Delta lays out new frequent flier rules

Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it will adopt a popular feature of Northwest Airlines' frequent-flier program, as it aims to merge the two reward systems by the end of 2009. Read more

More airlines reducing fuel surcharges

Many U.S. and international airlines have trimmed fuel surcharges they tack on flights between the United States and Europe, according to people who track air fares. Read more

British Airways will not refund fuel surcharge on unused tickets

British Airways will next week change its rules regarding the refund of taxes and charges for non-refundable tickets which are unused.

From 22 December, the airline will only refund government and/or airport taxes for otherwise non-refundable tickets. This will mean that fuel surcharges, which BA has reduced from today, will not be refunded for unused tickets of this type. The fuel surcharge, along with government and airport taxes, will be refunded for refundable fares. Read more

Delta plans to offer in-flight Wi-Fi on select flights

Delta Air Lines plans to launch paid in-flight Wi-Fi service this week on its shuttle flights on the East Coast. Chris Babb of Delta said passengers on flights between New York and Boston and New York and Washington, where the service will be introduced, can expect to be online for roughly 40 minutes. "We've known for several years, through market research, that this is one of the most asked-for products," Babb said. Read more

Hotel bargains, free upgrades and other reasons to love travel now

It took a couple of airline bankruptcies, a recession and the near collapse of the world economy but, by golly, travelers are feeling loved.

Turn back the clock a year, and you'll find a dramatically different picture. Travelers were unappreciated, even exploited, by unscrupulous travel companies flush with profits. Read more

Applying Travel Policy for Maximum Effect

It's time to wrap up our discussion of the “Six C's” of a strong T&E policy. In past weeks we're covered the role of Culture, Content, and Comprehensiveness on the policy itself. Today we'll discuss the how the policy is applied via Communication, Control, and Compliance.

Communication measures how the policy is distributed, how often it is updated, and who is held accountable for understanding and applying the policy. For maximum effectiveness policies should be communicated in multiple ways with visible senior management support, and to all travel stakeholders throughout the organization.

Control is measured by the strength, clarity, and effectiveness of the policy language, and provides methods to monitor compliance and deal with non-compliance. A company does not exert control if its T&E policy permits travelers to book outside of the designated travel agency, user personal cards for payment, receive reimbursement without appropriate receipts, use non-preferred vendors, etc.

Compliance is the measurement of how well travelers are adhering to policy requirements. The financial and administrative benefits of a strong T&E policy cannot be realized if the policy is not judiciously followed and enforced. Key opportunities to achieve maximum policy compliance and cost savings include: mandated use of one designated travel agency, mandated use of corporate payment systems, expected use of preferred vendors, controls on class of air service flown, meal and hotel spending limits, submission of receipts for reimbursement, and limits on the time frame for expense submission.

When a T&E policy reflects corporate culture, addresses the required topics, includes comprehensive information, exerts a high degree of control, and is communicated effectively, the result is:

• a high level of traveler compliance


• better understanding of management expectations


• market share commitments that are met


• comprehensive management reporting available for monitoring, budgeting, and forecasting

Curtailing costs does not necessarily mean curtailing employee comfort, convenience, or productivity – it is possible to get more out of fewer dollars with a carefully considered and conscientiously applied T&E policy. Companies with loosely written policies, or restrictive written policies but little monitoring or enforcement, are likely to incur higher than necessary costs with little opportunity to spot or curb abuse.

Senior management can often be very sensitive to employee reaction to new or revised T&E policies, especially reaction by frequent travelers. While there is some basis for this sensitivity, all employees live and work under rules and guidelines daily, and initial negative reaction usually quickly gives way to acceptance.

For a thorough review of your T&E policy please contact your Travel-On account manager.

United Airlines, EgyptAir sign codeshare agreement

United Airlines and EgyptAir have signed an agreement to offer codeshare flights, which is expected to expand the network of international destinations and enhance the frequent flyer benefits offered to customers of both the airlines. Read more

Are you a 'Next Generation' traveler?

