Information that is collected and transmitted to TSA is known as Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD).  The airlines transmit this data no later than 72 hours prior to flight time.  If a reservation is made within 72 hours of the flight, the data will be transferred at the time the reservation is made. The SFPD includes:

• Name as it appears on government-issued I.D. when traveling  (required)
• Date of Birth (required)
• Gender (required)
• Redress Number (if available) – Redress is an opportunity for passengers who believe they have been improperly or unfairly delayed or prohibited from boarding an aircraft to seek resolution and avoid future delays. The affected passengers often have the same or a similar name to someone on the watch list. The DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) provides a one-stop shop for passengers seeking redress. Secure Flight uses the results of the redress process in its watch list matching process to help prevent future delays for misidentified passengers.

TSA determined that mandating the provision of the additional data elements would greatly reduce the number of passengers misidentified as a match to the watch list.  It is to the passenger’s advantage to provide the required data elements in order to prevent delays and/or inconveniences at the airport.

Secure Flight has been in effect since October 31, 2009 in which it began requiring all airlines request and collect SFPD.  It was phased in with each airline.  Implementation with all domestic airlines was completed in the spring of 2010 and international carriers were completed by the end of 2010.

The goals of the Secure Flight program are to:

• Identify known and suspected terrorists
• Prevent individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft
• Subject individuals on the Selectee List to enhanced screening to determine if they are permitted to board an aircraft
• Facilitate passenger air travel
• Protect individuals’ privacy

The benefits provided by Secure Flight are that TSA:

• Decreases the chance for compromised watch list data by limiting its distribution
• Provides earlier identification of potential matches, allowing for expedited notification of law enforcement and threat management
• Provides a fair, equitable, and consistent matching process across all airlines
• Reduces instances of misidentified individuals
• Offers consistent application of an integrated redress process for misidentified individuals via the DHS’s TRIP

You may ask, “What does the Secure Flight program mean for me?”  The biggest change for most passengers is that they now have to provide additional information when booking a reservation for air travel than they did before.  Under Secure Flight, airlines require that passengers provide their full name as it appears on the form of ID used for the trip, date of birth, and gender when making a reservation to travel and will request a passenger’s Redress Number and passport information if available.  Not providing the required information can result in additional security screening for the passenger which will cause an inconvenience, delays, and the possibility of being prohibited to board the aircraft.

The ETS system that is used by my agency does not allow travelers to book airline reservations online without the required information.  The traveler has to provide the required information in order to book online or they have the option of contacting the Travel Management Center (TMC) to book the reservation.  By calling the TMC, the traveler will not be exempt from providing the SFPD information.  The TMC will ask for the information.  Also by calling the TMC, the traveler will incur a higher TMC fee than what he/she would have if they had booked online.

TSA takes the security of personal information very seriously.  The personal data that Secure Flight collects is protected by the highest set of security protocol standards established by the federal government.  TSA’s Office of Privacy Policy and Compliance collaborates with the Chief Information Security Office (CI-SO) to work with program offices during the design and implementation of systems to ensure compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a.

“The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”

By Susan Crouser

by Lorie Henderson

Additional  benefits  of the program to the travelers include:

• 4 p.m. or later day-of-arrival cancel policy
• No early departure fees
• No minimum stay requirements
• No reservation deposits
• No add on fees

The FedRooms® program offers benefits to the government and private industry lodging providers.   The government is able to negotiate a lower price for federal travelers due to volume of activity throughout the federal government.  The hotels benefit by having higher occupancy rates due to the additional federal commitment.

Upon the introduction of the program, there was some initial confusion on the part of some travelers.  Many agencies mandate their travelers use an E-travel system with an integrated booking engine for lodging.  Around the same time GSA introduced FedRooms® and strongly recommended the program for choosing lodging.  Confusion was resolved when travelers were informed that the e-Travel systems were accessing the FedRooms® repository when presenting lodging options to the traveler.

FedRooms® rates are available through your agency’ s online E-Gov Travel booking tool,  the website located at FedRooms.com, a travel agent,  or simply by calling a participating hotel and requesting the FedRooms® rate.  A listing of all participating hotels can be found on the website.  Any questions can be answered by contacting the FedRooms® HelpDesk at (800) 225-1741.

By Debra Sams

“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.

