2009 started with a bang! Drew Axelrod, a veteran agent and successful meeting planner, filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against JoyStar/TravelStar, an agency based in Aliso Viejo, CA, in federal bankruptcy court in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Joining 14 other JoyStar-affiliated agents from across the U.S., Axelrod is also encouraging other JoyStar agents to join in the action. A former JoyStar agent, Axelrod is owner of Cruise Groups International, Fort Lauderdale.

In an interview with Travel Agent, Axelrod said that the initial group of 15 agents is owed an estimated $150,000 in unpaid commissions from JoyStar, a unit of TravelStar. Axelrod says that the total outstanding could rise to 30- to 50 agents who may be owned as much as $250,000 in unpaid commissions.

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