Welcome to the August 2007 issue of Travology™ Today

We at Directravel would like to wish everyone a happy Labor Day Weekend. We hope that you enjoyed your summer and look forward to working with you through the rest of 2007 and beyond.

Many of our clients have been requesting updated information on the passport application process. If you have already applied for a passport, you can check the status of your application online at http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/status/status_2567.html. Currently, it is taking 7-10 days for passport applications to be tracked online. Please allow at least that time before checking the status of your application.

If you apply at a passport acceptance facility or by mail and choose routine service, you will receive your passport within about 10-12 weeks, according to the Department of State website. If you choose overnight delivery plus expedited service, it will take about 3 weeks, door to door.

If you need assistance with securing a passport more expeditiously, please contact your Regional Account Manager.

For more information on passport processing times, click here.

Many companies use the General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) per diem rates as a guideline by which they set the travel allowances for their corporate travel policies. Effective October 1, 2007, the GSA is adjusting their rates, including an increase in the standard continental United State’s (CONUS) lodging amount from $60 currently to $70.

GSA establishes the CONUS per diem rates providing the maximum reimbursement allowances up to which federal employees are reimbursed by their agencies for expenses incurred while on official travel. The CONUS per diem rate for an area is actually three allowances in one - the lodging allowance, the meals allowance and the incidental expense allowance. Most of the CONUS (about 3,000 counties) are covered by the standard CONUS lodging per diem rate which has been increased to $70. In Fiscal Year (FY) 08, there are about 400 Non-Standard Areas (NSA) that have per diem rates higher than the standard CONUS.

The charts are available on the website and provided for each state. They are broken down by primary destination and country, with a maximum allowance provided for lodging, meals and incidental expenses. If a destination is not listed on the chart, it will follow the standard per diems.

For more information, click here.

Many travelers are concerned about keeping themselves safe when in unfamiliar cities both domestically and abroad. While common sense would make most safety guidelines seem basic, business travelers, who are often distracted while on the road, may find themselves at a disadvantage.

It would be worthwhile for travel managers to establish programs to educate their travelers on personal safety. This education can be in the form of seminars led by travel experts, distribution of books on travel issues, or even a separate section on the company’s intranet website including personal safety tips and best practices.

Kathleen Ameche, corporate executive and author of The Woman Road Warrior: An Expert’s Guide to Domestic and International Business Travel offers some key security tips that every traveler should use:

• Sensible and Secure: Always carry a detailed travel plan with driving/walking directions, an itinerary if you’re traveling by plane with a list of flight options in case your flight is delayed or canceled, and your electronics - your cell phone and charger and a mini flashlight. Put ICE - (“In Case of Emergency”) with someone’s name and cell number in your cell phone speed dial.
• Check-in Checklist: In a hotel, don’t let the desk clerk announce your room in a voice that can be heard by anyone but you. If you are signing a hotel charge to your room, do not leave the signed receipt on the table; give it directly back to the server. Keep yourself safe and keep unwanted visitors out – check to be sure there’s no one else in your room every time you enter, check the phone to make sure it works, and use door bolts and chains. Fire safety: don’t trust the map on the back of the door; do a dry run – drop your bags and find the closest exits, then relax.
• Identity Insurance: Do not allow your name, credit card number, home address or phone to be discussed or printed on any visible document, including luggage tags.
• Put Your Best Foot Forward: Do you like to run as part of your work out routine while on the road? You don’t have to run alone – contact a health club or running store and inquire about running clubs; and join one of them for your daily run. It’s a great way to meet new people and keep you secure. Get an ID tag made with a contact name and phone number and lace it into your shoe.
• What’s in your Wallet: Minimize the number of credit cards you carry. Good rule: one for business and one for personal. If you are traveling internationally, alert your bank that you will be out of the country and to expect uncommon charges. You don’t need them to freeze your account due to suspicious activity while you are abroad. If you need to use an ATM, avoid free standing machines; they are not as secure as machines associated with a bank or a building.

For additional general safety tips, click here or visit The Woman Road Warrior’s website at www.womanroadwarrior.com.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced it has placed its final order for paper tickets. Some 16.5 million paper tickets were ordered from 7 specialized printers to supply the 60,000 accredited IATA travel agents in 162 markets around the world until May 31, 2008. From June 1, 2008, 100% of tickets issued through the IATA Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) will be electronic.

“This is ‘last call’ for paper tickets,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “It’s been 38 months since we launched the drive for 100% e-ticketing as part of IATA’s Simplifying the Business initiative. E-ticketing went from 16% in June 2004 to 84% today. And in just 278 more days the paper ticket will become a collector’s item.”

