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DOI Travel Newsletter
Volume 1 Issue 6
December 2001
 

Other Travel Items of Interest:

• Holiday Travel Tip
• Travel Tips for Business Travelers

Data Sources for DOI Travel Newsletter:

Much of the travel industry information contained in this newsletter was obtained from public domain sources such as newspapers and the Internet, and was current at the time of publication. Travel industry information is provided solely for the use and information of DOI employees.

IN THE NEWS

President Bush Signs Aviation Security Bill!

On November 19, 2001, President George Bush signed the aviation security bill. Spurred by the events of September 11, the new legislation makes airport security the responsibility of a newly created Transportation Security Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation. One of the major components of the new legislation is that all airport security screeners will become federal employees within one year.  

Airline News

American Airlines

American Airlines has expanded its OneStop Self Service Kiosk program: kiosks were recently activated at New York LaGuardia, Orlando, and Cleveland. OneStop Self Service is currently in 21 cities and is expected soon in Boston and Philadelphia. OneStop Self Service complies with new airport security procedures. Positive identification checks for travelers using the kiosks are performed at ticket counters and at gates prior to boarding.

American Airlines and Trans World Airlines stopped serving meals on the majority of domestic flights of less than four hours or in first class on flights under two hours, effective November 1, 2001. All flights will continue to offer beverage service along with a beverage accompaniment. Food service will continue in first class on all markets that have flying times over two hours..

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines announced changes in its meal service availability which became effective November 1, 2001. Delta has discontinued food service on flights in the continental United States of approximately four hours or less and on flights in first class of approximately two hours or less.

TWA Becomes American

Beginning December 2, 2001, all TWA operated flights will be re-designated as American Airlines. Passengers traveling on TWA prior to December 2 will experience no changes; all check-ins will be at TWA-marked gates and ticket counters. Travelers who use Internet services to purchase tickets for travel effective on December 2 or after, will no longer see references to TWA. Passengers holding TWA tickets need take no action because these tickets will be honored. Also, effective December 2, TWA gates and ticket counters will have American Airlines signage. Trans World Express, TWA's regional airline, will become "American Connection."

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DOI TRAVELER INFORMATION

TripManager Update

The November 2001 DOI Travel Newsletter contained an article on TripManager, a Web-based self-booking system for official government travel (see page 3). The new, enhanced version of TripManager was released on November 16, 2001.

Booking your official travel with TripManager has never been easier! DOI travelers can log on to the system and book their own airline, hotel and car reservations in a matter of minutes. All TripManager screens have been redesigned for ease of use and data input requirements have been reduced.

To obtain a flash demo and tutorial on the new system, please visit the following Web site: http://www.tripmanager.com/gt/prod_solutions.html.

The Office of Financial Management continues to encourage bureaus to expand the number of TripManager accounts. At the present time, there are over 18,000 qualifying accounts, and the "Top 4" bureaus are:

National Park Service             5,939
Fish and Wildlife Service         4,464
Bureau of Land Management   4,038
Bureau of Reclamation            2,343

Training on the new version of TripManager for employees is scheduled for the Bureau of Land Management on December 10 and 11 at the Bureau's "L" Street location in Washington, D.C. The Bureau of Reclamation will be having training on Wednesday, December 12, at the Main Interior Building. Other bureaus that would like TripManager training that week should contact Joyce Lawlor (joyce_lawlor@nbc.gov) at the Department's National Business Center.

Overwhelming Response to New Traveler Profile System

When Omega World Travel converted to the new traveler profile database on Monday, November 5, 2001, an overwhelming number of DOI travelers attempted to log-in to verify that the information contained in their profile data base was complete and accurate (https://profiler.owt.net/doi_2001/modify.htm). As a result, there were many travelers who could not access the above site due to a system overload. Additionally, some users could not gain access because they forgot to add the "s" to the "http," which indicates it is a secure Web site and the section to complete a profile is protected.

Since that time, Omega has updated the capacity of the Profile system to accommodate more users. If you were unable to update your traveler profile, now would be a good time to do so.

