Date: December 16th 2009

Dear Travel Industry Colleagues,

As 2009 ends, I would like to sincerely thank you for a year of extraordinary collaboration in formulating and advocating positions on issues of strategic importance to corporate buyers, their travelers and the business travel industry. Together we continued to advance an advocacy model that breaks down silos and efficiently and effectively energizes the travel industry community toward action.

You reviewed Industry Position Papers, were Signatories to supplier and government letters in Germany, Belgium and the U.S., attended meetings with officials in Brussels and Washington, participated in a U.S. Passenger Rights Stakeholder Hearing, provided front-line as well as strategic feedback on industry developments and spoke directly to suppliers and governments with unmistakable resolve.  

The issues we engaged during 2009 -- some new, and some carryovers from previous years -- included U.S. regional airline safety, aircraft maintenance outsourcing, travel distribution in Europe and North America, airline credit card cost-transfer, managed travel data privacy, passenger rights legislation, Open Skies and airline alliance immunization and aviation system congestion and delays.

BTC has long-articulated its strong belief that there are many more problems in our industry than there are travel organizations or resources to address them; travel groups working together best serve their constituencies’ interests. In that regard 2009 has been another productive year and I would like to pay special thanks to several organizations with whom BTC collaborated in 2009.

In addition to individual corporate travel managers, TMC executives and other prominent industry participants, the following organizations provided truly outstanding leadership during 2009:

Advantage Focus Partnership
Aerospace States Association
Air Transport Division - TWU of America AFL–CIO
Allied Pilots Association
American Society of Travel Agents
Association of Corporate Travel Executives
Association of European Airlines
Association of Professional Flight Attendants
Association of Retail Travel Agents
Belgian Association of Travel Management
Bonaire Hotel & Tourism Association
Consumer Travel Alliance
Consumers Union
Danish Business Travel Association
Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group
European Transport Workers' Federation
Finnish Business Travel Association
German Business Travel Association
Institute of Travel & Meetings
International Airline Passengers Association
International Association of Exhibitions and Events
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division
Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition
National Business Travel Association
Netherlands Association for Travel Management
Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association
Travel Agents Federation of India
Travel Management Alliance

Looking forward, BTC will focus on the following strategic issues in 2010:

• establishing Principles and Standards for airline product unbundling and ancillary fees;
• strengthening the integrity and sustainability of corporate managed travel programs;
• supporting initiatives that seek to ensure airline and travel industry financial sustainability;
• encouraging coherent transportation and air transportation policies in Brussels and Washington; and
• advancing the Registered Traveler 2.0 program.

I look forward to collaborating with you in 2010 and protecting and advancing our mutual interests.

Best regards and Happy New Year!
 
Kevin Mitchell
Chairman
Business Travel Coalition
mitchell@BusinessTravelCoalition.com
001.610.341.1850

 

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