Business Travel Newsletter November 2008

Business life is always going throw up occasions when a well reasoned policy of booking travel well in advance goes out of the window because of some unforeseen circumstance.

The use of e-ticketing, with their immediate confirmations, within the airline industry has been a significant benefit for last minute travellers but the continuing requirements for paper tickets on the UK rail network has meant that things haven't been quite so straight forward for hurried train travellers. Having to join the back of a long queue at the train station ticket office can be a frustrating experience at the best of times but particularly so when your need to catch the next train is urgent.

Help is at hand however courtesy of TMG's online Evolvi rail booking tool. Approved account holders can now quickly and simply make last minute rail bookings through Evolvi and pick up their paper ticket at the departure station's ticket on departure machine.

You will be provided with a unique reference reservation number that, when entered into the machine, will print off your tickets…. simple.

Birmingham gets a Phili connection
US Airways to launch daily flights to the East Coast...

Green light for disruptions
Thameslink rail project get government funding...

Heathrow- Valencia flights cancelled
Clickair cancel Valencia flights but continue others...

Flat out with Delta
Delta align business class offering with lie flat seats...

Flights to LA dropped
Air France ceases Heathroe to LA service...

New weekly flights to India
SAS opens up flights to Delhi from numerous UK gateways

Booking you 'ticket on departure' is a quick and hassle free process and there is no need to worry about payment as all reservations will be billed directly to your company account.

For further information about Evolvi in general or booking a 'ticket on departure' in particular please contact Ian Currington.

The news comes in…. an earthquake in the Far East, a hurricane in the Americas, a terrorist incident in the Middle East. All terrible potential scenarios and situations where you will want to be sure that none of your company travellers have been affected and if they have expedite a quick withdrawal from the affected area.

For many years we have provided clients with a weekly international location report that pinpoints traveller whereabouts but have been aware that a system that provides on demand, real time access to such information would be greatly beneficial and help towards Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

We are therefore very pleased to announce the introduction of our new Traveller Security and Data Suite which allows users to securely access traveller location information online at any time, for bookings made through TMG. As well as locating travellers on current trips the tool also records historical and pre-trip data for both confirmed and pending bookings alike.

This easy to use, interactive web application is available to all TMG Corporate clients and we encourage you to register for access. This tool is in addition to our existing internal emergency planning systems that ensure that your travel team is made aware of any potential problems for overseas travellers.

For more information and to setup login details please contact Ian Currington.

Given the current financial climate many companies will be assessing expenditure with a view to reducing costs. Below we outline a few of the very best ways in which you can cut the cost of travel procurement:

Make 'book in advance' your travel mantra. Whether it be flights, trains or hotels the price goes up the closer you book to travel (in the majority of circumstances).
Don't immediately dismiss an indirect flight The overall flight time may be longer but the cost savings may be significant. Also, an indirect flight may originate from your local airport meaning that your overall journey time from leaving the office to arriving at your destination is in fact shorter, a win-win.
Take advantage of being a client of TMG and make use of our range of specially negotiated rates and fares that can provide significant savings over published pricing. Such fares are not available elsewhere and will be quoted by your TMG team at the time of booking request.
Make your next booking online through www.merlinonline.net, with access to a complete range of TMG and your company's own specially negotiated rates and fares and also be fully compliant with your company travel policy, billing systems etc. To gain access to Merlin please contact Rachel Goodman.
Re-evaluate your hotel choices. They may not suit all travellers or situations but if you have never stayed in a 'budget' hotel property such as Travelodge or Premier Inn you may be pleasantly surprised by their standards. Your TMG travel team will be able to provide you with all the accommodation options based on your particular request.
Many of our clients are enrolled in airline reward schemes. Check with your TMG team as to whether this is the case for your company and you may be able (dependent on your company's redemption policy) to convert points into free flights.
Know your train time? Book fixed tickets.
Having a travel policy in place establishes guidelines for travel and travel related expenditure. It also ensures employees know what is considered an acceptable expense. If you already have a travel policy in place don't forget to review it regularly. For travel policy guidance please contact Ian Currington.
Do you really need that extra bag? With an increasing number of airlines charging additional fees for checked baggage money can be saved by travelling light with just the 'essentials'.

So you've chosen to hire a car at your destination rather than risk the potential confusion, inflexibility and long waits for public transport, only to arrive at the hire car office to find a snaking queue of people with, at the front of it all, a fellow traveller dithering extensively over whether or not to accept the offered upgrade. And who knows how long the plethora of insurance choices will take to wade through. Suddenly the airport transfer bus seems distinctly appealing.

Avis car hire have taken onboard feedback from business travellers regarding such queue frustration and have instigated the 3 minute promise across key locations throughout Europe. Simply, you will receive your car keys within 3 minutes of arrival at the priority desk or receive £20 by way of apology.

To have access to the priority desk and associated 3 minute promise all you need do is sign up to the free Avis Preferred membership scheme which also comes with a number of additional benefits including special discounted rates for frequent users.

To sign up to Avis Preferred, please contact a member of your TMG account team who will be pleased to complete the process and add the details to your traveller profile.

At TMG Corporate we have access to specially negotiated rates with major car rental companies across the globe so, for your next rental, please speak to your account team who will be able to secure for you the best possible care hire rate.

The Chinese Embassy in London has changed their visa processing system with immediate effect.

For all visa requirements and relevant application forms please visit, www.tmgcorporate.com/visa.html.

Same Day and Express 2 Day Service- no longer available, even to those wishing to apply in person.

Express 3 Day Service- this is now the fastest service available. Applications lodged on a Monday will be available for collection on the following Wednesday. The fee charged by the embassy for this service will be the same as the old Express 2 Day fee. Proof of travel in no longer required for this service.

4 Day Service- no change

Additional updates- the embassy will no longer consider the withdrawal of an application once it has been lodged.

Since completing the final phase of the scheduled move of flights into London Heathrow Terminal 5, BA will start to move current services out of Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 on 27 January 2009. The following flights are planned for this move: Barcelona, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid and Nice.

BA also plan to move their Bangkok, Singapore and Sydney flights from Terminal 4 to Terminal 3 during 2009 as part of BAA's London Heathrow improvement programme.

If you are unsure about your departure terminal for any flight please check your electronic flight confirmation or contact a member of your TMG account team.

Mobile check in from British Airways

BA have just launched a new service that allows travelers to check in for flights and select seats through any internet enabled mobile phone.

Visit http://ba2go.com and input your surname and booking reference to initiate the procedure. Once completed the traveller will be given the option to either pick up their boarding pass at the airport, have it faxed to them or e-mailed for subsequent printing.