ROSE Finance Travel & Expense Initiative FAQs
1. What does “Travel and Expense” refer to?
‘Travel and Expense’ covers a wide spectrum of activities including (but not limited to): Airfare, trains, car rentals, hotel, taxis, meals, per diems, incidentals, and conference bookings.
2. What is an On-Line Booking Tool (OBT)?
An OBT is an online corporate travel booking tool that allows the end user the flexibility and reservation options to book flights, reserve rental cars, hotel rooms and even purchase train tickets.
3. Why use an Online Booking Tool?
An OBT is easily accessible and is a “one stop” shop for all travel needs. In addition to reducing your travel booking costs, the OBT carries lower agency and lower average ticket prices!
4. How would I access the Online Booking Tool
You can access the tool through any standard internet browser 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
5. What types of fares are displayed in an On-Line Booking Tool?
You can compare web fares, Global Distribution System fares, and direct connect fares within the tool. All University preferred vendors will be highlighted.
6. Can the On-Line Booking Tool support one time travellers and students?
Yes.
7. Does the On-Line Booking Tool support one-way, round-trip, multi-segment and open jaw itineraries?
Yes.
8. Does the On-Line Booking Tool show the lowest available fares and rates or only those fares/rates with negotiated discounts?
The OBT shows it all! It looks for real-time availability from the GDS, direct-connect and webfares for every search request. All available travel options, during the timeframe selected, will be displayed.
9. Does the On-Line Booking Tool provide access to all fare classes offered by Air Canada and WestJet?
Yes, the tool will provide full content for Air Canada and WestJet through the GDS, webfare and direct connect options.
10. Are there provisions for frequent flyer information?
Yes. All frequent flyer numbers can be entered and maintained in your personal profile housed within the OBT and be applied to every booking made through the tool.
11. Does the On-Line Booking Tool show maps with hotel locations and/or maps showing locations of hotels and car rental agencies relative to specific locations?
Yes. To ensure your bookings are in close proximity to your preferred location, you can search via airport location, major landmark, event location address, or full city content.
12. Does the On-Line Booking Tool allow travellers to designate/delegate other individuals to make bookings on their behalf?
Yes.
13. Will we still use our Travel Management Company (TMC)?
Yes. The OBT works seamlessly with our existing TMC (Carlson Wagonlit). All tickets booked in the OBT will still be fulfilled by Carlson Wagonlit. Carlson Wagonlit will also be available to help with complicated travel arrangements, intricate international flights, emergency help, or guidance. Any tickets or changes made by Carlson will be reflected in the OBT. No current functionality will be lost, instead travellers will be provided with increased service and convenience.
14. What is an Expense Management Tool (EMT)?
An EMT is an easy, point and click, automated, end-to-end online tool that allows you to create, submit, review and approve expense reports (through internal workflows). The use of an EMT substantially reduces the time needed for tedious and resource consuming manual tasks.
15. Can cash expenses such as tips or taxi fares, and per diem amounts be quickly added to an expense report?
Yes. Through multiple ways for your convenience: jpg upload (via smart phone or camera), emailing, scanning, or faxing.
16. What is Direct Connect?
‘Direct Connect’ refers to a direct internet portal connection to an airline’s website. (i.e. Air Canada) It displays all fare results in real-time allowing you to book a flight including A La Carte options, such as seat selection, at the time of booking. This eliminates the need to have more than one browser window open at once because you already are “directly connected” via the OBT. negotiated reduced rates, products or services.
17. What is a Global Distribution System (GDS)?
A GDS is a computer reservation system used to store and conduct transactions related to travel.18. What is a Passenger Name Record (PNR)?
A (PNR) is a record in the database of a Computer Reservation System (OBT) that contains the itinerary for a passenger, or a group of passengers traveling together. (When you book your trip in the OBT, the entire “booking” is captured in one record called a PNR.)
19. What is an ‘Open Jaw’ itinerary?
An ‘open jaw’ itinerary refers to a traveler who returns from a city other than the one in which he or she arrived, or in which the final destination is not the same as the original departure city. The trip between these two cities is then made over land, sea or with a separately booked flight.20. What is “workflow”?
Workflow refers to the automatic routing of information (ie – expense claim), usually with email notification, to a pre-defined appropriate signing authority. This process provides an end-to-end paperless solution.21. What is a preferred vendor?
A preferred vendor is one in which the University has an existing agreement with to provide previously negotiated reduced rates, products or services.22. What are the new Concur Expense Accounts?
You can find the newConcur Expense Accounts here. 23. What are the Concur Profile Departments?
You can find the newConcur Profile Departments.
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