Omega World Travel - Effective May 1, 2000
In Reply Refer To:
Mail Stop 270
Memorandum
April 26, 2000
To: All USGS Employees
From: Susan R. Sheely, Chief /signed/
Travel Management Branch, OFM
Subject: Omega World Travel - Effective May 1, 2000
The following is a DOI document which was released by the Department of
Interior Office of the Secretary Office of Financial Management to all
DOI employees on April 26, but apparently was not received by USGS
employees. I have taken the time to make a few modifications to include
USGS specific information.
I realize we are making a major transition and there will be many
questions which I will address as I receive them and will also include the
questions and answers on the web site mentioned below.
GUIDELINES FOR DOI EMPLOYEES IN THE TRANSITION TO THE NEW DEPARTMENTWIDE
TRAVEL MANAGEMENT CENTER CONTRACT - OMEGA WORLD TRAVEL SERVICE
BACKGROUND
As previously announced, Omega World Travel has been selected to serve as
the nationwide Travel Management Center to support the travel arrangement
and reservation needs of all bureaus and offices within the Department of
the Interior. The new nationwide contract with Omega World Travel takes
effect on Monday, May 1, 2000, and will replace all existing TMC
arrangements.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this communication is to provide guidance to all DOI
employees to ensure that the transition from all current TMC providers to
the nationwide Omega World Travel contract is as smooth and seamless as
possible. This document is organized along the following topics: (1) What
to do about current and future reservations: (2) What you need to do to
obtain service from Omega Travel; (3) Listing of toll-free telephone
numbers for Omega; (4) Official Travel and Leisure Travel; (5) Who to
contact for further information in your bureau; and (6) Additional
Web-sites to visit for more information
1. GUIDANCE RELATING TO EXISTING OR PLANNED RESERVATIONS
o Planned Official Travel During the Week of May 1-7.
If you are planning to be in official travel status during the week of May
1 through May 7, 2000, you should book your reservations with the current
travel service providers now and arrange to have the tickets issued before
April 28, 2000.
o Planned Official Travel Which Begins On or After May 8.
If you are planning to be in official travel status on or after May 8,
2000, book your official travel reservations through Omega World Travel.
As noted above, they will commence nationwide operations on May 1, 2000.
o Existing Reservations (made with current TMC Providers) Extending
Beyond May 8, 2000
In some cases, DOI employees may have made long term travel reservations
with existing TMC providers for travel that will not be initiated for some
time. If you have placed a non-refundable deposit on this travel, make
sure that the tickets are issued before the existing TMC ceases operations
(on April 28, 2000), to ensure that your deposits are properly applied.
All other official travel reservations extending beyond May 8, 2000 (which
do not involve non-refundable deposits) may be left with the current TMC
providers. These reservations will be transferred electronically to Omega
World Travel on April 28, 2000, and the tickets will be issued by Omega
World Travel prior to travel. Be sure to contact Omega World Travel (after
May 1, 2000), to confirm that the reservations were properly transferred.
o Who to Contact for Assistance if you are in Travel Status April 29/30
If you are in official travel status on Saturday, April 29 or Sunday April
30, and require assistance in rescheduling existing air travel plans, you
should contact the airline for assistance.
o Who to Contact for Travel Assistance on or After May 1
For all travel assistance on or after May 1, 2000, please call Omega World
Travel (at the telephone numbers listed in Attachment I) irrespective of
whether Omega World Travel or the current travel service provider booked
your reservations and issued your tickets.
2. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO OBTAIN SERVICE FROM OMEGA WORLD TRAVEL
a. If You Currently Have a BOA Travel Charge Card
If you currently have a DOI Travel Charge Card from Bank of America, an
initial OMEGA traveler profile will be set up for you from a file obtained
from the Bank of America. However, you will need to complete the some of
the profile before OMEGA can make travel arrangements for you. Completing
the OMEGA traveler profile will enable OMEGA to make travel arrangements
to suit your particular needs (i.e., airline seating preferences, special
meal requirements, etc).
You can complete your OMEGA traveler profile in one of two ways:
* By Logging Onto the OMEGA Web Site:
https://profile.owt.net/doi
(Note: The https is required and indicates that this is secure web site
and your session to complete your profile is protected.)
* By Telephone,
The First Time You Ask Omega to Make Travel Arrangements.
You may also complete your traveler profile by providing this information
to the Omega travel agent when you make your first travel reservations
with OMEGA. Please bear in mind that if you select this option, it will
take longer to complete your first travel reservations.
To ensure that you receive prompt service, we recommend that you complete
the traveler profile using the OMEGA web site. Just follow the login
directions on the site. Your name will be shown exactly as it appears on
your BOA Charge Card. For security, we have instructed OMEGA that all
name changes must be done via a call to an OMEGA agent.
