Transition from Travel Incorporated to Fox World Travel

On July 1, 2024, the UW’s contract with Travel Incorporated lapsed and all individual travel arrangements previously managed by Travel Inc. moved to Fox World Travel. If you have any questions about the impacts of this change, review the agency transition webpage or contact your travel manager if you have additional questions.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: What is changing? 

A: On July 1st, 2024, UW System Travel Management employee services currently supported by Travel Incorporated will be transitioned to Fox World Travel. 

Q: Why is this change being made? 

A: UW Leadership made this decision based on feedback from travelers, arrangers, and administrators. The current vendor did not fulfill the needs the Universities of Wisconsin which impacted service to UW employee, guest and student travelers. 

Q: How can I learn more about this change? 

A: There are several opportunities to learn more about this transition. 

• Listen to Transition Overview Webinar Recording
• Register for transition upcoming webinars

Q: What will stay the same and what will change with this transition? 

A: 

What will stay the same?

• Concur will continue to be the online booking tool
• Profiles will automatically transfer from Travel Inc. to Fox World Travel with
  all personal information, travel arrangers assigned, frequent traveler numbers, etc
• UW policy programmed in Concur will continue to match UW policies
  • Booking process will remain the same in Concur, but customized and improved
  • Concur messaging, Concur chat, specialized agency support, processing and
    invoicing
• UW Travel and Card policies
  • Reimbursement processes through SFS.
  • Access to search all UW invoices by ticket number or record locator
• New Fox Portal will include this capability
  • Fox World Travel will continue to support Group Travel (10 or more)
  • Anthony and Shorts will continue to support NCAA Travel
  • UW TravelWIse, per-diem calculator, and other internal tools

What will change:

• Required agency provider – from Travel Inc. to Fox World Travel
  Invoicing improvements
• Single invoice will be sent to the traveler and booker - Multiple e-itinerary and invoice emails discontinued
• Agent improvements
  • Separate domestic and international support teams
  • International review of agent booked reservations
  • Designated support team of higher-education clients
  • Administrative group process discontinued
    • New booking process: guest booking - requests for single one-off bookings

Q: What is the timeline for this change and who should I contact if I have travel booked during this transition period? 

A:  

Q: If I book something with Travel Incorporated for after the transition date, will I need to take any action to make sure my reservation is still active? 

A:  No. All confirmed bookings will be transferred to Fox World Travel on July 1st. No action is required by the traveler/arranger. Note that the trip details are no longer visible in Concur, but the bookings are still valid. Changes to these bookings can be made by calling a Fox World Travel agent at 608-710-4172.  Car and hotel changes can be made directly with the vendor.

Q: Will this change impact Athletic travel currently serviced through Shorts Travel and Anthony Travel (UW Madison)?

A: No, those agencies will continue to service NCAA athletic travel.

Q: Are there any changes to the group block contract and process with Fox World Travel?

A: No, the existing fees, travel agents and group block contact information will remain unchanged.

Q: Will there be a change to the fee structure?

A: Yes, with inflation and changes in the travel industry, there will be an increase in the agency fees. In the current travel environment, Fox World Travel provides a good value and will provide a higher level of service, support, and technology to the UW Travel Program.  

Program Enhancements Include:

• Agent support continuity - whenever possible, one agent supports the traveler through the entire booking process.
• Designated Support team for Higher Education clients
• Dedicated International Agents
• Online Chat

Q:  Is the administrative group process changing?

A: Yes, the administrative group process will retire on July 1. If you are a current administrative group owner, please review the Administrative Group Program Sunset section. 

As of October 1^st, 2024, there is no means to retrieve old Travel Inc. invoice copies if you don’t have the invoice that was initially emailed to the traveler.

For information on Fox World Travel invoices, please review JOB AID Fox World Travel Invoice Retrieval Instructions pdf

As of October 1st, 2024, there is no method to recover any funds from a Travel Inc. open ticket credit or apply them to a future flight, regardless of the individual ticket credit’s expiration date.

