NBTA

CONTACT:       

Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 138, ctiller@nbta.org
Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 133, nhayes@nbta.org

Captain Sully Sullenberger to Welcome, Inspire Convention Attendees

Alexandria, VA (May 6, 2009) - The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) announced today that Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger, III will welcome corporate travel professionals to the 2009 NBTA International Convention & Exposition, to be held August 23-26 in San Diego. During a Convention welcome session sponsored by VISA, Captain Sullenberger will inspire Convention attendees with details of his masterful landing of U.S. Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River, which saved the lives of 155 people.

NBTA President & CEO, Kevin Maguire, CCTE, GLP, said, “It is an honor to have such an industry veteran and international hero welcome attendees of this year’s NBTA Convention. The tale of Captain Sullenberger’s life-saving feat has warmed hearts across the globe and is sure to inspire members of the corporate travel community as they begin their annual mission of industry enhancement at the largest business travel event of the year.”

Captain Sullenberger, with more than 40 years of flying experience and expertise in aviation safety, in January 2009 safely guided an Airbus A320 to an emergency water landing in New York City’s Hudson River. The plane’s two engines had lost thrust following a bird strike. All 155 people on board were safely rescued.

After serving as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force from 1975-1980, Sullenberger became a commercial airline pilot with Pacific Southwest Airlines, which was later acquired by US Airways. He has performed accident investigation duties for the Air Force, and served as an Air Line Pilots Association representative during a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Captain Sullenberger holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in Industrial Psychology from Purdue University, and a second master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

For more information about the 2009 NBTA Convention, visit www.nbtaconvention.org.

About the 2009 NBTA International Convention & Exposition
Widely recognized as the must-attend event for business travel buyers, suppliers, industry leaders and business travel journalists, the 2009 NBTA International Convention & Exposition will be held in San Diego August 23-26, 2009.  More than 5,000 travel professionals are expected to take advantage of the Convention’s programming, designed to empower attendees to maximize value for their companies, including more than 65 seminars on the most important topics in business travel, more than 400 companies exhibiting in the Expo and countless opportunities for networking with peers. For details, visit www.nbtaconvention.org.   

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates – NBTA Asia Pacific, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Mexico, and NBTA USA – serve a network of more than 15,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 4,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$200 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 10 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org