Astada director Milivoj Pavletic has told Hina's correspondent in Washington that the companies involved in the program, Croatia Travel, Pan Adriatic and Travel Time, have boycotted the program because of pressure from Croatia Airlines, Croatia's national air carrier, which has reportedly threatened to stop selling tickets through the three agencies if they started selling the tickets of a rival company.
The Croatia Airlines office in the United States, Croatia America, has dismissed the accusations, stating that the real reason for cancelling the program may be the fact that it is not competitive.
The direct charter line linking New York and Chicago with Zagreb and Split was to have started operating on June 3.