By: Stacey Clark

Split Disbursements is a process of paying for travel card expenses without having delinquencies… In the agency that I work at, when an employee submits a travel voucher for payment, allowable charges that are made on the travel card are paid directly to the bank (JP Morgan Chase). Now, who would not want this? What I find to be contradictory is that; when you read chapter 4 of OMB Circular A-123; it requires all agencies to implement risk management controls, policies, and practices for the travel charge card.  Risk management controls, policies, and practices are a critical tool for ensuring the efficiency and the integrity of charge card programs by eliminating payment DELINQUENCIES, charge card misuse, fraud, and other forms of waste and abuse.  Responsibilities and risk management controls, policies, and practices for addressing payment delinquencies are contained under sections 4.3 and 4.4 of OMB Circular A-123, Appendix B.

So, why not encourage split disbursement, because in the long run, it will be more beneficial to the agency versus having to write off debt from delinquent accounts….

By: Anna Quartey-Smith

Disclaimer: The comments in this paper are mine and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.

The airfares offered under this program are discounted considerably off comparable commercial fares–saving the federal government millions of dollars annually.

In addition to the price savings, the Airline City Pair Program has many features which allow government travelers all the flexibility possible in planning official travel. The benefits of this service include:

• Fares priced on one-way routes permitting agencies to plan multiple destinations
• No advance purchase required
• No minimum or maximum length stay required
• Tickets fully refundable
• Last seat availability
• No blackout periods
• Stable prices enabling travel budgeting
• Dual fares availability

For Airline City Pair contract airfares, visit Airfares (City Pair Search).  The shortcut for this page is www.gsa.gov/citypairsearch.

I’m sure in time with our continued efforts of training and information sharing the knowledge, benefits and ease of using City Pair fares will be an automatic need and want of the all Federal Travelers.  GSA and other agencies keep a close eye on the Federal Traveler’s needs and wants and their continued efforts to award contracts that will satisfy the Federal Traveler’s purposes will be rewarded by all.  One thing is for sure, the internet based discount web sites cannot assure the confidence in their reservations that GSA can.  GSA understands the Federal Traveler’s requirements in following the FTR and their need to be advantageous to the government.  The flexibility in the City Pair fare extends the secure knowledge of no hidden fees when making multiple changes due to last minute schedules and needs that a majority of Federal Travelers often experience because of their job requirements.  Sometimes I think the average non-Federal Traveler would like to have that security as well, to know that if/when their schedules or needs change they won’t automatically cringe or stress themselves on what the cheapest thing to do would be.  Life is too short to have to worry over excessive fees if you don’t have to.

Another great benefit with having City Pair fares is that these are available in the eTravel system designated for your agency.  Let’s be realistic there are times when the systems are not up-to-date with all the information at every possible second of the day, but have been proven to be pretty accurate when the market and economy are both steady.  Occasionally an awarded contract has been rescinded or cancelled but I notice that it is usually just a certain flight and there are usually other flights at different times of the day with the same airline still in effect.  Sometimes it seems that there are not enough awards for where and when you want to travel, but there are reports and studies done on what locations were in demand.  Offering too many awards for one location can result in the reservation prices to increase; we have to remember that the more they spend on additional flights to the same destinations the more it costs the traveler.

I know from personal experience I was so grateful for the city pair fare in saving me additional

By:  Debra Hardman

“The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Bureau of the Government or my Agency.”

 The Federal Travel Regulations, (FTR) requires government travelers to use a contract fare when available, use coach class service unless otherwise authorized, and to use a U.S. Flag Air Carrier.  Contract fares must be used unless you have a valid justification.  Some of the justifications are:

1. There are no seats available on a contract flight, or the flights departure/arrival times do not enable you to incur overnight lodging costs.
2. The contract carrier would require travel during non-work hours.
3. A non-contract carrier offers a lower fare available to the general public and using it reduces the total cost to the government.
4. Rail service is available and is cost effective and meets mission requirements.
5. Smoking is permitted on the contract flight.  The justification must be entered by the traveler in the Passenger Name Record (PNR) to justify usage of a non-contract fare.  This must be approved by the approving official.

The fares for domestic travel include federal, state and local taxes.  Passenger charges are added by the local airport authority, fees are established by the GDS, and security fees set by the Department of Homeland Security are not included and are listed separately.  All international fares are exclusive of taxes and fees.

