May I continue to use a brick and mortar travel agency for booking air travel?

Yes. Use of the contract with Fox World Travel is only mandatory for airfare booked on-line using the internet.

Must I also use Travelport for my foreign airfare booked online? (Note: Canada, Mexico and Latin America are not considered foreign travel.)

Although the contract is mandatory for all airfare booked online, Fox World Travel representatives advise that unless the trip is a routine, i.e. roundtrip Chicago to London, that it is a �best business practice� to utilize a skilled international agent at a brick and mortar agency to arrange such travel. The UW System concurs with that assessment.

Why is the State forcing me to use Travelport when I can get the same fares by booking direct on the airlines� websites or from a commercial generic site at no charge?

While some airlines do not charge a service fee, most commercial booking sites now do. Some of the additional benefits that accrue as a result of the contract that are not generally or readily available when using the commercial or airlines� websites include:

You may purchase the lower fare but in accordance with state procurement rules (Reference PRO-D-32) you must then provide written documentation, preferably a print screen from the Travelport quote, with your claim for reimbursement or purchasing card transaction if payment is made using a UW purchasing card. Note: Acceptance of a lower fare from a non-contract vendor should be weighed against the lost benefits i.e., fare auditor, unused ticket inventory, 24 hour traveler assistance, etc. of not using Travelport.

Travelport is not compatible with internet browsers "Firefox" or "Safari". What is the expectation and requirement that I use Travelport if I don't have access to it through the browser on the computer at my workstation or office?
Although the State's contract for use of Travelport is mandatory, we recognize that some employees may not have convenient, logistical internet access to it. If internet explorer or Netscape is not available at either the employee's or designated travel arranger's workstation, it is recommended that a brick and mortar travel agency be used to book the air travel. Not having a browser that accommodates use of Travelport is not in itself justification for use of other internet commercial sites such as Expedia, Travelocity or NWA.com.

We are confident that the benefits of using Travelport listed in an answer to a question above will be an incentive to employees to endure some degree of inconvenience by booking from another location.

Why is the default for departure and return times on Travelport set at 4 hours?

State/UW travel regulations (Ref Section III. A. 1) require a 4 hour window. Note: You have the ability to change the window to a longer period to open up the possibility of finding cheaper fares. You should not, however, lower it below 4 hours unless you have an acceptable justification for doing so.

No. (See question and answer below concerning booking for non-employee traveling companions.)

May I use Travelport for booking a trip which is part personal and part business?

Must I use Travelport when booking online if the UW does not reimburse my airfare in full? (Example: Flight costs $600 but UW administered funds are only going to reimburse me for $300 of the cost.)

Yes, if you are booking online using the internet, the State mandates that you must use Travelport. You still have the option to use a non-internet site (brick and mortar travel agency) for booking airfare when the UW does not reimburse in full.

May I book air travel arrangements with Fox World Travel for an accompanying non-employee spouse/friend?

You may but the contracted service fee cannot be used for the non-employee. A higher fee ($29) will be charged for the non-employee�s ticket, and the reservation for the non-employee will have to be made by phoning Fox World Travel with the information from your cloned reservation on Travelport.

Is there a capability to and must I use Travelport to book UW business related airfare for non-employees, i.e. interview candidates, speakers, students, etc.?

It is not mandatory but you do have the ability to book airfare for non-employees if that expense will be paid by UW administered funds. It provides safeguards and the capability for cost savings, something that allowing the non-employee to book their travel doesn�t provide.

Why am I required to charge my airfare to a UW Purchasing card or UW issued U.S. Bank Corporate Card?

The State Department of Administration has mandated that all airfare be paid by either of the above two methods. Choice of payment method has been left up to each UW Institution�s administration. Contact your institution travel coordinator or purchasing card administrator for information and assistance with your institution�s selected payment options. Use of other personal liability credit cards, i.e. Discover, American Express, etc. is not authorized and may result in a reimbursement disallowance. Note: Display of unauthorized charge card payment options in Travelport are beyond the control of the State of Wisconsin or Fox World Travel and do not relieve the employee from compliance with State of Wisconsin or campus policy.

For travel arrangements made by a UWM employee, use of an institutional liability purchasing card (PCard) for all reimbursable airline tickets is required. Please contact your Unit Business Representative for the procedures specific to your School/College/Division.

- If they so choose, employees have the option of utilizing the state-provided personal liability US Bank Visa Travel Card (T-Card) to purchase airline tickets, but reimbursement for these tickets may not be made until after the trip has been completed.

- No other form of payment is allowed.

Must I charge my airfare to the P-card or the US Bank Travel Card if I am personally paying for a portion of my airfare? (Example: Flight costs $600 but UW administered funds are only going to reimburse me for $300 of the cost.)

It is a State mandate that any portion of travel which is being reimbursed by the UW must be paid using one of the above mentioned cards. Because use of the P-card for payment might result in a cost recovery situation the US Bank Travel Card should be used in place of the P-card.

A copy of the electronic invoice which you will receive via email from Fox World Travel must be attached to your TER. If payment is made via the departmental purchasing card, a copy of the electronic invoice must also be given to the purchasing cardholder.

What will happen if I purchase a fare that is labeled �out of policy� meaning not the lowest fare offered by Travelport?

You will have to select a reason code from a drop down box. Note: The choices of �Airline preference�; �Business Class�; and �First Class� will seldom be an acceptable justification for not selecting the lowest fare. Your fare will be listed on an Exception Report which will be provided monthly to the Institution Business Office and the UW System Travel Office. Assuming the fare purchased is not significantly more costly than the lowest logical fare offered and the reason for selecting it is acceptable, nothing will happen. It is recommended that the traveler or travel arranger be prepared to provide an after-the-fact explanation, if requested to do so.

Will I still earn frequent flyer points on my air travel purchased through FWT?

Yes. The policy on earning and using frequent flyer points has not changed. Reference section III. A. 7 UW Travel Regulations for details.

7. Benefits from any airline promotion, such as free tickets for frequent fliers, merchandise, etc., that accrue as a result of UW-paid travel belong to the UW and must be used for UW-related business. Benefits as a result of voluntary bumping may be retained by the employee provided the alternative travel resulting from the bumping does not involve any loss of work time or additional travel cost to the UW. An employee may not be compensated for business use of frequent flyer vouchers, vouchers for bumping, discount coupons or other instruments of value. Such discount instruments, if earned as a result of personally paid travel, should be used for subsequent personal travel. Please utilize the UW's corporate frequent flyer account numbers listed under "Contract Travel Agencies" when allowable.

May an airline credit resulting from a previous ticket which was not reimbursed in full by the UW be transferred out of the employee�s Travelport profile for personal use by the employee?

The credit cannot be transferred, but assuming the next flight for UW business is also not fully reimbursed by the UW, the credit could be used for that portion of the flight paid for personally by the employee. Documentation from the previous reimbursement should be provided to support the claim on the subsequent reimbursement.

What assurance do I have that my personal information is protected and not shared with inappropriate or unauthorized entities?

First of all, your personal corporate card numbers are encrypted. Secondly, the language under item #4 in the �Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy� relates to customers in the European Economic Area (EEA) who use Travelport putting them on notice that their reservation data may be transferred to the U.S., not visa, versa. The terms and conditions language for Travelport is fairly standard within the travel industry and has been reviewed and is acceptable to State Department of Administration contract attorneys.