To complete your profile, fill in the boxes with the correct information
and then click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the profile. The
information required by OMEGA (such as the person to be contacted in case
of an emergency) will be highlighted in red and when you click on the
SUBMIT, the profile system will check to see that all required information
has been entered. Again for security reasons, your DOI Government travel
charge card number will not appear on the OMEGA profile screen. However,
one of the required information fields involves the expiration date (month
and year) of your DOI Government travel charge card-- so you should have
it handy.
b. If You Do Not Have a Current BOA Travel Charge Card Account
DOI employees who are first time travelers or invitational travelers who
do not have a BOA Travel Charge Card Account will need to make travel
arrangements through a Corporate Account. Each bureau has one or more
Corporate accounts that have been established to handle invitational
travel and travel by employees without charge cards. USGS will continue
to utilize the corporate accounts utilizing the guidelines established for
the corporate accounts.
3. Toll-Free Numbers For Obtaining Travel Service From Omega
On May 1, 2000, DOI employees will obtain travel services from Omega by
calling the number listed for the state in which they are employed. These
numbers will probably not be activated until April 31, 2000.
Employees with on-site centers located in Washington, DC and Reston, VA,
will call those office for their respective location or may visit the
Omega office at their site.
Additional on-site centers are being established in Anchorage,AK, and at
the Denver Federal Center with plans to be operational in June 2000.
DOI travelers will have access to a web-based travel reservation system
to be available in July 2000. More information will be distributed as we
approach the implementation of this system.
The Toll-Free numbers for Omega World Travel are listed in Attachment 1.
Omega employees who answer the toll free numbers are located at various
Omega call centers nationwide and not necessarily in your state.
Ticket Delivery Options: The Omega agent will assist in the arrangements
for receiving tickets if
electronic tickets (e-ticket) are not being used. The following is a
breakdown of delivery options:
Courier Service - $10.00
Overnight Delivery Service - 6.00
Postal Service - 6.00
Ticket Transaction Fee: The transaction fee for the issuance of a ticket
is $7.90 (e-ticket or
paper ticket). The fee is charged at the time the ticket is issued and an
additional fee will not be charged if there is a change to the ticket
unless it is a routing change (different flights). Just changing the date
of the flight but not the flight will not result in an new transaction
fee.
4. Official Travel and Leisure Travel
Initially, Omega offices handling the DOI contract will only make
arrangements for leisure travel if it is in conjunction with official
travel. They are prepared to provide employees with another phone number
if a complete leisure trip is requested.
5. Who To Contact For Further Information in Your Bureau
The names and telephone numbers of all bureau representatives on the TMC
Workgroup are contained in Attachment 2. They may be contacted for further
information or assistance.
6. Additional Web-Sites Containing Relevant Information
This document, Frequently Asked Questions, and other information relating
to the Department's nationwide contract with Omega World Travel will be
available on the Department of Interior's Office of Financial Management
Home Page and also on the USGS Travel page: www.doi.gov/pfm
Select the Travel icon and then select the "Travel Management Center" option.
You may also want to consult the Omega World Travel Home Page: www.owt.net
Attachment 1
Omega World Travel
Listings for Telephone Service (Effective May 1, 2000)
I. Toll-Free 24 Hour Emergency Number (All DOI Employees): 800-946-6342
II. On-Site Travel Service
Washington, DC 877-434-1547, 202-789-5090 (local)
Reston, VA 877-434-1549, 703-648-4764 (local)
III. Telephone Services
Delaware/Pennsylvania 877-434-1548
Maryland-Georgia 877-434-1551
Kentucky-Florida-West Virginia 877-434-1550
Virginia 877-263-8101
Massachusetts 877-434-1553
New Hampshire-New Jersey-New York 877-434-1552
Rhode Island-Ohio-Vermont? Indiana
Maine-Michigan-Connecticut-Puerto Rico
Alabama-Arkansas-Texas-Mississippi 877-434-1554
North & South Carolina-Tennessee
Louisiana-Oklahoma-North & South Dakota -
Illinois-Iowa
Kansas-Missouri-Nebraska 877-434-1556
Hawaii 877-434-1557
Alaska 877-434-1560
Colorado
BIA/BLM 877-434-1561
BOR/FWS 877-434-1565
USGS/MMS 877-434-1566
NPS/OSM 877-434-1568
OS 877-434-1547
Idaho 877-434-1562
Montana 877-434-1563
New Mexico 877-434-1564
Oregon 877-434-1569
Washington 877-434-1570
Nevada 877-434-1574
Arizona 877-434-1575
Minnesota-Wisconsin 877-434-1584
Utah
800-361-4101
Wyoming
California 877-434-1581
Sacramento 877-434-1576
Los Angeles 877-434-1577
San Francisco 877-434-1578
Attachment 2
TMC Workgroup Members
Chair: Ted Woronka, Office of Financial Management (202) 208-4701
Names Bureau Telephone Numbers
Kim Romine BIA 202-208-2893
Esther Horst BLM 303-236-6003
Brenda Barker BOR 303-445-3480
Sheila Dade FWS 703-358-1742 X4
Susan Sheely USGS 703-648-7602
Debra Flores 303-275-7305
Brendan Smedley MMS 703-787-1111
Gay Flynn NPS 402-221-3955
Karen Baker OS/NBC 202-208-5765
Charlie Albrecht OSM 303-236-0330 X243
Susan R. Sheely, Chief
Travel Management Branch
U.S. Geological Survey
Voice: 703-648-7602
Fax: 703-648-4112
E-mail: ssheely@usgs.gov