• No NEW Administrative Group Codes will be established 
• Employees may, as always, book on behalf of non-employees in Concur, or by calling or emailing Travel Incorporated.
• Existing Administrative Group Codes may still be used for new bookings through June 30^th.
• All Travel Incorporated Administrative Group Codes will be terminated as of June 30^th.
• As of July 1^st, no further bookings will be made using Administrative Group Codes.

• Fox’s new “One-time Individual Booking Request Form” and “Custom Booking Solution” will be available after July 1. 

With the discontinuation of Administrative Groups, individual active reservations will transfer to Fox on July 1, 2024. Be advised that group-specific information will NOT transfer to Fox with reservation data.

Information that will not transfer includes:

• Payment information
• Group policies/parameters
• Approver information
• Approval process requirements

If no changes are required on an Administrative Group booking, no action is required by the traveler, administrator, travel arranger or approver. The reservation is confirmed and active.

If changes are required Fox World Travel will support Travel, Inc. booked reservations after July 1, 2024, however:

• Prior administrative group information will not be in the booking. Fox World Travel will look up the reservation by traveler’s name
• Fox will have to work directly with the airline to make changes. Please allow additional processing time on these reservations
• Changes that result in a fare increase, will require someone to provide a credit card and CVV code at the time the change is made. Credit card data from Travel Inc will not be available to Fox World Travel agents.

Admin Group leaders must decide how to handle post-transition changes to airline tickets that result in a fare increase and communicate this with your travelers.

• Option 1: Traveler calls Fox World Travel, requests change, and provides personal credit card for payment of any additional airline and agency fees.
  • UW MAY reimburse traveler through an expense report if there is a valid UW business purpose. If the change is made for personal reasons, the traveler will not be reimbursed.
  • Since this will not have a preapproval process integrated into the booking, admin group leaders should take care whether they wish to offer this option to nonemployees specifically, as nonemployees are less familiar with UW policies and procedures.
• Option 2: Admin Group leader/UW credit card holder calls Fox World Travel, requests changes, and provides UW card for payment of any additional airline and agency fees.

Administrative Group leaders are responsible for communication with travelers registered under their administrative group code

Recommendations:

• Advise travelers who have been provided an administrative group code that the reservation must be booked (and if needed - approvals completed) by June 30th 
  • If reservation is not ticketed by June 30th, it must be made with Fox World Travel using one of the new processes
  • Existing Travel Inc reservations will be transferred to Fox World Travel on July 1
    • Communicate with travelers that Travel Inc will no longer support their existing reservation

Recommended Communication Template:

Communication Template (Admin Group Leader to Travelers) docx

Book For Someone Else Workflow And Comparison pdf

Overview of the new One Time Individual Booking Request Form

1. Administrators/travel arrangers will complete and submit a new booking request for each new reservation via the Fox Portal
2. The traveler will receive an email with the individual reservation reference/authorization code and instructions to contact Fox World Travel to complete the booking within 21 days.
3. Requestors and approvers will have new visibility via the Fox Portal dashboard to track their booking requests.

Job Aid: One Time Individual Booking Request Form pdf

Custom Booking Solution (CBS) Job Aid pdf

Custom Booking Solution (CBS) - Process for submitting a new request recording

To manage travel that was previously booked under an Administrative Group, a Custom Booking Solution with Fox World Travel may be set up. This solution is designed for travel coordinators who handle complex travel. A CBS allows each traveler to book their tickets individually, while adhering to a custom policy established by the CBS coordinator. Examples include graduate school recruiting events, board meetings, conference travel, etc.

Parameters that must be met to request and establish a Custom Booking Solution (CBS):

• 20 or more travelers.
• Defined start and end date 

Notes on the Custom Booking Solution:

• CBS requires a standard set-up fee of $120 when establishing each new group.
• Note that the CBS request form is general in nature, and not UW-specific. For guidance completing the request form, please reference the Custom Booking Solution (CBS) Job Aid pdf . The travel coordinator will complete the request form to the best of their ability. The more information that is provided, the better the Fox World Travel agents can assist the UW travelers. Any questions the travel coordinator has will be addressed when the Fox World Travel representative reaches out to establish the group. The group parameters may be modified as needed once the group is set up.
• A Fox World Travel representative will contact the travel coordinator within 10 business days of request form submission. They will review the request form and any questions the travel coordinator has, discuss set-up, and obtain the credit card for the set-up fee.
• Standard domestic and international agent fees will apply when each airline ticket is issued.
• CBS groups may not be open indefinitely; usually groups are open until the end date of an event, but they may never be open for longer than a year.