Changes to the Federal Travel Regulation

GSA has issued an amendment to the Federal Travel Regulation pertaining to relocation allowances. The amendment is effective for all employees reporting to their new duty stations on or after February 19, 2002. The major changes are:

• Increases the miscellaneous moving expense allowance from $350 to $700 for an employee without family and from $700 to $1,000 for an employee with a family;

• Increases the mileage requirement for a short distance move from 10 to 50 miles;

• Increases the mileage requirement for temporary quarters from 40 to 50 miles;

• Allows shipment of canoes, kayaks and boats less than 14 feet long as household goods.

The revised regulation may be accessed at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=fr20no01-12.pdf

GSA Contract City-Pair Fare – A Great Bargain!

By the terms of the GSA Master Contract for travel service providers, Omega World Travel is required to quote you a GSA contract carrier whenever travel arrangements are being made. (This requirement is also contained in the Federal Travel Regulation).

GSA's Contract City-Pair Program offers the following advantages to federal travelers:

• No advance purchases are necessary.

• No minimum or maximum length of stay is required.

• Prices are fixed for a full year (and average 70% below commercial fares).

• Tickets are fully refundable with no cancellation fees.

• There are no "black-out" periods of high demand when tickets are unavailable.

• Funds from unused/cancelled tickets are promptly returned to your bureau.

• The contract carrier must offer Government travelers a seat, if one is available.

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As a new addition in 2002, GSA has also introduced capacity-controlled fares on 337 city pairs which offer even lower fares. These are available on a first come-first served basis. City-pair fares can be checked on the following GSA Web site:

http://www.fss.gsa.gov/citypairs/

Lodging: What You See, Is What You Get!

The national master list of all approved accommodations is compiled, periodically updated, and published in the Federal Register by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Additionally, the approved accommodation list is available on the U.S. Fire Administration's Internet site at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel/index.htm.

While all federal employees are required to use a Travel Management Center (i.e., Omega World Travel) to arrange travel, there are some tools on the Internet that can assist travelers prior to making reservations.

The Official Airline Guide has a commercial site which offers federal travelers a listing of location specific hotels at or below the Government per diem rate and that are fire safety approved (http://hotelsatperdiem.com/). All the properties that will appear in any search performed on this site have met two important criteria. The first is they have indicated to GSA that they will always have a government rate that is at or below the federal per diem for their location, although there is NO GUARANTEE of availability. The second is they are compliant with the Fire Safety Act requirements. They all have FEMA numbers registered with the U.S. Fire Administration.

Another site where you can tour hotels before you make a reservation is HotelView. HotelView is a video library on the web. There are several FEMA hotels with videos on HotelView, but not every hotel on the FEMA list has a video with HotelView. The videos consist of a narrative show of the hotel's accommodations, amenities, recreation, and entertainment options. The video displays the rooms in detail, contains maps, nearby attractions, and airports. You can find HotelView at http://www.hotelview.com/.

Other websites have still pictures that show the room, and sometimes provide additional informative pictures. A few of these sites are: Choice Hotels (http://www3.choicehotels.com/ires/html/HomePage); Great Hotels Online (http://www.greathotelsonline.com/); and 4HotelRates.com (http://www.4hotelrates.com/).

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TRAVELER “TIP BITS”

Holiday Travel Tip

Ship holiday gifts before you travel. With new and stringent security procedures, gift boxes may be subject to thorough searches by security personnel. Any wrapped gift may have to be unwrapped and inspected. Shipping your gift boxes ahead may eliminate the chances of your gift being damaged or destroyed!

Travel Tips for Business Travelers

• Be patient and always follow the instructions of airport/airline personnel.

• Board quickly to avoid traffic back-ups in the jetway and cabin.

• Make sure to carry your bag in front of you as you walk to your seat to avoid hitting already seated passengers.

• If you want to change seats on a non-capacity flight, stay in your assigned seat until the cabin door is closed; you can then spot empty seats and make your move.

• Be generous with armrests.

• Try not to recline your seat all the way -- airplanes still don't have a lot of leg room.

• Don't be a Chatty Cathy/Cal - engage in "mutual" conversation.

• Follow the "Golden Rule" - treat others as you would like to be treated while traveling.