Etchells appointed Amex UK boss
Stephen Etchells has been appointed new vice president and general manager for American Express Business Travel UK and Ireland.
He succeeds Pearse Reynolds who held the post for three years and now becomes vice president business transformation Europe.
Mr Etchells has worked in the travel business for 25 years. He joins Amex from his own business consultancy Change Highway. He was also previously managing director of GetThere.
BSI launches corporate booking tool
Hotel online reservation company BSI has launched a new self booking tool aimed at the corporate market. BSI Direct lets clients see lowest rates including those online and availability as well as enforcing travel policy compliance.
Mr Charles Cockell, BSI group managing director, said online booking was regarded as a major factor in saving costs.
He added: “Up to now most proprietary self-booking systems have lacked the sophistication and capability to provide companies wit the stringent hotel policy management they demand and give comprehensive access to hotels required for ad hoc travel needs.”
EC asks Alitalia for more details
The EC has asked Italian national carrier Alitalia for more details of its survival plan. The Commission wants extra information on the airline's recapitalisation, redundancy scheme and the structure of its new ground service company AZ Service.
It has also requested more details on finances and ownership of Fintecna which under the rescue plan will take over AZ Service.
KDS signs deal with Europcar
IT firm KDS has signed a partnership deal with Europcar to meet the car rental company's growing number of online bookings.
Rafael Girona, chief operating officer for Europcar, said online bookings were running at 100,000 a month and “growing rapidly”.