The average one-way fare paid by American Express Business Travel customers increased 13 percent

in the second quarter of 2006 compared with a year earlier, according to Frank Schnur, the company's vice president of consulting services. International average fare paid rose 3 percent during the same period. Citing soon-to-be-released statistics from the American Express Business Travel Monitor, Schnur added that average domestic hotel rates increased 3 percent in the second quarter (including a 9 percent increase across clients' top 34 markets) while average international hotel rates grew 11 percent. Schnur said Amex expects still higher average airfares and hotel room rates in 2007.