“My Employees Tell Me They Can Find Lower Airfares on the Internet”
The Truth About Finding The Lowest Airfare
 Your employees spend a lot of time online and sometimes they think they've found a lower fare than the one that your travel department or TMC (Travel Management Company) has quoted. And when they tell you this, you begin to question whether you are, in fact, getting “the best fares”. By comparison, have they ever told you how many times they've searched and searched and the airfare was the same, or higher than what they got through your travel department, TMC, or online booking tool? Probably not.
The truth is that there is no one website or travel agency that has the “lowest fares” - lower than anyone else. If there were then all of the other sites and agencies would be out of business.
Research* has shown that booking through travel management companies (TMCs) offers tangible benefits in terms of savings, service and security. So what's behind those “lower airfares” that your employees find on the internet?
Time: Often what your employee doesn't tell you is how long it took them to find that “lower fare” and how many sites they had to go to, how many shopping tools they had to use, or how many higher airfares they saw. Is this how you want them to spend their time?
Comparing Apples to Apples: If an employee thinks that he or she has found a lower airfare outside of your travel program, chances are good that it is not for the same exact itinerary that he/she is booked on through your agent or online booking tool. As you read this, you'll understand the dynamic nature of airfares and see the importance of comparing apples to apples when it comes to examining the claims of your employees.
Finding it and booking it can be two different things: Each public site functions differently. Just seeing a fare quoted online doesn't mean that it is available. You don't know what the airfare will actually be unless you book it, and with most public sites, you usually can't book it without purchasing it (i.e. giving them your credit card). By the time you've gotten that far, they tell you that the fare that you were drawn to isn't available for the flights that you've chosen.
What your travel department or TMC can do: When an employee believes that he/she has found a lower airfare, encourage him/her to bring it to the attention of your travel department or TMC. Providing a screen shot with the itinerary and price will save a lot of time and provide necessary information about what the traveller has seen. If there is a valid fare offered on the web, your travel department or TMC will be able to book it for you, too.
Most Refuel Rental Cars, But Some Negotiating Cost
 Most corporate travel buyers have policies requiring travellers to refuel rental cars prior to their return, and consultants said buyers are negotiating discounts off refueling charges in other instances.
About two-thirds of 200 corporate travel buyers surveyed by BTN* said their travellers must refuel rental cars prior to their return so that high gas prices levied by rental car companies can be avoided. Thirty percent, however, said they either reimburse travellers the inflated refueling cost charged by vendors or have not established a policy around refueling, which car rental consultant Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group, said could significantly impact budgets.
"You have to hold your travellers accountable," Abrams said. "If you do 100,000 rentals a year, and you're allowing a third of your travellers to have their fuel put in by a rental company, you could be talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Refueling charges vary by rental company, but all are significantly above prices at the pump. The more modest, applied by National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, run about one-third of the cost above the current fuel price, Abrams said. Others charge as much as twice the current fuel price, he said. CWT Solutions Group managing director of ground transportation Dave Kilduff said Hertz Rent-A-Car last year temporarily relaxed its refueling penalties.
Both Kilduff and Abrams said buyers should have policies in place that require refueling. "Rental companies charge what they can," Abrams said. "People don't like it, but it's fully disclosed."
Kilduff said tighter travel budgets have prompted many buyers who have not enacted policies around refueling to look at doing so. "It's an area that was overlooked quite a bit in the past," he said.
Buyers with significant car rental volume also should consider negotiating with vendors to reduce the refueling price, Kilduff said. There are times when refueling is not an option: when stopping for fuel would mean missing a flight, or when traveling late at night in a dangerous area.
The three most common negotiated fueling charges are a flat rate or dynamic rates based on either the local pump price or the nationwide average along with a set surcharge, usually about 75 cents, he said.
*Business Travel News
CHECKED BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
Air Canada is matching the prevailing checked baggage policy of international carriers on transborder and transatlantic routes.
As a result, customers* holding tickets issued on/after December 2, 2009, for travel starting January 19, 2010, will be able to check one bag for free, while the fee for a 2nd bag will be:
$ 30 for flights between Canada – U.S. including Hawaii $ 50 for flights between Canada or the U.S – Europe and Tel Aviv There is no change to the Economy Class checked baggage policy of two free bags for: travel within Canada; travel between Canada - Mexico, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Asia and Australia; and for Air Canada Super Elite®, Air Canada Elite®, Air Canada Prestige®, Star Alliance™ Gold and Star Alliance™ Silver members, regardless of the destinations.
Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas
All Butler. All Oceanfront. All You Could Ever Imagine.
 Out-of-the-ordinary luxury comes to the Bahamian Out Islands with the introduction of the world’s first all butler, all oceanfront resort….Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma.
Opening on January 22, 2010, Sandals Emerald Bay is the newest luxury landmark in the Bahamas. The former Four Seasons resort, with its rich history of refined panache, has been transformed into a sprawling island retreat, ideal for the most discerning of travellers, complete with personalized butler service for every guest.
Civilized pleasures go hand in hand with exotic adventures along a mile-long crescent shaped beach. Highlights include a par-72 Greg Norman designed golf course, a 16,000 square-foot spa, a deepwater marina and five superb restaurants offering the very best in casual beachfront dining or elegant, white-gloved service.
The Ultimate Meetings Site
In addition to being a world-class vacation retreat, Sandals Emerald Bay caters to business and meetings clients, offering 13,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space. This includes three large ballrooms with separate event entrances that can be converted into smaller rooms, all with access to a dedicated conference facility kitchen and two meetings rooms, which are all supported by round-the-clock conference and technology services.
Sandals Emerald Bay is your own private escape, so easy to get to….so close to home. Starting March 7, 2010, Air Canada Vacations introduces a new, weekly non-stop flight from Toronto to Great Exuma.
Exclusive UNIGLOBE Offer
For bookings made by January 7, 2010, you’ll receive the first night free for a seven-night stay
for travel between February 5 – December 28, 2010 in ANY room category.
CALL UNIGLOBE Travel to book this exclusive offer.
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