Travel Call Centre
What services does the Travel Call Centre provide?
What are the benefits of using the Travel Call Centre?
What was the cost of travel arrangements through a full service agency prior to Travel AcXess Voyage?
Is there a fee for making reservations with the Travel Call Centre?
What is an X.400 e-mail address, and why do I need one to obtain electronic copies of my itinerary and other travel documents?
What should I do if I haven't received my ticket(s) and itinerary?
If I have concerns or problems with my travel reservation, whom do I contact?
I have made changes to my reservations, and the charges associated with my reservations do not appear on the revised invoice. Why is this?
Can I book travel outside the government travel service, if a lower price is available?
More information.
What services does the Travel Call Centre provide?
The Travel Call Centre provides air, rail, car and hotel reservations for all government travel.In addition to basic travel agency services, the Travel Call Centre provides the following support services for travellers:
- A dedicated help desk/call centre, which is internationally accessible;
- A traveller support line available 24/7/365 for travellers with questions. In cases of emergency, information is available related to customs and currency restrictions, local climate, points of interest, business hours, etc.;
- Health and safety advisories and information regarding such issues as visa and passport requirements;
- A network of over 2,200 travel service locations worldwide, which can help travellers with problems or unexpected events during travel, such as the need for additional travel;
- Conference Management Services (including travel, block space bookings, charter transportation accommodation, catering, meeting room arrangements and participant name tags, e-mail invitation). When compared to departmental planning of such events, planning by the agency can result in significant savings that are immediately recovered by the department;
- Group travel services for reservations of 10+ people;
- Specialized counsellors for international trips;
- A designated counsellor team with expertise in booking trips to remote locations
- An on-line booking tool for simple, domestic reservations; and
- VIP and special needs services.
All services, information and assistance are provided in both official languages.
The Travel Call Centre is open and available 24/7/365. To make travel reservations through the call centre, simply call 1-800-514-3798.
More information.
What are the benefits of using the Travel Call Center?
The Travel Call Centre provides numerous benefits to travellers and to government agencies and departments. Among these benefits are the following:
- Worldwide services available and accessible 24/7/365;
- The lowest air and rail fares available at time of booking, including consolidators and Web fares agreed upon by the Government of Canada and Travel AcXess Voyage. The call centre is bound by contract to provide this benefit; and
- Information to leverage better rates with travel suppliers and to help departments and agencies to efficiently manage their travel programs.
More information.
What was the cost of travel arrangements through a full service agency prior to Travel AcXess Voyage?
The cost of travel arrangements through a full service agency prior to STSI was approximately $80 per transaction. Since STSI has been put into place this cost has gone down from approximately $80 to approximately $40 per transaction. Using the
On-line Booking Tool (OBT) brings to cost down a further 50% from approximately $40 to approximately $20 per transaction.
More information.
Is there a fee for making reservations with the Travel Call Centre?
Yes, the call centre will charge a
transaction fee for each call centre or on-line transaction; however, the cost of travel arrangements has been reduced greatly since the Shared Travel Services Initiative (STSI) has been put into place.The Government of Canada has always paid travel agency transaction fees for business travel services. Until recently, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) paid these transaction fees and departments and agencies did not see these transaction costs as part of their total travel spending. However, as a result of major changes in the travel industry, transaction fees are now borne by departments and agencies, rather than being centrally paid.
Currently, there are two separate service fees charged for each transaction:
- A call centre transaction fee
For example, when making domestic or transborder travel reservations for air, sea and land transportation with or without hotel and/or car rental reservations using the call centre, travellers will be charged a transaction fee of $41.49 (plus GST) per transaction. This cost is significantly lower than standard industry rates for booking corporate air, sea and land travel, which currently range between $45 and $65 per transaction. Because this shared service has resulted in larger travel agency volumes, transaction fees have been reduced by 7%, representing approximately $775,000 in savings for the 2005 calendar year.
The On-line Booking Tool (OBT) allows travellers and travel arrangers to book travel at a rate of $19.50 (plus GST) for unassisted reservations per transaction. In the event that an on-line reservation requires the intervention of a travel counsellor, a counsellor-assisted transaction fee of $41.49 (plus GST) per transaction may be applied. High volume use of the OBT across government could also result in lower transaction fees to departments.
Please note this information is commercially confidential to the Government of Canada and is not to be released to third parties without the permission of Shared Travel Services Initiative (STSI).
More information.
What is an X.400 e-mail address, and why do I need one to obtain electronic copies of my itinerary and other travel documents?
The X.400 e-mail system provides a secure environment and distribution channel for potentially sensitive and private material. The X.400 is part of the government's Intranet, and is not connected to the public Internet.All solutions incorporate safeguards to ensure that employee information is not compromised. The collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of this information will be managed in a way that takes into account the Government of Canada's Employee Privacy Code principles of confidentiality, accuracy and relevance.
Some departments and agencies, because of their structure or the nature of their work, do not have access to X.400 e-mail. If you are not sure whether your workplace has X.400 access, you should seek clarification from your Departmental Contact. If you do not have an X.400 e-mail address, you can request your travel documents be sent to you by fax.
More information.
What should I do if I haven't received my ticket(s) and itinerary?
You should receive your ticket(s) and itinerary within 24-48 hours of the time you complete your booking.If you do not receive your ticket(s) and itinerary within that timeframe, you should contact Travel AcXess Voyage at 1-800-514-3798 and advise the travel counsellor of your situation.
If the problem persists, you should also advise your
Senior Full-Time Travel Officer
(SFTO) or Departmental Contact.
More information.
If I have concerns or problems with my travel reservation, whom do I contact?
Call the Travel Call Centre at 1-800-514-3798 as soon as possible and advise the travel counsellor of the incident.The travel counsellor will review the history of the reservation and provide a response accordingly. If the matter cannot be resolved immediately over the phone, it will be assigned to a customer service representative for investigation and resolution.
More information.
I have made changes to my reservations, and the charges associated with my reservations do not appear on the revised invoice. Why is this?
When you make a reservation, you will only be charged one transaction fee for the initial booking. Subsequent changes that do not require re-ticketing, such as adding or changing car or hotel reservations or revising seat selections will be covered under this transaction fee. In such cases, no charges would be reflected on the invoice.If you make changes to your reservations that result in a new ticket being issued, you will be charged an additional transaction fee. Likewise, if you have initially booked a hotel/car reservation and need to add air travel, you will be charged an additional transaction fee. The additional transaction fee will be reflected on your invoice.
If you have any concerns about your invoice or changes to your reservations, you should call the Travel Call Centre at 1-800-514-3798.
More information.
Can I book travel outside the government travel service, if a lower price is available?
If an employee's own research reveals a lower cost flight, he or she should advise the travel counsellor
at time of booking. Bypassing the government travel service is
contrary to the
Travel Directive and other government policies, and severely compromises the advantages and services associated with the existing arrangement.While Web fares on air carriers' sites may seem like a good deal, they often have restrictions or hidden costs.
More information.
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