Airfare

The University of Florida has a large travel program.  Given the large volume of airfare booked through UF GO and WTS, UF has obtained contracts with Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines.  These agreements result in benefits for our travelers!  See below for more details.

UF Airline partnership benefits:

We encourage all business travelers to register for airline rewards programs before travel.  Rewards numbers can be saved on the traveler’s profile, so they are easy to attach to flight reservations.

Rewards information can be added to a flight at any point before the flight takes off.

Delta Airlines

We highly encourage all travelers to enroll in the Delta SkyMiles Frequent Flyer program. Enrollment will come with additional benefits that you do not want to miss out on!

Delta SkyMiles Frequent flyer enrollment–  https://www.delta.com/joinskymiles/

Up to a 13% discount on flights, the discount varies by fare.

American Airlines

AAdvantage

*Add unused ticket info/name changes, etc.

American Airlines AAdvantage BusinessTM program = Free name Changes!
We are pleased to announce that UF is now part of the American Airlines Business program!  One of the most exciting benefits to this program is that our business-related flights are eligible for free name changes!  This applies to flights booked from now on.  The original traveler must be an AAdvantage rewards member at the time the flight was booked.  Flights can be transferred to other rewards members.  Join now!  AAdvantage® program overview – AAdvantage® program – American Airlines.  Call World Travel Service for assistance with name changes.

Southwest Airlines

We highly encourage all travelers to enroll in the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program. Enrollment will come with additional benefits that you do not want to miss out on!

Click the link to register: Southwest Rapids Reward Registration

Tips:

Ensure your flight is “ticketed” to avoid the risk of boarding issues. When booking, you should see the words “finished!” display across your screen in Concur. This confirms that the flight has been ticketed

Flight Cancellations:

When flights must be cancelled, ensure that the flight is cancelled though UF GO or a WTS agent before the flight’s departure date! Flights that are abandoned will not receive a refund or credit if otherwise eligible.   

 

Agent Fees:

Fees are assessed regardless of if the booking is for business or personal. The CFO is currently covering all fees associated with business travel. Please note that agent fees will not be covered by the CFO.

Booking fees are only assessed to Airfare bookings. Hotel and car rentals do not receive a Booking fee.

  • $17 per booking if done with a WTS Agent
  • $7 per booking if done through the UF GO Booking Tool

If any booking (airfare, car, or hotel) is done after hours then an After Hour Assistance fee is assessed at $20 per booking

 

Benefits to booking through UF GO/World Travel Services

  • Access to UF negotiated rates and discounts
  • Duty of Care
  • 24/7 Assistance
  • Advice on best options for hotels
  • Assistance with seats
  • Help with airport navigation
  • Assistance with schedule changes
  • Help with refunds (if qualifying)

Airfare Credits

Airfare Credits will be listed on the users Travel Tab displaying “You have unused tickets”. This display will share the carrier, ticket number, amount, and the expiration date.

Expiration of the credit is from the date of the flight, not the booking. Before the credit expires the traveler will receive an email 90 days, 60 days, and 30 days in advance.

Please work with a World Travel Service Agent to use airfare credits. Depending on the type of credit, there may be additional restrictions for utilizing the credit.

Split Payments:

By calling into World Travel Services, agents can review the airline and ticket to see if a split payment can be processed. The option to split payments will depend on the airline used. Smaller airlines typically do not have this option.

 

Seat Selection

Seat selection can be done through the UF GO booking tool or directly with a World Travel agent. Depending on the ticket and airline seat selection might not be available. For example, Some Basic Economy tickets do not offer seat selection until check-in or arrival at the airport. This might be why the option is not displaying in UF GO. Please work with a World Travel agent if you are unable to select a seat. If you are unable to purchase seat selection through the booking tool or World Travel Services, we do reimburse seat selection purchased directly from the vendor.

 

Rescheduling of Flight

There can be many reasons a flight gets rescheduled – strikes, not enough workers, weather delays, overbooked, etc. When a flight is rescheduled, an update will be shared with the traveler. The best way to stay connected is through TripSource. If the flight change does not work for your schedule, please work with WTS for them to assist you with finding a better flight.  **add information from Susan**

Airfare not in the UF GO Booking Tool

  • Frontier Airline

Can only be booked directly with a WTS Agent either by calling or emailing them

  • Spirit Airline

Is not recommended to be booked with and is not available through UF GO or with a WTS Agent.

  • International- check with agents as some airlines will not populate. If World Travel Services are unable to assist with booking, then it is considered an Established Exception to the booking tool.
  • While WTS is working to get access to these rates they are currently being held by American Airlines. If there is a 20% or more cost savings compared to what is offered in UF GO then travelers can book directly with American Airlines for these airfares.

 

Display Name on Tickets

UF GO is limited to a certain number of characters for the name to display on the ticket. Sometimes this results in longer names being condensed together.

If the spelling of a name needs to be changed on a ticket, please confirm that your Legal Name with UF HR is accurate as this is where UF GO pulls in this information. For a quick fix, please contact World Travel Services immediately to change the spelling on the ticket.

 

Accessibility and Accommodations

If assistance or an accommodation is needed, and the option does not show up in the UF GO booking tool, please contact World Travel Services as they can work directly with the airline or airport to communicate any additional services such as wheelchair assistance.

If ADA accommodation is needed, please reach out to UF’s Office for Accessibility and Gender Equity prior to booking travel.

 

Fly America Act & Open Skies

Fly America Act

The Fly America Act, part of the U.S. Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), requires anyone whose air travel is paid for by U.S. federal government (201) funds to use U.S. flag air carriers.

This includes:

  • Federal employees
  • Consultants
  • Contractors
  • Grantees (e.g., university researchers using federal grants)
  • Any travel reimbursed by U.S. government funds

Restrictions:

You must use a U.S. flag carrier, even if:

  • A foreign carrier is cheaper
  • A foreign carrier has better routing or shorter travel time
  • A foreign carrier is preferred for personal reasons

 

Open Skies Agreements

Open Skies Agreements are treaties the U.S. signs with other countries to:

  • Remove restrictions on international airline routes and pricing
  • Promote competition
  • Reduce ticket prices
  • Provide more travel options

The agreements do not override the Fly America Act unless they are designated as “qualifying” agreements.

Qualifying Open Skies Agreements (Fly America Exceptions Apply)

The U.S. has “qualifying” Open Skies agreements that allow government-funded travelers to use foreign airlines without violating Fly America, only when:

  • There is no U.S. flag carrier service on a particular route.
  • The travel is between the U.S. and the foreign country that has a qualifying agreement.
  • Or the travel is between two foreign countries (i.e., not involving the U.S.).

Example – EU:

  • The U.S.–EU Open Skies Agreement is qualifying.
  • A researcher traveling from New York to Paris on a federal grant can fly Air France (a French carrier), because the EU agreement qualifies.

List of Common Qualifying Agreements

As of the latest guidance, qualifying Open Skies Agreements (Fly America exceptions allowed) include:

  • European Union (EU) and EFTA countries (like Switzerland, Norway)
  • Australia
  • Japan
  • Switzerland
  • Iceland
  • Norway
  • Canada (limited – see notes)

Always check specific terms: Not every Open Skies partner has a qualifying agreement for Fly America purposes.

 

Group Air Travel

Booking Airfare for a group of 10+ travelers?  World Travel Services can help!  Contact groupair@worldtrav.com or by phone: 865-777-1465 for assistance.

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