SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 1, 2006–Travelocity
Business(SM) today announced a program designed to help those who
travel on government business more easily comply with the Fly America
Act and get reimbursed for their trips.
The Fly America Act, enacted in 1958, requires that international
air travel paid for by the U.S. government be flown on U.S. flag
carriers in order for travelers to be reimbursed. The rule applies
both to government workers and government contractors whenever travel
is financed by federal government funds. The legislation does provide
for special exceptions, such as allowing use of a foreign carrier when
it is determined to be necessary. But the exceptions can be
complicated and are often difficult for travelers to understand in
order to make a compliant booking.
Now, companies that use Travelocity Business can have their
employees contact a Travelocity Business agent to handle all the
complexities of researching, analyzing, and booking government-related
travel. The agent takes the time to confirm that each segment of the
trip meets government standards and documents the details of each
segment within the traveler’s itinerary for easier reconciliation and
reimbursement.
“Travelocity Business’s personalized and detailed approach to
government travel is so much better than the generic ‘rubber stamp’ of
approval that used to be the norm,” said Mary Bleakley, director of
Travel Services at the American Bar Association. “Having the
compliance information so professionally documented makes it easier
for the ABA to speed up payment for trips we’ve taken to fulfill
government contracts and grants.”
Further enhancements to the program are expected in July, when the
Travelocity Business mid-office system will be able to automatically
document all segments of a compliant booking and document those
details on the traveler’s itinerary without the help of an agent. The
system will also be designed to recognize potentially non- compliant
segments and automatically issue an email to travelers, advising them
to call an agent to finalize the booking.
“We know that planning trips for government-related travel can
often be complicated and time consuming – and that the traveler runs
the risk of not being reimbursed if it’s not handled correctly,” said
Joel Bailey, director of Product Marketing for Travelocity Business.
“This program is just another example of how Travelocity Business
continues to evolve its technology and services to meet the specific
needs of our customers and their travelers.”
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business is a full-service corporate travel agency
that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while
providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the
savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated
agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds,
and within 60 seconds guaranteed (see site for guarantee details).
Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel
choices of Travelocity(R) with corporate experience gained from
serving more than half of the Fortune 200 companies. For more
information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel
commerce, retailing travel products and providing distribution and
technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about
Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
CONTACT: Travelocity Business
Noel Bilodeau, 415-932-1292
noel.bilodeau@travelocity.com
or
VOLLMER
Mary Kate Smither, 972-488-4790
marykate@vollmerpr.com
SOURCE: Travelocity Business