One of the most recent and significant change to the CPP is that airlines are allowed to add a fuel surcharge.  The Airline may impose a fuel surcharge in accordance with their GSA contract after the surcharge has been active in the commercial market for 14 consecutive days.  This change was caused by the rising cost of jet fuel and the need for the airlines to regain come of the cost.

The fares offered by the airlines are one way, allowing for complex trip construction to multiple destinations.  There are several advantages to using a contract fare such as:

• Ÿ  No advance purchase required
• Ÿ  No minimum or maximum length stay required
• Ÿ  Tickets are fully refundable
• Ÿ  Last seat availability
• Ÿ  No blackout periods
• Ÿ  Prices in effect for one full year
• Ÿ  No penalties/fees for rebooking, re-ticketing or cancellation
• Ÿ  Capacity fares availability
• Ÿ  Contract business fares available

Contract fares are identifiable because normally the fare designator

 “YCA” is reflected.  The ticket will show a three-letter fare basis code with CA(Contract Award)as part of it.

YCA FARE – The code used to designate unrestricted coach class contract fares for government contract carriers.  “CA” means “contract award.”

_CA FARE – A three letter code used to identify capacity controlled coach class contract fares for government contract carriers.

_CB FARE – A three letter code used to identify capacity controlled government contract business class fares.

The first letter of the three-letter fare basis code will vary by airline (e.g., QCA, LCA, etc.). The only difference between the YCA and _CA is that there are a limited number of seats on the lower _CA Airline City Pair rate. Therefore, travelers should make flight reservations as soon as plans are firm.

Airline tickets purchased for the government traveler for authorized travel are considered unused or partially used when the travel is terminated short of the authorized destination, the return portion of the round trip is not used, and travel actually furnished is different or of a lesser value than authorized.

The government traveler must notify his/her agency when refunds are due on an unused or partially used ticket (paper or e-ticket) or no refund will take place. Millions of dollars are lost to the government and taxpayers each year because travelers do not initiate the refund process.

In order to obtain a refund, the traveler is responsible for contacting the travel agent, or the Commercial Travel Office (CTO), or the airlines (if purchased from the airline directly).

 By Deva Wilson

“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”

Did you know?

•         GSA provides the City Pair Program for the federal government.

•         Usually remains the same for the entire period of the contract (typically one year)

•         The City Pair Program saves money

•         There are no penalties for cancellations or changes in itinerary

•         Advance purchases are not required

•         There is last seat availability

•         The tickets are fully refundable

•         Fares are priced on one –way routes permitting multiple destinations planning

•         The two basic fare codes that identify the GSA City airfare are YCA and-CA

Our travelers are mandated to use City Pair Program unless otherwise authorized. The Defense Travel System actually triggers an audit flag which ask you to explain why you didn’t take a contract flight. There are always exceptions. Our travelers are allowed to use non-contract fares only if meets the mission of our agency or if space is not available on a scheduled contract flight.  GSA cannot require a carrier add non-stop service. This is because while the City Pair program has sales well over $1 billion per year, it still represents only about 2% of the airlines business. If the commercial traffic warrants it, a carrier will not add a new route or improve service levels for the government. Although, non-stop service is well favored, it is not always available or the best value.

By: Stacey Clark

Challenge: To communicate effectively with our membership in a two way dialogue of the SGTP resources and have them utilize them to better understand the government travel marketplace.  And to assist in creating developing increased sales for their organization in his $20 billion annual spend by arena.

Issue: New members are continuously joining SGTP on a year round basis.  And though we would like all to be successful immediately with positive results we are aware of the lengthy process, time commitment and expense that need to be invested to increase revenue and or awareness within this market.  One of the first items of business we advise potential members is that this is not going to be quick, easy and it will take a strong continued effort on your part.

The typical supplier scenario that we currently experience is a vendor would like to join SGTP and attend the next conference as an exhibitor.  I explain the process of membership, conference registration, and costs.  Though they seem relatively inexpensive I point out once again there is a dedication that they will have to commit to if they are seriously considering this marketplace.

For those that are new we recommend they consider participating in the SGTP Certification Program “CGTP” the Certified Government Travel Professional.   It is a great introduction to the process and the systems in place for those that are new to this market and for those that do have experience they have found it invaluable as it helps join all the pieces together.

Keeping in mind that many of us know but do not necessarily touch all phases of the reservation process because of our specialization in a particular portion of this business such as lodging, car rental or airline.   This is with exception to the government travel planner and the travel agencies which must know all the information and be able to assemble as well understand the entire process and particulars about the traveler’s trip.

