"We don't see that the NBTA board's action has any impact on ACTE," said an ACTE spokesman after NBTA asserted support for a merger.

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives' board on June 8 voted to remain independent, and the spokesman today said "There was never an official document from" the National Business Travel Association. Calling the merger idea a "perceived necessity," the spokesman said, "ACTE and NBTA deliver two different products and pursue two distinctly different philosophies in serving the business travel industry. Our members pay for this level of independence and support the uniqueness of our products. It would be incorrect to assume that one association could simply replace the other."