American Express Global Business Travel, which is operated by Global Business Travel Group, Inc. (NYSE: GBTG) (“Amex GBT” or the “Company”), the world’s leading B2B travel platform, today announced that it has received an upgrade from S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) to its issuer credit rating to ‘B+’ from ‘B-‘ on rapid deleveraging and positive cash flows with a stable outlook. At the same time, S&P raised its issue-level ratings by two notches in conjunction with the upgrade.

The upgrade reflects S&P’s view that market share gains and operating leverage will continue to support good operating performance and points to “continued underlying strength in business travel, strong momentum within the small to midsize enterprise (SME) segment (specifically from the unmanaged category), higher growth in Asia-Pacific, strength in hotel and air transactions, and continued share gains across both global multinational and SMEs.”

Karen Williams, CFO of Amex GBT, stated: “We are pleased with the credit rating upgrade, which is a critical proof point that reflects our momentum and focus on the balance sheet. The upgrade is further recognition of our commitments to 1) achieving outstanding financial results by growing revenue, growing Adjusted EBITDA and increasing Free Cash Flow, 2) continued margin improvement and 3) creating capacity to invest and drive long-term sustained growth.”

About American Express Global Business Travel

American Express Global Business Travel is the world’s leading B2B travel platform, providing software and services to manage travel, expenses, and meetings & events for companies of all sizes. We have built the most valuable marketplace in B2B travel to deliver unrivalled choice, value and experiences. With travel professionals in more than 140 countries, our customers and travelers enjoy the powerful backing of American Express Global Business Travel.

Visit amexglobalbusinesstravel.com for more information about Amex GBT. Follow @amexgbt on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. “Forward-looking statements” made in connection with the exchange offer and consent solicitation are not within the safe harbors provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide our current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words such as “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “estimated,” “anticipates,” “suggests,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “future,” “propose,” “target,” “goal,” “objective,” “outlook” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the control of the parties, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: (1) changes to projected financial information or our ability to achieve our anticipated growth rate and execute on market opportunities; (2) our ability to maintain our existing relationships with customers and suppliers and to compete with existing and new competitors in existing and new markets and offerings; (3) various conflicts of interest that could arise among us, affiliates and investors; (4) our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors; (5) intense competition and competitive pressures from other companies in the industry in which we operate; (6) factors relating to our business, operations and financial performance, including market conditions and global and economic factors beyond our control; (7) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related changes in base interest rates, inflation and significant market volatility on our business, the travel industry, travel trends and the global economy generally; (8) the sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents and investments to meet our liquidity needs; (9) the effect of a prolonged or substantial decrease in global travel on the global travel industry; (10) political, social and macroeconomic conditions (including the widespread adoption of teleconference and virtual meeting technologies which could reduce the number of in person business meetings and demand for travel and our services); (11) the effect of legal, tax and regulatory changes; and (12) other factors detailed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus/Offer to Exchange.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus/Offer to Exchange. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231212217680/en/