American Express Corporation reports that airfares and international business travel saw modest increases in the third quarter, which means there may be hope for more improvement in the upcoming year. The company culled purchase information to report that the average airfares paid by companies rose about 2 percent from the second quarter both in the United States and abroad. The price of airfare had decreased by up to 18 percent for the quarter, and hotel rates continued to weaken. Consumer data included prices for air, hotel, and car rental services by major cities and classes of service.

According to AmEx travel executive Christa Degnan Manning, “since hotels cannot reduce capacity as easily as air or ground transport providers, this drives rates down, and the effect will likely continue through the first half of 2010.”

AmEx also reports that car rental prices rose about 5 percent quarter to quarter, but have remained the same when compared to last year. (Source: CNN Money)

Overall, business and leisure travel is picking up only slightly for the 4th Quarter as holiday travel remains steady. Many individuals and companies have cut back on all travel for 2009 to save money and avoid extra fees and charges imposed by the airlines. Recently, extra charges for advance bookings for holiday travel was lifted so travelers could still enjoy attractively-priced flight and hotel packages. Previously, travelers were paying a premium for flights booked on days around the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends, but all US airlines have agreed to lift the extra fee requirement in hopes of stimulating demand and increasing bookings through the rest of the year.

Ms. Manning reports that the third-quarter figures are still “an encouraging sign for the business travel industry” because many travelers are willing to pay a premium for products and maintain their itineraries.