For Immediate Release
25 October 2005

ACTE London: First Public Speaking Engagement for BA's CEO

London (October 25, 2005) -- The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) Annual Global Education Conference, “Breaking Barriers--Creating Solutions,” has delivered on its mission to attract a record number of delegates and create a solid platform for debating some of the industry’s most pressing and controversial issues.

In attendance were over 950 delegates, representing a cross-section of travel managers, buyers and suppliers. Of those, 63 percent came from the EMEA region; 35 percent from the Americas; and three percent from Asia Pacific.

“The aim of ACTE’s Educational Conferences is to create a forum for debate, and the key to achieving our objective is to draw powerful industry speakers and have a strong international representation,” says ACTE President Greeley Koch.

In his first public speaking engagement since taking over as CEO of British Airways earlier this month, Willie Walsh set a strong tone for the conference, encouraging an animated discussion about issues that affect members from around the world.

Walsh chose the ACTE podium to communicate his views on such topics as government subsidies, foreign ownerships, GDS deregulation and new entrants into the long-haul, transatlantic market.

Speaking during the opening General Session on October 23, Walsh followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Rod Eddington, adv the United States government for continuing to fund what he termed “dysfunctional” airlines. As a whole, Walsh said the airline industry is “over-regulated and over fragmented [and] too much of the industry has not realised that the customer is king.”

On a more positive note, he said he was confident that the European and American governments would soon reach an agreement that would untangle a “vast web of treaties” and relax current ownership restrictions, paving the way for “new, fitter, more customer-focused operators.”

Walsh predicted the next 18 months would bring about a dramatic change in international ownership laws, and would consequently trigger transatlantic consolidation.

The remainder of the conference will build on this objective, fusing topical break-out sessions with knowledgeable speakers, who will share their views on the cultural, technological, geographical and regulatory challenges facing today’s travel industry executives.

About ACTE
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is a not for profit association established by business travel managers in 1988 to provide meaningful education and networking opportunities. ACTE recognizes the interdependence between corporate travel purchasers and corporate travel suppliers and accords both sectors equal membership. ACTE's membership spans all sectors of business travel, from corporate buyers to agencies to suppliers. ACTE currently serves more than 2,500 executives in over 40 countries.

Note: Photos available ([email protected])

For more information, contact:

Stanislas Berteloot
Regional Director EMEA
Association of Corporate Travel Executives
Tel. + 33 6 80 40 40 56
E-mail: [email protected]

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