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Business Travel Essentials
Do you often travel with coworkers?
You are in good company. Over 35% of our flight bookings have multiple travelers from the same company. We developed Trip Collaboration tools to make it easy, efficient and fun to plan trips with colleagues, by allowing you to:
- Add travelers to the group trip
- View itineraries of fellow travelers including seat assignments
- Share notes such as restaurant recommendations or conference schedules
- Quickly e-mail fellow travelers
- Copy items or entire trips for easy booking
Learn more about how to better collaborate on your next trip in this five minute training video.
TSA Secure Flight - What You Need to Know to Avoid Check-In Delays
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have plans to institute a program called Secure Flight, which will ensure that all flight passengers are screened against the TSA "watch list" prior to obtaining a boarding pass. Secure Flight will require travelers to submit their personal traveler information, including :
- Full name that matches non-expired government-issued identification document
- Date of Birth
- Gender
Beginning on July 23, Egencia will begin collecting this information from you at the time of booking. Find the answers to traveler's commonly asked questions about the changes.
Travel Light
Travel Trivia Takes on Phobias
1. Which comedian and writer recently cured his fear of flying by living on an airplane for thirty days straight?
Find answer here.
2. What is siderodromophobia?
Find answer here.
3. Lost luggage makes the short list of the top 5 travel fears. Where does most unclaimed baggage go after 90 days?
Find answer here.
The Virgin America Experience
When you step onto a Virgin America flight, you will be welcomed by mood-lit cabins, custom-designed leather seats, and the most advanced in-flight entertainment system in the skies. Marrying stylish design and innovative technology, the entire Virgin America experience was designed to be like no other.
Egencia business travelers can experience Virgin America for less with an exclusive discount of 3% off published fares within the main cabin. The offer is good through October 1, 2009. These rates will display as Egencia Preferred Rates.
Exclusive Virgin Atlantic Rate for Egencia Travelers
If international business travel is in your future, take advantage of special discounts for Egencia travelers on Virgin Atlantic:
- 8% discount* on Upper Class tickets from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando
- 6% discount* on Upper Class, Premium Economy, Economy tickets
- 2% discount* on Economy tickets
These rates will display as Egencia Preferred Rates.
Overheard on Our Travel Blog
When Family Travel is Your Business
Visit overheardbin.com
E-mail this issue of Travel Update to a colleague.
Business Class
with Tom Conway
I Have It on Good Advice
In the past when I traveled, I would inevitably embarrass (nothing new) my colleagues, friends and family by asking strangers questions about the best of their locale. Where’s a good restaurant? What are some things to see or do?
When TripAdvisor came on the scene, I regained my dignity (well some of it) by availing my questions to this online treasure house of tips. No more nodding and smiling at strangers while feigning an understanding of their native tongue.
As a fan of traveler reviews, TripAdvisor had me at hello, but I wanted a little more: a business traveler’s perspective. That is not to say I don’t respect the opinions of beach-bound families or moonstruck honeymooners, I just wanted to be able to hear from my peeps: the men and women in pinstripes.
This month TripAdvisor did just that, and launched Business Travel Center, a handy online resource covering over 750 cities, designed to help you find reviews of top hotels, restaurants and general information for your next business trip.
Incorporating Egencia content, hotels are reviewed by business travelers and ranked by a Business Popularity Index. The better a business traveler reviews the property, the higher it is on the list. Restaurants are categorized by cuisine and as recommended by business travelers (with seemingly healthy expense accounts). It’s like hearing from a respected colleague who is eager to share recommendations and recount the ins and outs of a recent business trip.
Before you hit the road, it’s always nice to get a second opinion from someone who’s been there and back. Check out the Browse by trip type: business travel under the Quick Links on the homepage of TripAdvisor.com.
Thank you TripAdvisor, for taking care of business.
Tom Conway looks forward to your
comments, business travel questions and tips. Contact him here.
Travel Tools
On the road again?
Egencia Alerts & Travel Essentials will help keep you a step ahead of some of travel's biggest irritations: strikes, crowds and closures — as well as weather, passport & visa information and other travel essentials.