After three years of walk-in service, the Washington, DC,
Denver, CO, and
The decision to close the on-sites was based on the need to improve telephone service and reduce travel costs. Currently, OWT uses 15 call centers and 43 different telephone numbers. The existing call center telephones are stand-alone telephone lines that are not networked with other call centers. This set up has resulted in long hold times, and occasionally poor telephone service due to imbalances in telephone workload distribution. OWT is implementing an enhanced toll-free number phone system that will be able to distribute calls evenly in real time among three large call centers to capitalize on volume while maintaining optimum operating efficiency.
After conversion to the consolidated call center structure,
the existing transaction fees for arranging travel will be reduced. Effective
Travel Arranged through one
of the 3 Call Centers:
$23.59 per ticketed transaction.
Secretary’s immediate office
and the
(This fee also applies to
all
The transaction fee for
online reservations made through Trip Manager will remain the same:
$10.50 per ticketed transaction.
Every effort has been made to make the transition seamless. Implementing this new configuration will not change or disrupt travel service. Your new call center will take ownership of all travel arrangements made prior to May 2. The Department and OWT are working closely and collaboratively to implement the most viable procedures to carry out this commitment to you. These changes will strengthen the current travel service delivery infrastructure and also prepare DOI for eTravel.
As noted above, all travel arrangements made at the on sites
in
If your itinerary calls for the issuance of paper tickets (i.e., because electronic tickets are not available), you may want to contact the on-site facility before it closes—to confirm how the tickets will be delivered. A more extensive discussion on paper tickets is provided in subsequent sections.
The three sites are:
—
—
—
All
existing OWT phone numbers will continue
to be available for 45 days after May 2 (including the telephone numbers for the
on-sites that are closing). Thus,
you may continue to call the same
numbers that you are accustomed to calling, since the existing toll-free numbers
will automatically transfer to the new toll-free number. The existing local numbers will have a
voice message announcing the new number.
The three new toll free numbers will be available for use beginning on
May 5. If you presently use
a
|
|
New
|
Toll Free Number and
Fax Number |
Hours of
Operation |
Manager |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9527 1-717-699-2135(fax) |
|
Denise
Zortman |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9527 1-717-699-2135(fax) |
|
Denise
Zortman |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9528 1-801-359-1828(fax) |
|
Robyn
Erickson |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9525 1-910-455-3983(fax) |
|
Trish
Dikeman |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9525 1-910-455-3983(fax) |
|
Trish
Dikeman |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9525 1-910-455-3983(fax) |
|
Trish
Dikeman |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9525 1-910-455-3983(fax) |
|
Trish
Dikeman |
|
|
|
1-866-348-9525 1-910-455-3983(fax) |
|
Trish
Dikeman |
Unchanged Numbers |
Toll Free and Fax Numbers |
|
Emergency
24-Hour |
1-800-964-6342 1-414-325-5045(fax) |
|
Southwest
Desk |
877-867-9005 910-455-3983(fax) |
|
Trip
Manager |
888-879-6020
910-455-3983
(fax) |
|
Hotel Only
Desk |
877-867-9013
910-455-3983
(fax) |
|
Indian Educational
Travel |
877-517-3417
910-989-0990
(fax) |
|
Hearing
Impaired |
877-288-0274
414-325-5045
(fax) |
More and more, E-tickets are rapidly becoming the standard in the airline industry as they offer a number of important advantages over their paper counterparts. For instance, E-tickets:
Cannot be lost, misplaced, or left at home.
Do not need to be delivered to your home or office (an additional cost to your bureau).
Unlike paper tickets, are automatically refunded to your bureau if they are not used.
Most airlines charge an additional price for customer requested paper tickets for which e-tickets are available. Many airlines are also in the process of phasing out paper tickets completely.
If you insist on paper tickets or are traveling to a location where e-tickets are not available, you must make your reservation far enough in advance to have the paper ticket delivered. OWT will charge a fee of $0.50 for U.S. Mail, $6.00 for overnight mail; and $10.00 for courier.
International travel arrangements will be handled in the same manner that is presently used by travelers not currently serviced by an on-site.
Completion of DI
1175
Preparation of a
Travel Authorization for the foreign travel
Telephone, fax, or
e-mail your call center
Delivery of paper
tickets
Since international travel arrangements are normally
arranged with a considerable amount of lead time, the paper tickets will be
delivered well in advance of the travel date.
The Federal Travel Regulation (41CFR 301) has made it mandatory to use a travel management system. The Department is also responsible to accurately report travel information relating to trips taken, hotel nights booked, Fly America Act compliance, Contract City-Pair compliance, rental car use, etc. Therefore, travel must be booked through OWT.
OWT has provided the Department with Trip Manager, an on-line self-booking tool. Trip Manager provides DOI travelers the ability to create, change, and view simple official air, car, and hotel reservations via the Internet 24 hours per day/7 days per week. Using Trip Manager adds up to a significant savings for your Bureau, only $10.50 per transaction.
While Trip Manager is capable of handling international travel, the Department has decided that it is not cost-effective to do so at this time, due to the complexities involved in arranging travel and subsequent itinerary changes. In addition, difficulties may arise when arranging hotel accommodations, because many overseas lodging establishments are not aligned with the commonly used Travel reservation systems.