2009 Articles
6 April 2009
ODYSSEY magazine
UATP and Amtrak
Article in Odyssey magazine
Universal Air Travel Plan, Inc. (UATP) has announced its partnership with Amtrak and with that UATP corporate card holders are now able to make Amtrak purchases at all points of sale with their UATP cards.
“Corporate travel on Amtrak has grown significantly and our clients have made it known they want the ability to pay for Amtrak purchases with their UATP cards, we had to respond,” said Craig White, Amtrak Senior Director, Travel Industry Sales. “It is a win-win situation; the corporate client is able to use their preferred form of payment, UATP, and Amtrak is able to reduce expenses.
During FY 2008 (Oct. 2007-Sept. 2008), Amtrak welcomed aboard more than 28.7 million passengers, representing the sixth straight fiscal year of record ridership when comparing the same routes. An average of more than 78,000 passengers ride on up to 300 Amtrak trains per day.
“We have seen a shift in corporate travel to rail from air in the last several months; having UATP accepted by Amtrak at all points of sale will allow UATP clients to seamlessly make travel plans on all one card, UATP,” said Ralph Kaiser, president and CEO, UATP. “This is a strategic move for UATP and we look forward to providing our client-base with all the tools and options needed for their corporate travel programs.”
Amtrak operates a nationwide rail network, serving more than 500 destinations in 46 states on 21,000 miles of routes, with nearly 18,000 employees.