Do you prefer to book travel on the Internet? Do you like to view hotel room photos and read reviews written by other travelers before making your selection? Do you use your cellphone to display maps when traveling? If you answered yes to these questions you may be among the growing ranks of Next Generation or "NEXTgen" travelers. Read more

NWA, Delta dispatchers reach seniority agreement

Flight dispatchers at Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines did what the airlines' pilots failed to do in negotiations: resolve their differences over blending the seniority lists of the two groups. Read more

Best-in-Class Travel Policy

In the last ETB we discussed the importance of Culture, the first of the “6 C's”, on a company's travel policy. This week we continue with the next two – Content and Comprehensiveness.

Content is the range of topics addressed in the T&E policy. Critical components include: general topics such as purpose and scope of the policy; making travel arrangements; air, car, hotel, other transportation; meals and entertainment; communication-related expenses; group or meeting travel, payment methods, required documentation, and expense reporting.

Comprehensiveness is the level of detail provided to give travelers, managers, and expense approvers the information needed to apply the policy. Clearly defined details are essential to ensuring common understanding and policy application. Too short a policy is inadequate and too long is incomprehensible. American Express studies suggest that an appropriate balance is a T&E policy that is can be read by the average employee in 20 minutes and includes a comprehensive table of contents to assist in locating answers to quick questions.

One of Travel-On's core travel management services is to provide advice and assistance with the development and review of T&E policies. For assistance with your policy please contact your account manager.

Free Travel Program Assessment

This week one of the “mega-agencies” announced the availability of free travel program assessments between now and early January. Travel-On has been doing this for 35 years – it's about time the “other guys” caught on!

We at Travel-On are constantly looking for new ways bring value to our clients. While many of our clients tell us they judge the success of their travel program by how little attention they have to devote to it, we at Travel-On work hard behind the scenes to make that possible. We book your reservations; enforce your policies; monitor your spend; pinpoint emerging patterns; provide actionable data and business intelligence; offer comprehensive travel programs beyond just air, hotel, and car; advise on travel policy and program leakage, and generally assist you in getting the most for your travel dollars. Your feedback, suggestions, and inquiries are always welcome and are invaluable to us in our never-ending quest to find new ways to support you.

New Rules for Passenger Screening - Coming in January

The Final Rule of the Secure Flight Program will be phased-in in several stages over the coming year. Selected airlines have volunteered to implement the program beginning in mid-January 2009. Other domestic carriers will be required to participate beginning in May/June, with international carriers joining in late 2009.

Under the Final Rule, airlines will receive passenger information either directly or from travel agents and transmit that information to TSA for watch-list comparison. Following this screening, the TSA will then electronically notify the airlines whether each passenger may receive a boarding pass.

The required information is:

- First, Middle, and Last Name exactly as shown on the government-issued ID that will be used to get through security.

- Date of Birth

- Gender

- TSA “Redress Number”, if applicable (this is a code given to passengers whose names have triggered “false positive' matches to watch lists in the past)

Travel-On has already begun taking steps to collect this information as part of our new online profile management platform, and will provide additional information as it becomes available from the TSA.

Traveling for business, safely

Dec 4, 2008 - Last week's terror attacks in Mumbai sent chills down the spines of globe-trotting businesspeople, and for good reason. Here's how to minimize your risk when traveling abroad. Read more

How to cut travel costs

Dec 4, 2008 - Just about the time that Lehman Brothers tanked, business travelers blew right past the issue of whether we would have to cut back. Two months on, the only issues now are how much we'll have to slash and whether we can do it with a modicum of style and dignity. Read more

Thai Airports Open for Business

Dec 5, 2008 - Finally - the extended closing of Bangkok's main international and domestic airports has ended. Looks like business is set to slowly return to normal. Read more

India Tightens Security at Major Airports

Worried about a "9/11-style attack," India increased security at its airports today as the United States began an effort to convince Pakistan it needs to crack down on terrorist groups like the one believed responsible for the deaths of 171 people in Mumbai last week. Read more

Legroom, lounges and legalese

Dec 4, 2008 - It's been quite a few holiday seasons since the economic news was so grim, and undoubtedly many Americans will be cutting back on their travel budgets. Read more

Delta lays out new frequent flier rules

Dec 4, 2008 - Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it will adopt a popular feature of Northwest Airlines' frequent-flier program, as it aims to merge the two reward systems by the end of 2009. Read more

6 reasons we love to travel now

Dec 3, 2008 - (Tribune Media Services) -- It took a couple of airline bankruptcies, a summer of staycations, a serious recession and the near-collapse of the world economy, but by golly, travelers are feeling loved right now. Read more