In 1915, American Express opened its Travel Division in what was the first step of many through the travel industry. Needless to say, the company has grown to be a monster, but a gentle one nonetheless in its aid to travel professionals. Recently, AMEX has been in support of agents in everything from its largest incentive program in recent history and special Luxury Travel Expo VIP treatment to its consumer-focused campaign to get people traveling again by reminding them of its benefits.
In 1938, the then 23-year-old (and oh so young) company was focused on rail travel (as can be seen in the first page of our interview with B.E White and it's jump to page 31 in the November, 1938 edition). We think this is worth visiting, considering the recent rise of interest in rail travel in the 21st century, from developments in Southern California and Amtrak's high speed rail developments to the $8 billion investment the U.S. government is putting into the country's train infrastructure.
As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, we're taking a look at what was happening in the industry in the past and asking agents to share their thoughts on what has changed in the industry up until the present. So please share your thoughts by posting a comment below, writing us at our Facebook page, sending a tweet to our Twitter page or by engaging in a discussion in real time at AgentNation (the only social community online for all kinds of travel agents, which certainly wasn't around 80 years ago). We want to hear from you.
And while you're here, learn more about how we're celebrating eight decades of covering the travel industry for travel professionals.