August 28, 2000
Changes to Travel
Management Center
Operating Procedures
Background:
The DOI Travel Management Center (TMC) Workgroup has assessed current travel service policies, issues, and customer inputs, and has concluded that the procedural changes outlined below are necessary in order to:
- Reduce the use of premium delivery charges for paper tickets
- Ensure that travelers receive final itineraries before travel is
initiated
- Improve the likelihood of obtaining seat assignments
- Reduce travel-related stress for DOI
employees to the greatest extent possible
Applicable to All DOI bureaus:
When circumstances permit, Omega World Travel (OWT) will issue airline tickets 5 (FIVE) calendar days prior to the scheduled departure date.
Applicable
to All DOI Bureaus:
For all carriers that do not participate in the Worldspan On-Line Reservation System used by OWT, ticketing will occur at the time a reservation is made. Some of the carriers that do not participate are Southwest, Cape Smyth and Big Sky.
a.
Delivery by E-Mail
Omega World Travel will e-mail an itinerary to DOI travelers when a reservation is made (Reservation itinerary), and when airline tickets are issued (Final Itinerary). The final itinerary will show the actual ticket prices paid and, in the case of E-tickets, will also serve as a formal receipt for the E-ticket. No other receipt is required for official documentation.
b.
Pick-up of
Itineraries at On-Sites
Employees booking their travel at an OWT on-site facility (Washington, DC, Reston, Denver, Boise and Anchorage) will have the option of picking up a hard-copy itinerary at the time travel arrangements are made.
c.
Downloading
Itineraries From the Internet
When travel arrangements are made,
OWT travel agents will provide DOI employees with a “Trip Locator Number”
(TLN). The TLN should be saved for future reference, as it will allow
employees to download their trip itineraries from an Internet site at any time.
The Internet address depends on the reservation system being utilized by the OWT office. Information is provided below regarding which system your OWT office is using.
Changes to Travel Management Center - Operating Procedures (8/24/00) Page 2
Worldspan Reservation
System
Most DOI offices are served by the Worldspan Reservation system. Itineraries for Worldspan may be downloaded from the following website:
www.mytripandmore.com
DOI travelers who book their travel through OWT’s Los Angeles and San Francisco Call Centers are presently served on the Apollo Reservation System. These itineraries (only) may be downloaded from the following website:
www.viewtrip.com
Sabre
Reservation System
DOI travelers who book their travel through the Wyoming and Sacramento Call Centers are presently served on the Sabre System. These itineraries (only) may be downloaded from the following site:
www.virtuallythere.com
IV. Clarification on Seat Assignments
Omega World Travel will make seat assignments at the time a reservation is made if at all possible. Airline carriers normally allow travel agents to book up to 75 per cent of the aircraft seats. Booking reservations early will increase the likelihood of getting a seat assignment at the time a reservation is made.
All itineraries which lack assigned seat numbers will indicate AIRPORT CHECK-IN, which means that the 75 percent threshold has been exceeded and travelers should exercise more than the usual amount of diligence in getting to the gate at least 1 hour prior to departure in order to obtain a seat assignment.
Omega World Travel agents will continually scan their SEAT CHECK MODULE to advise DOI travelers if requested seats become available after a reservation is made.