AMEX and Travelocity Join ARC's Travel Executive Council

News provided by

Jan 30, 2013, 02:30 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ARC President & CEO Michael J. Premo announced today that Yana Gutierrez, vice president, strategic partnerships at American Express Travel, and Yannis Karmis, president, Travelocity Business and Travelocity Partner Network, have accepted an invitation to join ARC's Travel Executive Council. The Council, which was established in 2012, brings together leaders of the travel agency community with ARC to network, promote dialogue with thought leaders on industry challenges and ensure ARC focuses on the priorities of its largest agency customers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110310/MM63033LOGO )

"Both Yana and Yannis have made significant contributions to empower travel leaders within their respective blue-chip companies," Premo said. "I look forward to their insights and contributions as the Council continues its important work tackling the industry's challenges and developing solutions to address them, now and well into the future."

American Express' Council representative Gutierrez remarked, "We are honored to join ARC's Travel Executive Council. The Council is a wonderful asset that brings industry leaders together to help drive open dialogue and positive change."

Travelocity's Karmis commented, "The travel industry is an ecosystem of players critical to each other's success. If the industry is going to succeed and continue prospering, an environment of open communication between all the moving pieces is essential. ARC's Travel Executive Council is a perfect platform to provide this type of interaction between industry leaders, and Travelocity is delighted to join the conversation."

The ARC Travel Executive Council includes Aleks Popovich, IATA's senior vice president of industry distribution and financial services, and 15 CEOs and senior executives from ARC's 15 largest travel agencies.

About ARC:
ARC powers the U.S.-based travel network with premier business solutions, travel agency accreditation services, process and financial management tools, and powerful data and analytics. Nearly 14,000 travel agencies and 190 airlines use ARC's settlement services, which in 2012 totaled more than $84 billion. As the industry's gold standard of accreditation, ARC allows participating agencies and carriers to focus on what's important – increasing their revenue. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www.arccorp.com.

SOURCE ARC