“We are changing an industry with tangible benefits for travelers, agents, airlines and the environment,” said Bisignani. “Consumers enjoy the convenience and flexibility of paperless travel. Agents have the opportunity to broaden the scope of their business and serve their customers remotely. The cost saving of US$9 for every e-ticket compared to a paper ticket adds up to US$3 billion in annual savings for the industry. And eliminating paper will save the equivalent of 50,000 mature trees each year. E-ticketing is a winning proposition for everyone.”

For more information, click here.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced steps that will strengthen aviation security through uniform and consistent passenger prescreening against government watch lists. DHS is publishing two regulations which will initiate these changes: (1) Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) Predeparture Final Rule, which enables DHS to collect manifest information for international flights departing from or arriving in the United States prior to boarding; and (2) Secure Flight Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), which lays out DHS plans to assume watch list matching responsibilities from air carriers for domestic flights and align domestic and international passenger prescreening. Both programs carry out 9/11 Commission recommendations.

Congress mandated that DHS' Customs and Border Protection (CBP) establish a requirement to receive advance information on international passengers traveling by air prior to their departure, as part of the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA). Today, CBP requires commercial carriers to provide APIS and certain Passenger Name Record (PNR) data arriving in or departing from the United States. The final APIS predeparture regulation will require air carriers to transmit manifests 30 minutes prior to departure of the aircraft or provide manifest information on passengers as each passenger checks in for the flight, up to the time when aircraft doors are secured. Receiving both APIS and PNR data at least 30 minutes before a plane departs allows DHS to perform security checks against federal watch lists prior to passenger boarding, taking this responsibility from carriers and eliminating potential flight diversions due to watch list concerns. For vessels departing from foreign ports bound for the United States, current requirements to transmit passenger and crew arrival manifest data between 24 to 96 hours prior to arrival will remain unchanged, but requires vessel carriers to transmit APIS data 60 minutes prior to departure from the United States. The APIS final rule follows an NPRM published in the Federal Register on July 14, 2006.

With the publication of the NPRM, DHS is also taking significant steps toward the implementation of the Secure Flight program, which would conduct uniform prescreening of passenger information against federal government watch lists for domestic and international flights. Currently, air carriers are responsible for checking passengers against government watch lists.

Under Secure Flight, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will receive information on each passenger, as well as certain non-traveling members of the public requesting access to areas beyond the screening checkpoint. TSA would determine if passenger data matches the information on government watch lists, and transmit matching results to aircraft operators. TSA will begin an operational testing period this fall using data from air carriers who volunteer to participate. Air carriers will continue conducting watch list checks during testing for domestic flights, and TSA will compare the results of its watch list matching with air carrier results to ensure the validity of the Secure Flight system. DHS encourages the submission of comments on the Secure Flight NPRM, and will publish a final rule and other notices in the Federal Register prior to implementation of the Secure Flight program.

DHS plans to integrate the watch list matching function for international flights into Secure Flight, resulting in one DHS system responsible for prescreening all aviation passengers. This system would provide air carriers with consolidated data submission requirements. This effort has been overseen by the Screening Coordination Office, created by Secretary Chertoff last year, to coordinate and integrate various screening efforts overseen by DHS.

For more information, click here.

Delta Air Lines has tapped renowned chef Todd English to create selections for its new food-for-purchase menu being developed for customers flying in its Coach Class on flights within the United States…EOS Airlines, Inc., continuing its strong track record of attracting quality investors, has secured another $50 million in equity capital from institutional and private sources in a transaction that closed on August 17. One new investor accounts for $35 million of the total…Compass Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines operating under the Northwest Airlink banner, completed its first revenue flight with the new dual-class 76-seat Embraer E-175 regional jet aircraft this month...With the inaugural Washington, D.C.-Frankfurt flight on October 29, 2007, United Airlines earns the distinction of becoming the first U.S. carrier to offer 180-degree, lie-flat beds in business class on overseas flights…Beginning this October, US Airways customers will be able to enjoy seamless travel between the United States, New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, thanks to a codeshare cooperation between Air New Zealand and US Airways subject to both United States and foreign government approval. Codeshare flights will be available for purchase in September.

in June '07 decreased to 68.1%, down 5.3 points vs. the running 12 month average of 73.4% and down 9.8 points from May’s 77.9%. To view the USDOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Air Travel Consumer Report, click here.

The United States Government has posted recent travel advisories and warnings for Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’lvoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Lebanon, Nepal, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.