WASHINGTON — Credit union travel budgets for 2009 seem certain to take a big hit when year-end forecasting rolls around this fall, say CU executives, but for now a spate of industry conferences this summer are holding up well despite soaring air fares with one, CUNA's Credit Union Conference & Expo in New York, expecting a 10% attendance jump.

“We're all clearly concerned about those rising air fares for budgeting this fall but our costs for executive travel for 2008 were projected last year and so far I've seen no knee-jerk reaction to change things now,” said Paul Stull, senior vice president of the $1.1 billion Arizona State CU of Phoenix.

Stull's view that a sagging economy and the sudden spike in gas and air travel, while worrisome, is not likely to change conference planning for the time being seem to be shared by CUs across the U.S. based on a Credit Union Times sampling.

Meanwhile, CUNA citing the popularity of New York as a draw said it's projecting 1,600 attendees for its Expo conference June 29-July 2 in New York with all of its 160 booths sold out.

And NAFCU projected its annual conference a week later, July 8-12 in San Diego, will have a good turnout though it will fall short as expected of its Hawaii conference last year, which drew 2,000. CUNA Mutual Group said its annual Discovery conference which opens next week in Hollywood, Fla. will have 780 attendees “not significantly different than past years.”