AmEx Selling Plane Seats at Discount

American Express is elbowing into the crowded ranks of airline consolidators--the companies that buy blocks of plane tickets and resell them at discounts.

Although the travel giant still offers other consolidators’ tickets to customers, it is now buying up seats on its own and reselling them at discounts up to 30%, said spokeswoman Nancy Muller in New York. You don’t have to be an AmEx cardholder, and the usual consolidator penalties for cancellations--typically $150--apply, she said.

For information, contact your local American Express office; not all offices offer the service yet.