Dozens of representatives of airlines
from throughout the world will gather in San Francisco on 30 March through 1
April for the UATP (Universal Air Travel Plan, Inc.) Annual Airline
Distribution Conference to discuss key trends and recent developments on how
to lower costs for corporate travel and the impact high-level data makes in
maximizing business travel costs.
Nearly 100 senior managers in distribution, finance and marketing from
U.S., European, Asian, and other major airlines and low-cost carriers are
attending the conference, which will feature a variety of cutting-edge and
informative panel discussions, keynote addresses, and training sessions.
Scheduled events include panels on online booking vs. travel agencies and
direct connections, trade-offs between price and service in business travel,
the effects of low-cost carriers on business travel and managing the risk of
online fraud.  Keynote speakers include David Hilfman, vice president, sales
and reservations for Continental Airlines; Trip Davis, CEO of TRX; and David
Field, Americas editor for Airline Business magazine.  UATP issuer sales
training also will be provided to conference attendees.
  “Business travel professionals will find our conference valuable for the
quality presentations, informative discussions on how to lower distribution
costs, and great networking opportunities,” Ralph Kaiser, president and
chairman of UATP, said.  “Anyone wanting to stay abreast of the latest trends
in corporate travel savings, and learn about how UATP is working to better
serve the industry should join us in San Francisco.”

  UATP is a global travel payment network.  UATP accounts are actively
issued by 15 member airlines and accepted as a form of payment for corporate
business travel by more than 200 airlines worldwide.  Airlines currently
issuing UATP accounts include Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, American
Airlines (NYSE: AMR), Austrian Airlines, British Airways (NYSE: BAB),
Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL), Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), Japan Airlines
(OTC: JALSY), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Qantas
Airways, Ltd., Scandinavian Airlines System, United Airlines
(OTC Bulletin Board: UALAQ) and US Airways (Nasdaq: UAIR).  For more
information, visit uatp.com.
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