

But one thing never changes: “nothing beats top-notch, friendly customer service that’s personalized to each individual traveler and makes them feel valued.” Superb hospitality training and genuinely skilled people, he says, remain the heart of every great travel experience.

Great Prices, and Never a Service Fee

In more than three decades, Craig points out, Pavlus has “never charged a customer a service fee,” while consistently offering below-retail pricing through supplier relationships built over many years. How is that sustainable? Several things working together:

• Loyal client referrals that keep advertising costs low
• Millions in annual airfare sales that strengthen the business
• A lean, remote, full-time team — skilled personal travel planners, guest-services staff, an experienced air team, IT experts, and managers — rather than heavy layers of overhead

As Craig puts it, the company keeps “skilled personal travel planners, guest services staffers, those air team members, IT experts, administrative employees, managers and others. All are full-time employees.”

Cruising Isn’t One Size Fits All

“Cruising definitely isn’t one size fits all,” Craig says. With more than 50 cruise lines and 325-plus oceangoing ships in every size imaginable, the key is working with a planner who asks about your preferences — not their own.

The most common mistake? Choosing the wrong type of cruise altogether. “If it didn’t jibe with their personal travel style and interests, it simply wasn’t the right type of cruise for them,” he explains. The fix is a real conversation about the purpose of the trip — a romantic getaway, a family reunion, solo travel, a themed sailing — and the trips you’ve loved most in the past.

Why Cruising Still Wins

Four things, Craig says, keep luxury travelers coming back to the water:

• Enticing destinations all around the globe
• A complete, unpack-once vacation — no constant packing and repacking
• Exceptional dining and fine wines at sea
• A range of luxury brands and ship sizes to match every style

He points to a recent sailing aboard Explora Journeys’ 900-guest Explora I. Despite the ship’s size, there were “only about 400 couples or solo travelers staying in 461 suites” — which made for “a very relaxing experience with luxurious amenities, inclusive value, and excellent service.”

The Voyage That Exceeded Every Expectation

One recent journey stood out above the rest: Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Grandeur. Craig loved the “world-class art displayed around the ship,” the wealth of activities, and “feeling as though I was staying in an outstanding luxury hotel.” The service sealed it — “crew members remember your name if you have a cocktail at the bar.”

And then there was dessert. He still raves about the Caramel Popcorn Sundae at the ship’s Prime 7 steakhouse: “made-from-scratch vanilla and chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, popcorn, bourbon caramel, whipped cream, and salted peanuts.”

Off the Clock

What might surprise people? Craig is a die-hard Las Vegas Raiders fan and a proud season-ticket holder — for 50 years, through the team’s Oakland and Los Angeles eras and on to Las Vegas. He also loves the city’s live music (he’s caught both The Eagles and Shania Twain) and its endless great dining. Whatever the genre, he appreciates it all.

His Advice for Your Next Trip

“Look at where you’ve been and where you’ve experienced some of your best adventures. Then begin looking at similar destinations or experiences,” Craig advises. The next step matters just as much: talk with a personal travel planner about what you love. “At Pavlus, we encourage our customers to do just that, and we take time to listen. It’s a vital step.”

That philosophy keeps earning recognition — Pavlus was recently honored with Travel Leaders Network’s “Power of Partnership ‘Elevated Luxury’ Award.”

Adapted from Craig Pavlus’s interview with Dave’s Travel Corner (interview by Teh Chin Liang). Quotations are Craig’s own.