Travel Managers Take The Reins

<B> Travel Managers Take The Reins</B>
<I>Amex Survey Shows Most U.S. Companies Now Tap Travel Pros</I>

By Sarah Welt

The field of business travel management has come of age in Corporate America and the negotiating of travel services is now the province of professional travel managers at the majority of companies in the United States.

That's one of the findings of the 1998 American Express Survey of Business Travel Management, the ninth edition of the seminal biennial travel industry research document, which will be released this week. For the first time in history, this year's study found that travel managers at more than 300 of 600 companies surveyed have primary responsibility for negotiating on behalf of their corporations--up from 44 percent in 1996.