Contracted Travel Agency

Corporate Travel Planners Inc.

HOURS OF OPERATION:
7:30 am - 6:00 pm Monday - Friday, except University Holidays

1-866-366-1142 Dedicated Agents (TOLL FREE)
210-308-8758 Fax
www.utctp.com

1919 NW Loop 410, Suite 200

San Antonio, Texas 78213

800-441-6512 - After Hours Emergency Service**  use VIT Code SM592 ($16 fee charged per call)
** should only be used after business hours for emergencies ($16 service fee charged per call plus any additional fees or airfare which usually will be invoiced to the original form of payment)

800-460-9691 - Leisure Travel Department 

CORPORATE TRAVEL PLANNERS (CTP) is the contracted travel agency for UTHealth and can assist with all travel needs.  Students, faculty and staff are required to purchase airfare from CTP in order to be reimbursed for their travel expenditures regardless of fund source.  CTP must be given first option to quote airfares including State of Texas airfares, internet fares, or other modes of transportation.   Any ticketing of airfares outside of the contracted travel agency may subject the University to potential audit findings that could result in the traveler not being reimbursed for the airfare. It is also recommended, but not required, that airfare for consultants be purchased through CTP.

Making Reservations: 

Reservations can be arranged by calling a full service agent, through CTP’s online booking “Get There” or by e-mail. 

It is important to remember that no airfare is guaranteed until ticketed. It is your responsibility to provide the Purchase Order number to CTP so that they can confirm the PO is Valid and Dispatched and the travel destination, dates and airfare are correct before ticketing the reservation.  A personal credit card can also be used to purchase airfare.

Exceptions to Policy:

If airfare is found outside of the contracted agency at a lower cost, (usually $50 or more, excluding the service fee) or another exception exists when arranging travel, please contact the manager of Food and Travel Services, Diane Collard, before purchasing airfare from an outside agency providing the following information.

1. Book a pending itinerary with CTP for the identical/exact itinerary (ie. Airline, flights, time, dates, class of service such as coach or business class) within the same day of obtaining a quote from an outside source (be sure to print a copy to keep with your justification).  A verbal quote written by you will not be sufficient.
2. Send a copy of the written quote/itinerary received from CTP and the quote/itinerary received from an outside source to Diane Collard (or Lindsey Bradshaw if not available) requesting Advance Approval prior to purchasing airfare outside of CTP.  If you do not have a response within an hour, please call to ensure the information was received.
3. An e-mail or letter will be provided to the traveler either granting or denying the exception.  If the exception is granted, a copy of the letter should be included when seeking reimbursement.

If airfare was purchased outside of the contracted agency and Advance Approval was not requested and granted, you will have to provide the following information to the manager of Food and Travel Services, Diane Collard to request a one-time exception to policy.  *Please note that this is a one-time exception only.  If advance approval of an exception is not requested and provided, a denial for of reimbursement will usually be sent  

1. Letter documenting why the university’s policy was not followed.
2. Dated itinerary/cost statement of airfare purchased from an outside agency.
3. Past Date quote from CTP.
4. An e-mail or letter will be provided to you either granting or denying the exception.  If the exception is granted, a copy of the letter should be included when seeking reimbursement. 

Business plus Personal Airfare:

If combining business plus personal travel, request the agent to document the cost of airfare in the “Travel Arranger Comments” section of the reservation.  The lower airfare amount not to exceed the business airfare would be subject to reimbursement.   A personal credit card must be used if the flight destination is different than the business destination or if business and personal destination are the same and the business airfare only is lower than the business plus personal. 

Get There - Online Travel Booking Tool

Get There is an online booking tool available through our contracted travel agency, Corporate Travel Planners.  The tool, similar to Travelocity and other online services, can be used to arrange airfare, lodging and rental cars and has university policies built into the system.  Please use a full service agent for complicated reservations, especially international.  The fees are reduced if using Get There from that of the full service agents.  Support is available via e-mail telephone if needed.  An online reservation can be changed to a full service agent if needed.

• Complete the User ID form to set up a record for UT employees only, all other travelers must use the Guest Booking profile.  (Only those travelers who will search or book reservations in Get There should be set up.)
• Anyone using Get There must print the Get There information to ensure procedures are followed to secure reservations online with no additional fees paying particular attention to Arranging Flights and Guest Booking. 
• Update the Profile information for each traveler in Get There as it overwrites any profile information the full service agents may have in a record. The Information Form can be used to gather traveler’s information.