Government Executive - Authors - Caroline Polk

Push-Button Travel

Caroline Polk — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0400

The era of paper-free trips is upon us.

That blizzard of paperwork that surrounds almost every business trip is destined for the dustbin. This is the dawning of the age of electronic travel in government. The General Services Administration's eTravel program promises all agencies the ability to go paperless for authorization and voucher processing, reservations and ticketing, and to provide travel and financial reporting for management electronically.

More than 93,000 federal employees travel each day to more than 8,000 destinations, and in fiscal 2002, the last data available, agencies spent more than $10 billion on travel costs.

By centralizing operations, eTravel is intended to remedy governmentwide problems with inconsistent processes, duplicative systems and tasks, and the inability to gather travel data quickly. And eTravel is expected to generate savings of $1 billion over the next 10 years, much of which is expected to result from gains in efficiency.

GSA awarded contracts to three vendors-CW Government Travel, EDS and Northrop Grumman-to develop eTravel systems, but without guarantees that federal agencies would actually purchase them. GSA also has blanket purchase agreements with 10 firms to provide a variety of services to support eTravel. The three prime vendors are feverishly pitching their products in a competition for agencies' business.

At the end of March, GSA sponsored a series of demonstrations in Washington, where the three vendors showed off their products to more than 350 agency representatives. All three systems have been undergoing testing at the Transportation Department since December 2003. Each eTravel product must fulfill a set of performance requirements and attain security certification and accreditation to reach full operational capability and become available to agencies. The process involves going to vendor-hosting facilities for site visits, which have taken longer than planned, according to GSA spokeswoman Viki Reath. Agencies should be able to start issuing task orders by the end of June.

The companies emphasize their experience with meeting the needs of government travelers and agency financial managers. According to Kay Anderson-Hager, vice president of marketing and sales, CW Government Travel is the only competitor "with over two decades of government-dedicated travel experience as a travel management company serving various civilian federal agencies and the Department of Defense." Steve Vetter, spokesman for US Government Solutions' E-Travel Solution, FedTraveler.com, notes that EDS' system already is in place at the International Trade Commission, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and Veterans Affairs Department. And Leo Hergenroeder, program manager for Northrop Grumman's GovTrip system, said Northrop's experience as prime contractor for the Defense Travel System helped the company develop GovTrip.

Reath notes that eTravel implementation is only six weeks behind the original schedule-despite last year's bid protest from EDS arguing that the original $450 million eTravel contract was awarded unfairly. Now, "EDS is done [with its testing]. We are standing by, ready to go. . . . No significant issues are outstanding," confirms EDS' Vetter. Twenty-two of 24 agencies slated to switch to eTravel submitted their system migration plans by the March 31 deadline, according to GSA.

All three vendors will be demonstrating their products at GSA's National Travel Forum June 28 to July 1 in Dallas.

Agencies are required to begin implementing eTravel systems by the end of this year and complete deployment by Sept. 30, 2006. Eight agencies were expected to place orders for eTravel products by the end of June, GSA officials say.

Since January, testing at the Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City has produced positive feedback from users. Out of about 200 travelers at the center, 75 percent chose to book their trips online, according to GSA.

]]>

eTravel Is Ready to Take Flight

Caroline Polk — Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 -0500

The federal government is set to launch its three-prong eTravel program this year.

fter a few bumps along the way, including a bid protest from Electronic Data Systems Corp. arguing that the original $450 million eTravel contract was awarded unfairly, the federal eTravel program is set to make its debut later this year.

Many agencies have their own electronic travel systems, but they don't integrate reservation, voucher and approval applications. Travelers must deal with multiple stand-alone systems. By centralizing travel operations, eTravel remedies problems arising from inconsistent processes, duplicative systems and tasks, and the inability to quickly gather travel data. eTravel is expected to generate savings of $1 billion over the next 10 years, 40 percent of which are actual cost savings and the rest are gains in efficiency.

Three contractors-CW Government Travel Inc., EDS and Northrop Grumman Corp.-were selected to develop eTravel systems for federal agencies (see GSA's eTravel Web site at egov.gsa.gov). The products may vary in aspects such as user interface and architecture, but they all must offer a core, integrated set of functions: travel authorization and voucher processing, reservations and ticketing, and travel and financial reporting. Each agency must choose one of the systems once they become available.

Implementation is scheduled to begin by Dec. 31, 2004, and agencies are required to finish migrating to the new systems by September 2006.

Surprisingly, everything seems to be going according to plan. When the eTravel initiative was launched in the summer of 2002, skeptics anticipated a repeat of Defense Travel System disappointments. That highly touted system began development in the mid-1990s and still is not fully implemented. The eTravel rollout was originally scheduled for December 2003, but was pushed back as a result of EDS' bid protest. Nevertheless, eTravel deployment seems imminent enough that the Society of Government Travel Professionals devoted most of its February 2004 conference in Northern Virginia to the topic.