June 6 – Administrative Group Sunset Webinar Recording
June 6 – Administrative Group Sunset Webinar PDF

Q: I handle travel for faculty recruiting and we often extend the invitation that if they have a significant other they can also join for the trip, but we don't always know if they even have someone. Will we now have to specifically ask them for names or if we just have the one person can we put in the notes they may be traveling with a partner and to put them on our card as well?

A: If the name of the companion traveler is not known, information can be added in the ‘note’ section of the request form.                      

Q: I can foresee a large number of our speakers not responding within 21 days. Is there any way to re open a closed form or will we just need to resubmit each time?

A: A new form will need to be submitted. We recommend that administrators do not complete the form until the traveler is ready to book.

Q: Will anyone with access to Concur be able to access the new one time form that you are demoing right now?

A: Yes

Q: You said a CELL phone number is needed of the coordinator.... did you mean just a normal office phone number?

A: A cell phone is recommended in case your traveler encounters weekend or after-hours emergencies.

Q: So we will be required to collect traveler info to use the one-time request form?  That does not seem to reduce the workload when compared to booking for a guest on Concur.

A: The only required traveler information on the booking form is the traveler’s first name, last name and email address. Booking in Concur requires all traveler information and booking information.

Q: Currently staff use admin group code to book travel to be paid by the department via pcard.  Online travel request is completed and submitted by the coordinator instead of the traveler? Is there a way for traveler to complete online travel request form then route to coordinator to approve and pay?

A: No, our procedures require that the form is completed by a UW employee to prevent fraud.

Q: Arranger, Coordinator, Approver, Requester - are all four role labels truly needed? If not, it would be good to only have one role label for each function. If yes, please make sure definitions of each role are clear.

A: Assistant, Traveler Arranger and Delegate are interchangeable terms used in Concur.

For this process, there are two roles (can be the same person or different):   

• Traveler Coordinator – arranger/requestor completes the form
• Approver – Optional role to approve booking

Q: Will the pre-ticket itinerary include the price of the ticket?

A: Yes, the price will display at the bottom of the ticket.

Q: Is split ticketing available and if so where would I indicate?

A: Yes, for airline carriers that allow split payment. Coordinators can indicate the need for a split payment in the note section.

Q: If we fill out a OTIBRF and the non-profiled traveler doesn't end up booking a flight (maybe they decide they're going to drive instead), do we still pay the $31.50 fee - i.e. do we pay the fee when we fill out the form or when they actually book the flight? 

A: No, the fee is incurred when the ticket is issued. 

Q: Does FoxWT follow the general UW guidelines of booking lowest priced reasonable itinerary, so the approver doesn't have to do their own search to make sure that's the case?

A: Yes, FWT follows UW policy and advises the traveler of the lowest logical flight. However, travel agents will book the flight that the traveler chooses. Logical is subjective and if price is a critical factor, we recommend the approver option is added, or that the booking is completed in Concur by the coordinator. It is the responsibility of the approver to determine if that is the most logical option.

Q: If we pay the airfare upfront with p-card but have the traveler provide CC for hotel and car reservation and reimburse with TER, do we have to complete 2 forms for this person?

A: No, under the hotel and car reservation section please note that a personal card will need to be provided by the traveler

Q: For groups with pax counts under 10: most airlines permit up to 8 travelers per booking. Why can't we do multiple tickets concurrently via FWT/Concur?

• Concur only allows one traveler per booking. FWT can accommodate 8 travelers in one booking, as long as the coordinator has all of the personal information, all travelers are on the same flight, and all being paid for with the same form of payment. However, this can lead to problems if any one traveler has a cancellation or change.

Q: What leadership group made the decision to make this change? Were any admin present for the discussion or able to give input? I personally just don't see how this is going to be better on the ground, and I would love more explanation about what will be better now. As I see it we are paying more money and doing more work.

