TORONTO — American Express Global Business Travel has released its ‘FIRST’ premium travel management platform to its Canadian clientele.

Designed for frequent business travellers, FIRST offers 24/7 service, immediate caller recognition, personalized trip planning with supplier benefits (including seat upgrades, status match and lounge passes plus access to visa/passport concierge desk from preferred vendors) and proactive care while clients are travelling.

“FIRST travel counsellors are empowered to immediately resolve issues on the traveller’s behalf, leveraging strong supplier relationships and the latest travel disruption notification technology to ensure a comfortable, productive, and safe trip.  They are committed to finding solutions that remove travel obstacles and ensure a traveller can maximize productivity while on the road,” says the company.  Upgrades or itinerary changes can be made and processed with no additional fees from GBT.

“Many of our customers have frequent travellers often embarking on up to 50 trips per year,” says Jacinthe Ladouceur, VP and General Manager of American Express Global Business Travel Canada. “In addition to providing travellers with a seamless and personalized travel experience, FIRST offers customers a significant return on investment by encompassing the incremental fees and costs often incurred by road warriors.”

FIRST is currently available in English only, launching in French in Canada “imminently”, adds Ladouceur.