Travel
Services
|
Information
and Procedures for Government Travelers
Reservation Procedures
Transportation Services
OMEGA will provide all transportation services to your agency
including reservations and ticketing for air, rail, bus, steamship,
car and hotel.
Car Rental Reservation
DOD has negotiated with major rental car companies flat rates
for all federal government employees. OMEGA will make reservations
with the car rental company offering the lowest rate consistent
with the traveler's overall mission requirement.
Hotel Reservations
We will confirm hotels offering government rates as listed
in the Federal Travel Directory, OMEGA's Government Travel
and Hotel Directory or assist you in securing the best non-government
rate available at the time of booking.
Late Arrival Reservations
If you are arriving after 6 p.m., many hotels will not hold
a room without a late arrival guarantee. Most hotels require
a credit card guarantee if arriving after 6 p.m.. If for any
reason you change or cancel your plans, you must advise either
OMEGA or the hotel directly by 6:00 p.m. (in some cases by
4:00 p.m.) hotel time. Failure to do will result in a one-night
accommodation cost. For your protection, when you cancel the
reservation, be sure to take down the name of the person who
cancels the room, the date you cancel and the cancellation
number, if applicable.
Government Fares
YCA vs. YDG/MDG
There are two different and distinct types of government fares:
Government Contract Fares (YCA) and Government Discount Fares
(YDG). The YCA fare is an official, negotiated fare between
the carrier and the GSA. The YDG or MDG fare is a non-negotiated
arbitrary fare published by an individual air carrier.
Exemptions to the use of contract carriers
One or more of the following travel conditions, which must
be certified on the travel order or travel voucher by an agency-approved
authorizing official, must apply if a contract carrier other
than the primary contractor is used for travel within a contract
route. In cities with multiple airports, use of a contract
carrier other than the primary contractor must be justified
based on one of the following, not on the basis of the convenience
of one airport over another to the traveler:
• Space or scheduled flights are not
available in time to accomplish the purpose of travel,
or use of contract service would require the traveler to incur
unnecessary overnight
lodging costs which would increase the total cost of the trip;
• The contractor's flight schedule
is inconsistent with explicit policies of individual Federal
departments and agencies, where applicable, to schedule travel
during normal working
hours;
• A non-contract carrier offers a
lower fare to the general public, the use of which will result
in a lower total trip cost to the Government, to include the
combined costs of transportation,
lodging, meals, and related expenses.
NOTE: This exception does not
apply if the contract carrier(s) offers a comparable fare
and has seats available at that fare, or if the lower fare
offered by a non-contract carrier is restricted to government
and military travelers on official business and may only be
purchased with a GTR or government credit card, e.g., 'YDG',
'MDG', 'QDG', 'VDG', and similar fares.
Ticket Delivery
Ticket delivery and prepaid tickets will be conducted per
Task Order between your agency and Omega World Travel.
Nationwide Network Delivery
In special circumstances it is possible for us to provide
ticket delivery in U.S. cities using one of our over 135 branches
nationwide or a WTT affiliate. This ticket delivery method
is reserved for circumstances in which the other delivery
methods are not suitable.
Prepaid Ticket Charges
As a last resort you may have to pick up your ticket from
the airline counter at the airport; this will be advised by
your OMEGA agent. Two forms of ID will be required at the
airport. A prepaid service fee may apply.
Problems or Complaints
When you have a problem or complaint, check the front of your
ticket envelope for the name of the agent who arranged your
travel plans. Please contact this person first for any problems
or complaints concerning your travel arrangements. If your
problem is not resolved, we ask that you talk to the Site
Manager at your OMEGA TMC. If you are still not satisfied,
please call OMEGA's Vice-President of Government Operations,
Temton Mistry at 703-359-0200 x400. If your problem or complaint
concerns government rules and regulations, you should contact
your agency's travel coordinator or the GSA/DOD Regional Office.
Seat Assignments
The demand for preferential seats has increased among business
travelers. We cannot always provide you with the seat of your
choice, since 75% of all travelers request a non-smoking aisle
seat and 25% request window seats. Here are some guidelines:
• Book your reservations early. Last
minute changes mean there is a chance you will not
get your desired seat.
• Seats can only be reserved within
21-30 days prior to travel. In most cases, seats cannot
be assigned less than 24 hours prior to departure, because
the seat manifest is under
airport control.
• When 70% of the seats have been
assigned, the balance of the seats are restricted to
airport check-in.
• Usually there are no pre-assigned
seats on commuter flights, flights under 1 hour or shuttle
flights.
• When holding a middle seat, please
check in early at airport gate for a better seat assignment.At
Omega World Travel, we are taking the following steps to ensure
preferred seat assignments:
• We use the airline seat map in the
computer to request a specific seat rather than a generic
seat.
• We will call the airline to request
a specific seat when your request is not available through
the computer.
• When a passenger is assigned a seat
other than that of choice, we will try to obtain the
preferred seat 48 hours before flight time.
• When only a middle seat is available,
we will book the flight and advise the passenger
of alternate flights.
Responsibility of the Traveler
Verify
Be sure to verify the itinerary and tickets to assure reservations
held reflect your current travel plans.
Check-In
Late bags miss flights, and so do travelers. Suggested check-in
at most major airports is one hour prior to departure. Checking
in less than 20 minutes prior to departure will generally
result in loss of seat assignments and special meals.
Changes
For your protection, any changes to your planned itinerary
should be made directly with OMEGA. This insures that you
will be in compliance with GSA/DOD rules and regulations and
avoids unnecessary charges for guaranteed hotel reservations
and airline cancellation fees. If you are out of town or you
must call after working hours, use our toll free 24 hour service
800-US-OMEGA.
Cancellation/No-Shows
If plans change or you miss a flight, you will be considered
a "No Show" if you have not cancelled your reservations.
All downline reservations, including hotels and cars, could
be cancelled as well. Call us to assure continuity of your
travel arrangements.
Refunds
Unused tickets or any portion thereof must be turned for refund
as directed by your agency as soon as possible for proper
credit and processing.
Lost Tickets
OMEGA should be notified immediately in the event of a lost
ticket. A lost ticket will be refunded within 6 months, if
it has not been used. The airline will refund the unused value
minus a processing fee. If the ticket is used within one year
of date of issue, the passenger will be liable for payment
of the tickets.
Traveler Services
Your Itinerary
One or two copies of your detailed travel itinerary will be
delivered with each reservation. Your itinerary will include
all your travel arrangements including, air, car, and hotel
reservations, with dates, costs and confirmation numbers where
applicable. The back of your itinerary contains information
on baggage allowances, overbooking, rules, carrier liabilities
and other useful traveler information.
24 Hour Reservation
When it is necessary to make or change reservations after
our regular office hours, government travelers may call our
24-hour reservations number, 800-US-OMEGA.
Baggage Tracer Service
Upon request, we will provide any government traveler with
two baggage tags showing our 24-hour, toll-free number. If
your luggage is lost, the finder is instructed to call us
at 800-US-OMEGA.
Enhanced Services
Travel Faxx
OMEGA sends a weekly fax to clients reviewing the travel industry's
latest issues and events.
MegaFax
Allows you to fax your reservation requests to OMEGA and receive
a faxed response.
MegaMail
Enables you to interface your office E-mail with OMEGA'S E-Mail.
MegaTel
Can be used by federal travelers to obtain travel authorization
information using a touch-tone telephone.
The OMEGA 1000 Best Hotel Values for
Government Travelers
This OMEGA directory features comparison pricing for each
property with per diem rates by city or town. The hotels which
offer the best values are listed, as are rental car companies.
|
|