RULE CHANGES

GSA recently changed the Federal Travel Regulation to require agencies to adopt eTravel and employees to use the system their agencies choose. The new rules clarify details such as when employees may be granted exceptions to using eTravel (such as invitational trips or the need for special accommodations). They also state that travelers must use eTravel to file all travel claims once their agencies migrate to their new systems. In turn, agencies must use eTravel to authorize and pay travel claims.

By March 31, agencies must submit to GSA their plans for migrating to eTravel. Seventeen of the 24 agencies required to adopt eTravel already have submitted their plans, according to GSA.

Travelers don't have to worry that their favorite travel agents no longer will be able to help them once eTravel is in place. Although travelers will rely primarily on eTravel for making reservations and filing expense vouchers, they can work with their designated travel agencies to handle complex itineraries and receive other assistance with arrangements. Agencies must ensure, however, that any travel service with which they do business supports eTravel.

In January, the contractors began live testing-real travelers making real reservations-at the Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. So far, the three contractors seem happy with the results.

"We've received positive results, positive feedback," says Soo Morehouse, E-Travel Solution program manager for U.S. Government Solutions at EDS. "People are very anxious to be part of the test."

Leo Hergenroeder, program manager for Northrop Grumman's FedTrip system, says, "We're very pleased with these first live transactions. We were most impressed with the FAA's organization and enthusiasm, and the speed with which they've embraced the system." According to Northrop Grumman, travelers say eTravel is intuitive and easy to use.

Kay Anderson-Hager, vice president of marketing and sales for CW Government Travel, agrees: "Within minutes of training, users are using the system with a minimum of business process interruption." She and Hergenroeder both expect eTravel to be up and running sooner than expected. In Hergenroeder's view, "there is a lot of pent-up demand" for an integrated travel management program like eTravel.

In addition to live testing, eTravel is undergoing "independent verification and validation" (IV&V), which began in December 2003 at the Transportation Department in Washington. Unlike live testing, independent verification uses predefined travel scenarios and designated testers from 14 agencies to challenge the three eTravel systems to handle a variety of situations.

Live testing in Oklahoma City is only the beginning. Each eTravel product must fulfill IV&V requirements and undergo security certification and accreditation to reach "full operational capability" (FOC) and become available to agencies.

The three contractors are receiving many requests from agencies for system demonstrations. Although they may show their systems to potential customers, EDS' Morehouse emphasizes that no task orders can be signed until the program is in full operation. In the meantime, GSA is coordinating with the contractors to provide demonstrations of the three eTravel systems at agencies in Washington this spring.

WITHER PAPER?

When asked what the average traveler will most notice about eTravel, the three contractors speak as though they were one. "Less paper," says Morehouse. "It is faster, easier and paperless," says Anderson-Hager. "It's a completely integrated and paperless system," says Hergenroether, who adds that travelers will see much faster voucher processing.

All three eTravel products will allow travelers to book airline tickets and make hotel and rental car reservations. They also will retain travel authorization information and other data so travelers can easily submit their vouchers upon their return. The products' voucher systems will permit split disbursements, so payments can be divided between travel card issuers and individual travelers. Because the products are Web-based, travelers will be able to access their itineraries from any location-a helpful feature for dealing with last-minute changes on the road. In addition, like most online booking systems, all three vendors' systems will provide a variety of resources, such as links to information about travel destinations, and will store information about travelers' preferences, such as window or aisle seating. Of course, all three systems comply with requirements for accommodating users with disabilities.

The eTravel program seems destined to raise expectations for e-government services. After all, what's not to like about an integrated, Web-based, governmentwide travel program launched within three years? That's lightning speed.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer and editor based in Washington. ]]>

Getting Help Along the Way

Caroline Polk — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0500

Getting accommodations for special needs on trips requires knowing the rules and, most of all, asking for help.

aybe you have a condition such as chronic fatigue syndrome or fibro-myalgia that wreaks havoc with your system if you don't get enough sleep. Your boss wants staff to minimize time out of the office and keep travel expenses down, so many of your colleagues take late evening and early morning flights. Your health suffers when you do this, but you gamely try to keep up with your colleagues-after all, you look perfectly fine, so you figure there is nothing you can do.

Or perhaps you use a wheelchair and are traveling to a conference in a city that lacks public transit. Naturally, the only hotel that still has rooms at the government rate is farthest from the conference site. Your boss is new to the federal workforce and says you can't stay in the conference hotel because it exceeds the per diem rate. When you call to ask about how someone in a wheelchair might get to the conference, no one has an answer.

