UK Travel Management Services

Question: If I find a lower airfare from an alternate travel agency or Web site (i.e., Expedia, Orbitz or airline Web pages) than from AAA, Trip Manager™ or a preferred travel agency, can I purchase it?

Answer: Yes. Our goal is to save money, so you may purchase your ticket through the alternate travel vendor with your personal credit card, and submit the charge for reimbursement along with your other travel reimbursement documentation after you complete the trip. However to substantiate that a favorable ticket price was received from the alternate travel vendor, cost comparison with Trip Manager™ must be documented and submitted with the travel voucher. The cost comparison must show a listing of the airfares available from Trip Manager™ for the same dates of travel, the same travel destinations and the same approximate time of departure. You must print your cost comparison from Trip Manager™ at the same time you purchase your ticket from an alternate travel vendor, as airfares fluctuate daily.
Question: If I find the same airfare from an alternate travel agency or Web site (i.e., Expedia, Orbitz or airline Web pages) than from AAA, Trip Manager™ or a preferred travel agency and not have to pay the travel agency fee, can I purchase it?

Answer: Yes. You may purchase your ticket through the alternate travel vendor with your personal credit card, and submit the charge for reimbursement along with your other travel reimbursement documentation after you complete the trip. However to substantiate that a favorable price was received from with the alternate travel vendor, cost comparison with Trip Manager™ must be documented and submitted with the travel voucher. The cost comparison must show a listing of the airfares available from the Trip Manager™ for the same dates of travel, the same travel destinations and the same approximate time of departure. You must print your cost comparison from Trip Manager™ at the same time you purchase your ticket from an alternate travel vendor, as airfares fluctuate daily. Please keep in mind, however, that we believe Trip Manager’s™ reservation fee of $10 to be an investment in you as you travel on behalf of the University. Your Web site transaction is generally a relationship that ends at the time you book and pay for your ticket. Using Trip Manager™ provides you with an on-going relationship with AAA. We believe the $10 fee is well worth the “insurance” you receive in the form of the following services, which are not usually provided by alternate Web sites: potential to change your reservation once ticketed
- extensive quality control over your reservation – 24-hour searches for lower a fare, better seat assignments, waitlist clearings, etc, up until the moment of departure
- emergency after-hours call center with immediate response
- complimentary insurance on each trip of $200,000
- incorporation of your travel data into University travel management reports.
Question: I can get more frequent flyer points by purchasing my airline ticket online at the airline’s dedicated Web site (at the same price as from AAA, Trip Manager™, or a preferred travel agency). Can I do so?

Answer: Yes. You may purchase your ticket through the airline’s dedicated Web site with your personal credit card, and submit the charge for reimbursement along with your other travel reimbursement documentation after you complete the trip. However to substantiate that a favorable ticket price was received from the airline’s Web site, cost comparison with Trip Manager™ must be documented and submitted with the Travel Voucher. The cost comparison must show a listing of the airfares available from Trip Manager™ for the same dates of travel, the same travel destinations and the same approximate time of departure. You must print your cost comparison from Trip Manager™ at the same time you purchase your ticket from an alternate travel vendor, as airfares can fluctuate daily.
Question: I can get more frequent flyer points or flight insurance by purchasing my airline ticket with my personal credit card. Can I do so?

Answer: Yes. When using AAA, Trip Manager™, or a preferred travel agency, you always have the option of using your UK Procurement Card or a personal credit card to purchase business airline tickets. If you use your personal card, you must submit the expense for reimbursement along with your other travel reimbursement documentation after you complete the trip. When using an alternate travel agency or Web site (i.e., Expedia, Orbitz or airline Web pages) instead of AAA, Trip Manager™, or a preferred travel agency, you must use a personal credit card to purchase business airline tickets and submit the charge for reimbursement along with your other travel reimbursement documentation after you complete the trip. However to substantiate that a favorable ticket price was received from the alternate travel vendor, cost comparison with Trip Manager™ must be documented and submitted with the travel voucher. The cost comparison must show a listing of the airfares available from Trip Manager™ for the same dates of travel, the same travel destinations and the same approximate time of departure. You must print your cost comparison from Trip Manager™ at the same time you purchase your ticket from an alternate travel vendor, as airfares can fluctuate daily.
Question: Are there extra restrictions or fees when I book an Internet airline ticket through Trip Manager™?

Answer: Possibly. Trip Manager™ displays published airfares as well as alternate Internet Web site fares (i.e., Expedia, Orbitz or airline Web pages), which are distinguished by a circled “I” alongside the respective flight schedule. Should you choose to “reserve” an Internet fight schedule, you will be taken directly to the Internet site to purchase your ticket (and will no longer be in Trip Manager™). If you choose to continue and purchase your ticket directly from the Internet vendor, you will be assessed the additional Internet Web site processing fee, if any, (as determined by the Internet vendor) as well as the Trip Manager™ fee ($10), and you will lose the AAA services associated with “regular” Trip Manager™ tickets.
Question: Since there are extra restrictions/fees when I purchase an Internet airline ticket through Trip Manager™, what is the advantage of doing so when I can go directly to an alternate Web site without using Trip Manager™ and save the $10 Trip Manager™ fee?

Answer: There are still three advantages of booking your Internet airline ticket through Trip Manager™, instead of going directly to the Internet vendor's Web site:
- Trip Manager™ presents a greater selection of airfares and itineraries than does an Internet site, as it displays not only Internet fares, but also displays published airline fares (which travel agencies book) and UK airfare discounts. Currently UK's discount with Northwest Airlines is the only discount loaded on Trip Manager™ - as we negotiate more, they will also be loaded onto the system.
- You may use your UK Procurement Card to purchase an official University business Internet airline ticket through Trip Manager™. However, if you choose to purchase an Internet ticket directly with the particular Web site, you must use a personal credit card.
- AAA can still capture the travel data from your Internet airline ticket if it is purchased through Trip Manager™, which is key in maintaining accurate travel management reports for the University. Such data is lost when a ticket is purchased directly with an Internet vendor.
Question: How do I pay for business travel when it is combined with personal travel on one airline ticket?

Answer: When using AAA, Trip Manager™, or a preferred travel agency, you have two options:
- You may use your Procurement Card to pay for the business portion of your ticket, and your personal credit card to pay for the personal portion of your ticket. You must advise AAA or the preferred travel agency to split the ticket’s payment accordingly, and request they provide you with documentation showing the split payment, which must be submitted to Accounts Payable with your Travel Voucher.
- You may use a personal credit card to purchase your entire ticket, and then submit the business portion expense of the ticket for reimbursement on a travel voucher. You must advise AAA or the preferred travel agency to split the ticket’s payment accordingly, and request they provide you with documentation showing the split payment, which must be submitted to Accounts Payable with your Travel Voucher.
When using an alternate travel agency instead of AAA, Trip Manager™, or a preferred travel agency, you must use a personal credit card to purchase the ticket, and then submit the business portion expense of the ticket for reimbursement on a travel voucher. You must advise the alternate travel agency to split the ticket’s payment accordingly, and request they provide you with documentation showing the split payment, which must be submitted to Accounts Payable with your Travel Voucher.

When using an alternate Web site (i.e., Expedia, Orbitz or airline Web pages) instead of AAA, Trip Manager™ or a preferred travel agency, a “split payment” of your combined business/personal airline ticket cannot be done, since the sites do not accept two forms of payment.