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Arranging Travel Policy: in arranging travel with employees of a company, employees must coordinate well with

1. single TMCs (or limited n. of TMCs) where everything is consolidated by them
2. single preferred online booking tool (consistent with preferred suppliers)
3. designated travel agent (for 3/more domestic destination or international)
4. book directly from supplier online
This policy can also includes booking of meeting rooms with hotel nights, etc.

They should book as early as possible however, sometimes they might be tied down with approval from superior. Thus, usually less than 2 weeks prior to arrangement. (best not to trouble them for such approvals)

Alternatives to such travel arrangements are somtimes advised (i.e. teleconferencing)

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Arranging Travel:
To book the tickets in advance: The farther in advance a trip is booked the greater chance of lower airfare and availability of lower airfare and preferred trips.
Ask employees to consider travel alternatives such as teleconferencing, particularly for non-client facing travel. This saves costs of having to travel

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Air Travel Policy: The policy focuses on getting employees to pay for the seat upgrades in air travel. The sharing of the total cost of the trip enables the travelers and managers to better appreciate the financial impact of each trip.  Hence, this will educate the travelers that saving travel costs for the company is a joint effort and a choice.

To better impose the policy, the company can opt to pay for upgrades for certain conditions such as the duration of the flight and and the hierarchy of the traveler in the company

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IV AIR TRAVEL POLICY

1) Loyalty Program Benefits
When the business travelers travel for the company (as a representative etc), the points accumulated can be directed to the company's membership account instead to the employee's membership account. In a way, the company's membership accounts acts as a centralised system. This would allow the company to utilise the benefits of the membership to reduce costs (such as free upgrades or cheaper air fares) at the most appropriate time. This also further allows the company to effectively track its flights and any add-ons that are frequently used by its employees to strategise where they can save costs

2) Ancillary Services
The company can track which ancillary services are commonly used by employees for business reasons such as Wi-fi on the plane and only provide subsidies for that range. This is especially for long haul flights whereby the business traveler can spend the time productively.

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The policy chosen is the requirement for travelers to choose the 'lowest logical', 'lowest available' or 'lowest applicable' fare. It is a clear cut way to save on as many travel fares as possible. The company can encourage travelers to find for the lowest fare within a window of time around the planned departure and also put in place nonrefundable fares so that the company can acquire savings from cheaper fares even when they are cancelled or rescheduled. By having an automated system for tracking unused tickets for business and group travel, the company can benefit by using them for other trips after paying a change fee. This allows for savings in the future. The company can also discourage them from alternating airports and instead go for nonstop flights which reduces the risk of cancellations and delays as well as transportation costs.

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Policy should encourage or travelers to adjust schedules only if they approve. If not, provide alternative routing and pricing options.  For instance, teleconferencing.

Rationale: Travel alternatives particularly for non-client facing travel allow cost savings. However, cost savings should be balanced with Traveler productivity, convenience and morale

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Advanced Booking of Travelling Plans
--> The farther in advance a trip is booked, the greater the chance of lower airfare & availability of preferred seats

1) Require Supervisor Approval for trips booked late (Less than 2 weeks in advance) so as to encourage advanced bookings & reduce late booking rates (Helping to reduce travel costs for the company)

2) Have the TMCs to notify the travellers & their managers how much the traveller could have saved by booking in advance to encouraged advanced booking (Reduce unnecessary cost for the company)

3) For employees to consider travel alternatives like teleconferencing (Skype), especially for non-client-facing travel (Save travel cost for the company by reducing unnecessary travelling)

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Arranging Travel:
Booking the trip farther in advance: greater chance of lower air fare and availability.
--> gives the TMC and suppliers more time to negotiate prices and also book flights, rooms and transportation etc.
TMCs to advice the traveller on how much they can save if they book in advance.
--> in  relation to first point, this is to encourage the traveller to adopt advance booking habits.
Have the option of using video-conferencing especially for non-client-facing travel.
--> reduce the need for unnecessary travelling expenditure.

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Arranging Travel policy: To designate a single TMC for the company. The benefits of consolidating to one TMC includes:
1) service level
2) consistency
3) consolidated reporting
4) centralized duty of care
5) Cost savings via negotiated supplier discounts

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Lodging policy
Encourage or mandate the use of hotels with which the company has negotiated rates or with which the company's TMC has preferred rates.

Failure to do so may result in the traveller paying the price difference.

Rationale
The policy helps the company reduce cost in the following ways:
1) Prevents traveller from unnecessary spending on expensive hotels
2) Cheaper with negotiated rates with hotels
3) Relationship between company and hotels are maintained --> Sustained negotiated rates for future travel
4) Better tracking of traveller's spending habits

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Lodging Policy:
Using a designated agency or online booking tool funnels booking through a single source.

This saves cost for the company as the online travel agencies promote their own low fees, which are cheaper that what traditional travel agencies have been charging corporate clients. Any commissions returned to the company can also offset the program management costs.

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AIR TRAVEL - Upgrading Employees to first, business or premium economy

Rationale:

for employees flying long distances

employees arrive in the best condition

for international flights

employees arrive in the best condition

Employees with physical disabilities

employees arrive in the best condition

when travelling with clients

good impression on clients

Employee expected to work a full day upon arrival

comfortable travel for rest

Employee taking their 2nd/ 3rd international trip within a defined period

tiring for employee

incentive to travel for the company

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Air Travel Policy: Order travellers to use the company's preferred airlines on certain city pairs (the departure and arrival cities comprising a flight segment/itinerary) when the airlines are competitive on price.

Choosing the preferred airlines on certain city pairs based on their competitive price allows the company to save travel cost as it is the cheapest alternative available for the company. Also, by making it compulsory for travellers to choose the company's preferred airlines, the company is able to justify the numbers promised and would also be able to negotiate a better price for airfares in future. This also helps company build a good relationship with preferred airlines.

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Lodging Policy - Charge employees for no-show billings if they neglect to cancel reservation.

Rationale:
The charges for room stay have already been incurred and failure to cancel would mean the company STILL has to pay for the room. In addition, the irresponsibility of  employees may lead to bad relationship with the hotels. This may tarnish the reputation of the company and the hotel may charge higher prices in the future. No ideal for a company trying to save on their travel costs.

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One policy to focus would be to address if the company will compensate for employees travelling with their families in terms of rooms.

Rationale
This is really important ad many employees travel with their family for both leisure and business. And thus it is important for companies to address this issue before having specific room volume agreeement with companies. This will greatly reduce cost as more estimated rooms leads to lower cost. Thus employees must be informed if their family will be compensated in multiple rooms or only just one room

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Lodging policy:
Encourage or mandate the use of hotels with which the company has negotiated rates or with which the company's TMC has preferred rates.

Rationale:
This policy will allow the company to save the travel cost as the negotiated rates will be much lower than direct booking rates. Allow the company to fulfill the negotiated agreements in terms of the number of room nights booked by the employees, hence the company may get even lower rates in the future.