‘Live With GBTA’ Kicks Off 2012 GBTA Convention With American Airlines Thomas Horton and Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell

Boston, MA, 2012-07-24 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – kicked off 2012 GBTA Convention in Boston, Massachusetts hosting on stage Thomas Horton, CEO of AMR Corporation and American Airlines as well as Ed Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania, author and NBC News Analyst in a welcome session to be remembered. The Welcome Session: GBTA’s Sunday Night Live, was sponsored by J.P. Morgan | AirPlus.

GBTA Executive Director Michael W. McCormick welcomed the crowd of attendees for the opening panel on Sunday night which was in a talk-show style format. The first guest to the stage was Thomas Horton who shared his perspective on the drivers changing the airline industry and what’s in store for AMR through the restructuring and how those changes will impact business travel.

“The US invented the airline industry and we should offer the rest of the world the best of what this industry has. I’m motivated by intense competition and I want to see this company win. I view that as my job,” said Horton. “Over the next five years we will have 550 new airplanes, more than any other legacy airline, making us the youngest fleet in the skies.”

The next guest to the stage was Ed Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania who recently published a memoir, “A Nation of Wusses,” discussing the need for innovation, today’s political landscape and the importance of business travel. Speaking about innovations he said, “We need to bring our frontier spirit back. This US was founded by the ultimate risk takers. We were told we couldn’t build the Erie Canal, they said the Golden Gate Bridge couldn’t be built against the winds. We did all that and we never looked back,” Rendell said. On business travel he said, “It’s important for the government to send people to conferences. They come back with ideas that can save millions of dollars.”

Day two at the 2012 GBTA Convention will be the marquee Airline CEO panel and Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers as the opening keynote speaker during the General Session.
CONTACT:       Meghan Henning, +1 703-236-1133, mhenning@gbta.org
Rebecca Carriero, +1 212-446-1898, rcarriero@sloanepr.com

About the Global Business Travel Association Convention
The GBTA Convention, with more than 6,000 attendees, is the largest, most comprehensive annual gathering of business travel and meetings managers, meeting planners, procurement professionals and suppliers anywhere in the world. The Business Travel Event of the Year® features: more than 65 industry-leading education sessions organized into 15+ specialized tracks geared to specific levels of experience and a variety of disciplines; a 400+ company Exposition showcasing market choices not available at other industry gatherings; sessions featuring world-renowned speakers and industry leaders; a wide selection of professional development opportunities; and, much more. For more information on the GBTA Convention, visit gbta.org/convention.