People with disabilities make up 7 percent of the federal workforce, according to the Office of Personnel Management, and many other workers do not have a disability per se but do have special needs that affect their travel planning. These workers face travel challenges that many of us never think about. Overcoming travel barriers is even harder when the people who can make your journey easier-your boss, travel agent or hotel staff-don't know how they can help.

SPEAK UP

The Federal Travel Regulation states that the government must cover extra costs "when an additional travel expense is necessary to accommodate a special physical need, which is either clearly visible and discernible; or substantiated in writing by a competent medical authority." Allowable expenses include travel and per diem for attendants, including any specialized transportation needed; additional baggage handling costs; wheelchair rental and transport; and premium-class accommodations, when necessary.

Jim Harte, deputy director of travel management policy at the General Services Administration, says sometimes a traveler's needs are obvious: "There is no way a person who is 7-feet 1-inch tall can fit in a coach seat. Someone in that situation will have to fly in a premium-class seat." In other cases, an employee will need a doctor's certificate verifying that he or she has a particular disability or health condition.

The upshot, says Harte, is "Everyone goes out of their way to give [travelers] what they need. But they have to tell us about their situation."

Asking for help is not as easy as it might seem. "In general, the federal government is a good place for people with disabilities," says Michael Winter, director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Federal Transit Administration. But "There needs to be a system for educating managers about reasonable accommodation. And disabled people have to be clear about what they need."

Winter, who uses a wheelchair, notes that it can be difficult for disabled employees to speak up about travel needs because "a person with disabilities is trying to be as independent as possible." As a result, asking for accommodation can be uncomfortable.

David Keer, a program manager with the Education Department's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, agrees that the government's policies are generally favorable for people with disabilities. He says how readily people's needs are accommodated, particularly those with less obvious disabilities or health problems, can be a function of how well supervisors understand travel regulations. Consequently, Keer recommends that people who have special travel needs keep physician's documentation handy for when they make their travel arrangements. They-as well as travel managers-also should understand the applicable travel regulations.

So how well do the government's travel policies work? A traveler with a broken leg will probably need to sit in business class. Keer sometimes leaves a day early or stays an extra night so that he can manage the fatigue related to his multiple sclerosis. Winter often travels a day ahead to accommodate his health needs. Many opt for a direct flight rather than one with connections.

Harte notes that all properties listed in the GSA's Premiere Lodging Program are in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. And travelers can receive reimbursement for staying in a hotel that costs more than the established per diem rate if doing so is necessary to accommodate their particular needs.

BE IN THE KNOW

Traveling with a disability generally involves additional legwork, Keer says. Travel agents may not always know which hotels offer the best accessibility for people with disabilities. And even hotels that fully comply with the ADA's requirements may not be suitable for some travelers. Winter recalls one trip where his hotel was located at the top of a hill so steep that he was not be able to come and go easily. And it's best to call ahead to smaller airports to be sure that your plane comes in to a gate that has a ramp, rather than stairs.

Successful travel is not only a matter of doing your research and invoking the Federal Travel Regulation. Airline workers also play a role. Many flight attendants, for example, do not understand Transportation Department rules implementing the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act, so even though airlines must treat most collapsible wheelchairs and other mobility aids as carry-on items and stow them in the cabin, passengers are sometimes incorrectly asked to check them as luggage. While they're not required to provide a carrier with advance notice of their intent to travel, doing so might help travelers with disabilities avoid surprises such as this and inaccessible lavatories.

Here are some important ways to plan ahead for special travel needs:

Get documentation from your physician along with any other records you might need, so that it's handy on short notice.
Determine what documentation you need, and talk to your supervisor about it.
Know your rights. The Federal Travel Regulation follows the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act. Understand the implications of those laws and regulations.
If you have to adjust your travel plans, do so. If one of your employees asks for special accommodations, listen. Doing so can go a long way toward making sure that the government's road warriors remain healthy and productive workers.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer based in Washington. Iris Portny assisted with the research for this article.

]]>

A First Class Mess

Caroline Polk — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0500

he Defense Department's reputation already was besmirched by a series of General Accounting Office reports in 2002 highlighting employees' abuse of travel cards and failure to pay their bills. It took another hit in October.

GAO revealed that month that during fiscal 2001 and 2002, Defense staff spent $124 million on more than 68,000 airline tickets that included at least one leg of premium class travel-that is, either first class or business class service. Moreover, a whopping 44,000 employees flew premium class without proper permission. On Nov. 6, the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing on GAO's findings.

According to the report (GAO-04-88), "senior civilian and military employees-including senior-level executives and presidential appointees with Senate confirmation-accounted for almost 50 percent of premium class travel." GAO estimated that 72 percent of premium class travel was not properly authorized and 73 percent was not properly justified.

