UWSP Payment Services
Travelport Q & A
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.
- UW System policies and travel contracts embedded in Travelport web portal
- Access to all major airlines’ fares (Southwest Airlines excluded), not just the specific carrier’s fares when going to their websites
- Electronic fare auditor which searches for and rebooks lower fares as found
- Ticket inventory which allows usage of unused ticket value toward future trips
- 24 hour traveler assistance
- UW earns corporate frequent flyer points in addition to those earned by the traveler
- Ability to cancel a purchased non-refundable ticket by 5:00 PM the following business day without penalty. Cancellations may be done on Travelport. Agent fee is non-refundable.
- Regularly scheduled Travelport web-based familiarization sessions
- Reporting capability which is the first required step toward negotiated fare discounts with the airlines
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.
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.
May I use Travelport for booking personal (non-business) airfare?
No. (See question and answer below concerning booking for non-employee traveling companions.)
Yes, if the primary purpose for the trip is business.
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.
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.
Because use of the P-card for payment might
result in a cost recovery situation for the UW, the P-card should
not be used. If the traveler has a US Bank Travel
Card, it should be used. If the traveler does not
have a US Bank Travel Card, the airfare may be charged to a personal
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.
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.
Yes. The policy on earning and using frequent flyer points has not changed. Reference section III. A. 7 UW Travel Regulations for details.