Travel

E-Travel News

May 2020 - Volume 12, Issue 3

In This Issue

• CTM Office Updates
• Cancelled Travel Credit
• Reminder When Booking Rural Air
• Air Carriers Safety Protocols
• OTPAY Documentation

CTM Office Updates

As with the airlines, hotels, and car agencies, Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has been impacted significantly over the past two months.  They are operating with a skeleton crew and have reduced hours of operations for the E-Travel Office.  However, they continue to be a strong partner for the State of Alaska’s travel program providing valuable and professional expertise and services. 

E-Travel Online is accessible 24/7 even when working remotely.  Outside of regular business hours the toll-free number (866-762-8728) is redirected to CTM’s after-hours team for rural and emergency booking requests. 

CTM contact information is posted on the bottom of each page in E-Travel Online as well as on the Division of Finance Travel webpage.

Your E-Travel Agent Team is available to help
8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday
For phone assistance call: 1-866-762-8728
Online help email: e-travelhelp@travelctm.com
Reservation assistance email: e-travelaprvl@travelctm.com

Please make note of a couple recent changes.

Online Help Desk phone number is being forwarded to the reservation line but will eventually be disabled.  The online help desk services are still available, but now there is only ONE NUMBER to remember when you are booking travel!
CTM has created a special landing page to be used as a repository of COVID-19 travel alerts to help you stay informed of important travel changes and updates.  The link will be added to the message board in E-Travel Online.  You may choose to bookmark this link CTM’s One-Stop Shop of COVID-19 Information.

CTM has also implemented a new research tool that can be used to retrieve missing travel itineraries.  The link is published on the Travel webpage under Research Services: Automatic Invoice Request Option - Electronic Invoice Requests.  Note: this is a NEW tool and will only retrieve itineraries purchased through E-Travel for travel booked after April 20, 2020.

Cancelled Travel Credit

Most carriers have implemented trip cancellation waivers and have extended the expiration date on available credit for COVID-19 affected travel.  The waivers are subject to change at any time without advance notice by the carrier and may vary by ticketing and travel dates.

• Unused ticket credits can only be applied to travel on the same carrier.  For example, a credit on Alaska Air can only be used on Alaska Air.
• Credits held on RAVN Alaska will remain on file and tracked in our system.  When we have more information about the status of RAVN Alaska operations we will share with your Department Travel Administrators.
• The May unused ticket report will reflect the new expiration date on pending credit.  If there are questions on a specific ticket, please report to doa.dof.e-travel@alaska.gov and we will verify the information.
• Not all unused tickets will meet COVID-19 requirements.  For example, any ticket issued for travel PRIOR to the end of February (date is specific to carrier) will not meet COVID-19 waiver criteria. These tickets should be used first as expiration dates will not be extended. 
• Once travel restrictions are lifted and more essential travel is authorized agencies should request to use available credit with each booking. 
• Many departments utilize CTM’s unused ticket automation, which will stop the ticketing process and will search for expiring credit to apply to travel.  This automation takes the responsibility off travel planners to request the use of credit and ensures that transferable credit does not expire.

In addition to the standard waiver carriers are offering to the general public, travel booked via the E-Travel program may have additional waiver benefits. 

• Alaska Airlines and Delta Air are both offering additional flexibility when it comes to cancelling, changing, or rebooking travel by waiving their name change fees for tickets affected by COVID-19.  New travel must be completed one year from original travel date and limit one name change per ticket. 
• Reminder that value can be transferred to another department as well.  Some coordination between the departments is necessary, but it is a good way to use credit available.  Department Travel Administrators may reach out to E-Travel Management at doa.dof.e-travel@alaska.gov if they have unused credit they are willing to transfer to other agencies.

Reminder When Booking Rural Air

With RAVN Alaska currently out of service other small regional carriers are trying to pick up some markets.  Some of those small regional carriers are not part of the State’s rural ITB program.  Travel plans on those carriers MUST be booked via our mandatory Travel Service Contract with CTM to ensure the carrier has met licensing requirements and holds a current and valid certificate with the Department of Transportation at the time of service. 

The use of E-Travel is optional when booking rural air but only if the travel plans do not include a major airline (one bookable in E-Travel Online) and if the desired regional carrier is listed as an ITB carrier on the Travel webpage under Service Standards, When is E-Travel Optional.

This allows agencies to arrange rural travel plans directly with compliant carriers and ensures the state is receiving the maximum savings benefit on carriers where the State may receive discounted air. If travel includes out of state travel to/from a rural community not served by Alaska Airlines, the entire trip must be booked via the E-Travel Office.  The best practice is to book the major air carrier in E-Travel Online with a special request to add the rural segment.

Air Carriers Safety Protocols

Amid COVID-19, flying etiquette is changing and carriers are announcing new safety protocols at airports and on board.  When the time comes and you are ready to fly, here are some of changes to be aware of:

• Most carriers now require flight crews to wear masks on board.
• Most carriers are starting to require or at least strongly encourage passengers to wear masks around airports and on board.
• Several carriers have said masks will be provided for passengers that do not have one. 
• Enhanced aircraft cleaning between flights and fogging procedures have been implemented across all domestic carriers.
• Most carriers have implemented seat restrictions, including limiting upgrades, to help with social distancing onboard the aircraft.  Middle seats are being left open unless you are traveling with immediate family.
• Reduced food and drink service onboard.
• Onboard recycling is discontinued.
• In airports, United Air has disabled self-service kiosks and added plexiglass to separate passengers at the service counters. 

OTPAY Documentation

New documentation has been posted for travel processers that handle taxable travel.  There is now a guide to creating an OTPAY in HRM for Non-Move Travel and a separate document for Move Travel.

The documents are posted on the Travel webpage under the Travel Accounting or under Employee Moves. 

Please note that Departments were originally instructed to use the payroll calendar to determine the Event Date.  The process has been simplified with the instruction to use the last day of travel as the Event Date. 

The following documents are available to assist with processing and correcting taxable travel payments.