A: UWS Travel Services and UW Madison Business Services received overwhelming feedback that Travel Incorporated was not meeting the business needs of the Universities of Wisconsin. Travel Incorporated was not able to continue supporting Administrative Groups in their current form.

Q: I assist students with travel and pay for it on my UW PCard.  Lately, what has been challenging is they all want to go early or come back later, necessitating a Cost Comparison.  I would like to know under this new system with Fox World Travel how we will obtain cost comparisons and how much that will cost.  It is for their benefit, not UWs, to stay longer or make it a bleisure trip, but it sure is taking up a lot of my administrative time.

A: A cost comparison is required when adding personal travel to a business trip. A cost comparison can be obtained from Concur or by a Fox World Travel agent.

Q: We have two people who coordinate travel but only one p card holder. If we have to enter that info every time, the p card holder will be the only one who can do the travel request forms.

A: Each coordinator should have their own p card. Please contact your business office to request a p card.

Q: Can the One-Time Individual Booking Request Form be used with current employees? 

A: Yes, however it is best practice that they also have an active Concur profile.

Q: With the CBS (and $120 fee), does each booking get charged the $31.50 fee per ticket too?

A: Yes, domestic tickets are $31.50 and international tickets are $41.50 per ticket.

Q: Can you clarify if a guest traveler calls to book a Custom Booking Solution ticket, but has a question and doesn't actually book the ticket, then calls back to book, will they be charged the fee twice?  What about if they used an Individual Booking Forms but had to call in more than once?

A: The fee is only applied when a ticket is issued, not for questions

Q: Can you also clarify - the traveler has to CALL for the booking?  There will be no email form for them to put in their travel preferences?  Thinking about time zones...

A: There is no longer a form for travelers to complete. After the coordinator initiates the request with the agency, travelers are able to email preferences and requests, however it is recommended for travelers to call rather than email the UW Fox World Travel designated team. This minimizes back and forth and traveler frustration.

Q: Where do we indicate an airfare maximum cost? In notes?

A: Yes, additional details can be added in the notes section.

Q: Can employees use the CBS group? We don't want our graduate students to have to float the cost of the airline ticket on their personal credit cards.

A: There can be an employee CBS group provided it is over 20 individuals. However, please consider lower costs alternatives such as booking in Concur, an agent, or completing the one time individual booking request form.           

Q: I've always booked the airline ticket for the non-employee rather than making a request for the travel agent to make a booking. Will that still be an option for non-employee travel?

A: Yes, this is an option in concur.

Q: I provide hundreds of travel awards for students to travel each year.  Are you saying that I need to fill out a form for each student that is not an employee?

A: For managing travel for over 20 individuals, the CBS is an option.

Q: Regarding p-cards- departments are only allowed to have so many, so most people will not have their own p-card. 

A:  Please reach out to your campus business representative or purchasing office/p-card administrator. Best practice is that travel coordinators that arrange a high volume should have their own purchasing card.

Q: Are you able to add more than the coordinator and the travel to the e-mail list for the travel request?

A: When using the one-time individual booking request form, there needs to be one primary coordinator, however the coordinator, traveler and optional approvers will be included on the final invoice. If utilizing the CBS, additional contacts may be added.         

Q: We (IRIS) process more than 40 trips each semester except summer. Could we have a set group code throughout the year? 

A: You may have one group code for the year, or have multiple group codes for specific events as long as the criteria for establishing a CBS is met.  

Q: Will you have to pay $120/year for each CBS group?

A: Yes, each CBS set up is $120 and is active for a period of up to 1 year.

Q: For annual occurring events, is there an easy way to copy the CBS details over for the next year setup?

A: Upon reviewing the status of existing groups, it was determined that to ensure accurate information a new CBS will need to be created each year.

Q: Before there was mention of a live chat option, is that still the case in Concur or the TravelWIse page when this launches?

A: This is for Concur

Q: Will the job aids be available at the time of the launch of the new system?

A: Yes, job aids will be available before the launch.

Q: Sorry if already answered, but how do we access the webpage/portal to request new a new CBS? Assuming we will have to register with Fox world travel first before doing this?

A: Access will be available via SSO to the Fox World Travel portal.