American Express News

American Express to cut jobs as travellers move to mobile
Credit card provider American Express has confirmed it will cut 5,400 jobs from its global workforce, with the brunt of losses being borne by the travel division. The cuts will be from a total workforce of approximately 63,500 and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Avios links with American Express for currency conversion
UK travel rewards programme Avios and American Express have formed a new partnership enabling members to collect points when exchanging foreign currency at all Express Exchange airport bureaux in the UK and Moneycorp London Gatwick airport locations. Avios members can make their money work harder for them, earning one Avios for every £1 exchanged when currency is ordered online or at the airport.

John Caldwell joins American Express Global Business Travel
American Express Global Business Travel announced today that 30-year business travel industry veteran John Caldwell has joined its Advisory Services organization as a senior consultant.
Petruccelli steps down at American Express
American Express has announced Charles Petruccelli, president, global business travel will be retiring on December 31st after 36 years of service with the company. Petruccelli led the Global Business Travel division for ten years through momentous change and turmoil for the industry that included the events of September 11th, 2001; the SARS outbreak; the shift to online and zero airline commissions; the emergence of airline and hotel alliances; wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the global financial crisis and economic recession.

American Express launches Mobile Communications Management
American Express Global Business Travel has announced the launch of Mobile Communications Management, a dynamic, visual traveller tracking and integrated two-way messaging solution.

American Express and La Quinta sign Hotel Folio agreement
American Express today announced a new Hotel Folio alliance with La Quinta Inns & Suites, one of the largest operators of limited-service hotels in the US with over 80,000 rooms and more than 800 hotels across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

American Express Middle East enhances partnership with Gulf Air to turn points into miles
In its continuing effort to reinforce and enhance the longstanding partnership with Gulf Air, American Express® Middle East announced today the latest of its exciting offers with Gulf Air.
American Express & Starwood Hotels Resorts predict post recession rise in ‘Bleisure Travel’
New research released today from American Express and Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ loyalty programme – Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG) – has revealed the trend for ‘bleisure travel’

Mark Douglas, Vice President, American Express @ WTA Grand Final 2009
BTN interviews Mark Douglas, Vice President, American Express on winning World’s Leading Business Travel Agency at the 16th annual World Travel Awards staged at the five-star Grosvenor House, a JW Hotel in London

UK holidaymakers hoard nearly £1billion in forgotten currency
UK holidaymakers could be sitting on a pot of cash of over £800 million* in forgotten foreign currency, the equivalent of over 350,000 return flights to New York** or 1.5 million family holidays to Spain. According to a study released today, each UK traveller**** has on average the equivalent of more than £40 in unspent holiday money left over from previous trips.

Air fares and hotel rates on the rise
The difference in price between business and economy airfares paid by UK business travellers widened in the second quarter of 2009, according to a report by American Express. Top end business fares went up by 1.3% while low end business fares fell by 19.5%, according to the American Express Business Travel Monitor Europe. Meanwhile economy class high fares fell by 11.7%, but the lower fares fell by almost 20%.

Amex Dives into Virtual Meetings
American Express Business Travel today unveiled virtual meetings eXpert, a unique telepresence solution that will act as a central hub and aggregator of both public telepresence facilities and the private network a company may already have in place.