SGTP Resources

SGTP has various members can take advantage of and they are as follows:

1. Human Capital – SGTP’s staff of employees, volunteers, mentors, committee participants are all willing to discuss and listen to our membership.  New members should take advantage of them and utilize them when and where possible.  The leadership, committee members and their contact information are all listed within the SGTP website under Leadership at www.sgtp.org.
2. The SGTP Member Profile – Located within the SGTP website this is a self updating area that members are responsible for completing and updating information on themselves as well as the products or services your company offers.  SGTP’s website also allows you to load photos of your product and tag with descriptions so that potential clients can review.  There are no additional fees to utilize the photos within your profile.
3. CGTP – Certified Government Travel Professional Program by SGTP from $395 per member cost.  Nowhere can you find a certified educational program (online) that offers so much for so little.  As stated before for those serious about government travel CGTP should be on your list of requirements for educational development.
4. SGTP Members Only Access Database – SGTP maintains a large database of key government travel industry contacts for Government, Suppliers, and others.  You can query the program to expedite a rapid search which can identify items such as travel agency list of all agencies servicing government accounts, government contacts by name, agency, or location, supplier contacts and information by name of representative, brand name, parent company name or by supplier type.  Detail included within this are Name of SGTP Member Representative if applicable, Organization or Company Name, Address, Phone, Fax, Email and more.
5. Resource Library with just about every acronym to travel as well as government travel.  If the government has created it and you are not certain as to its definition then access sgtp.org and look up online.   Also within this portion of the site we provide you the URL’s or links to just about every government travel site to help assist you in locating specific information.
6. State Travel Management Resource Site – SGTP works closely with the State Travel Managers throughout the country so you can take advantage of State Travel opportunities.  State and municipal travel in excess of $4billion annually in travel spend.
7. RFP Posting – SGTP aggregates RFP’s from the various states and specific lodging, car rental and other travel service opportunities for bid that are not part of the Federal Government.  For those you can subscribe to FedBizOpps directly.  However often we do see specific opportunities that we feel may benefit a member and forward those on as well to their attention.

Conclusion – There are numerous resources, distribution points, and opportunities to obtain your share of the government spend. These include participation in lodging programs such as FedRooms, Navy Elite, and Omega Government Hotels.  Working with government appointed travel agencies on the TSS schedule, or State appointed travel agencies, Websites for aggregation of RFPs such as FedBizOpps. Building a sales plan with current and potential agencies and clients but non which will come quickly or easy without significant time and a tolerance for doing business with the government.

To be successful you need to create a plan and include some of the following suggestions in addition to your own ideas and process.

1. Join SGTP Membership and learn to navigate the SGTP website
2. Update your contact information, product services or deliveries and create a clear and concise profile so others will understand what you are selling and delivering to the marketplace.
3. Utilize SGTP resources for database management, sales planning, email marketing campaigns, fax programs,  where applicable, newsletters and communicate in a consistent manner so that once customers understand when and how you communicate to them they will be looking for fresh ideas and solutions to meet their needs.
4. Take the CGTP certification program from SGTP
5. Participate in conferences for the length of the event and not just two hours in and out on the day of the tradeshow.
6. Consider recruiting an intern from the hospitality program at a college or university near you to assist you with research and task them to assist you in building your program while you are multi tasking on other required projects.

By: Rick Singer

Government travelers, following the requirements set forth in the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), must use a contract fare when available unless the traveler has a valid justification.  Some of the justifications are:

1. There are no seats available on a contract carrier.
2. Flight times do not enable the traveler to meet mission requirements.
3. A non-contract carrier offers a lower fare available to the general public and using it reduces the cost to the government.

Not only as a government employee but also a taxpayer, it is good to know the CPP benefits the government by saving money on travel.  Other benefits of using the program include:

1. Fully refundable tickets.
2. Advance purchase not required.
3. No blackout dates.
4. No charge for cancellations or changes to a reservation.
5. Fares are priced on one-way routes, permitting travelers to plan multiple destinations.
6. Once negotiated, the fares are locked in for one year which makes for a more manageable travel budget.
7. Last seat availability.

The CPP fares must be purchased with a government issued charge card or in certain instances, the Government Transportation Request (GTR).

By: Sue Burton

The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.