In one case, a GS-14 civilian employee who was relocating flew his family of four via business and first class from London to Honolulu. Despite a lack of appropriate authorization and justification, the government picked up the $21,000 tab-even though coach class would have cost about $2,500. In many other cases, travelers claimed medical necessity for upgrades, but failed to adequately document medical conditions. Three of the 28 most frequent upgraders had subordinates sign their authorizations to fly premium class.

The $124 million Defense paid for officials to fly in style was more than the total travel and transportation tab-including airfare, lodging and meals-at 12 other federal agencies, including the Energy, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Labor departments. The Defense Department's premium class air travel accounted for just 1 percent of its total airline transactions in fiscal 2001 and 2002.

Charles Abell, assistant secretary of Defense for force management, told lawmakers that the Pentagon has formed a task force to look into the matter. "The department's creation of this new task force underscores how seriously we take the type of problems identified by the GAO," he said. "We are not waiting on the task force's recommendations and have already made some changes to our policies." Abell said Defense is updating its travel regulations to more clearly state when premium class travel can be used and how it should be authorized. The department's Joint Federal Travel Regulations govern uniformed service members; the Joint Travel Regulations cover civilian personnel. Both are based on the Federal Travel Regulation for civilian agencies.

In 2002, GAO reports on widespread travel card abuse in the military suggested that the problem involved primarily lower-level employees who did not understand how to manage credit. With about 1.1 million cardholders, Defense is the government's biggest user of travel cards. Before GAO's reports, the department already had begun putting in place a variety of measures, including conducting credit checks before issuing new cards and directing reimbursements for card charges to banks, not employees. The department also increased oversight and redoubled efforts to cancel the cards of those leaving government. Abell says the new Defense Travel System also will enhance the department's ability to oversee and manage travel. The Web-based system, which allows Defense employees to make travel arrangements and file expense claims online, is in place at 24 sites and will replace 43 existing systems by 2006. In addition, the department has reviewed alternatives to travel cards, such as debit or stored value cards.

Defense's efforts have made a difference, at least in getting bills paid on time. From October 2001 to October 2003, the value of late bills fell from $23.4 million to $12.6 million, and less than 2 percent of cardholders now have delinquent accounts, according to Bryan Hubbard, a spokesman for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. "The department is continuing to develop further efforts to improve card management, which include implementation of creditworthiness requirements and using data mining to identify and address discrepancies," he says.

The premium travel situation differs from earlier problems GAO unearthed, says Gregory Kutz, GAO's director of financial management and assurance. "For the abuse we saw with individual travel cards, it was young, enlisted military personnel who had abuse and delinquency problems. With the premium travel, it was senior military and civilian personnel."

Because the various GAO reports used different research methodologies, Kutz was unable to provide data comparing the total amount spent on unauthorized travel card purchases (for which individual travel cardholders were ultimately liable) with the amount spent on premium travel (for which the government was liable). However, he told lawmakers that Defense could have saved up to $30 million annually if employees had followed the correct procedures.

Legislative Remedies

Even before the report on premium class travel was released, lawmakers had crafted legislation to address late payments and inappropriate use of travel and purchase cards. The 2003 Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act, introduced Oct. 12 by Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., would codify processes for reconciling and auditing travel and purchase card spending governmentwide.

Bruce Sullivan, vice president of government services for Visa USA, says the proposed legislation is generally a good idea. "It requires things the agencies should be doing anyway. Procedures are in place, but [the agencies] are not always following them." He agrees with GAO's Kutz that the government's travel card problems-and purchase card problems, for that matter-stem from weak internal controls. In his view, better internal procedures, such as closer scrutiny of charge card statements, can help reveal many kinds of travel card abuse, including inappropriate premium travel. In the case of airline travel, those records identify the type of seat, premium or coach.

In introducing the Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act, Grassley said, "Unfortunately, government travel cards are routinely issued to individuals who have a bad credit history or even a record of credit card fraud. This opens up the door for abuse." If passed, the legislation would require federal agencies to run credit checks on all employees issued travel and purchase cards.

Visa USA's Sullivan thinks credit checks for travel cardholders make sense because individual cardholders, not the government, are liable for charges. But he has some misgivings about obtaining credit reports for employees who are issued purchase cards. The government guarantees payment of purchase card charges, so credit checks might not reduce risk of delinquencies. "No connection has been documented between creditworthiness and problems with purchase cards," Sullivan says. "The government needs to manage risk, not avoid risk. Credit checks for purchase card holders sound smart in theory, but they would erode the time and financial savings in the current program."

In addition, Sullivan says, "The ability to obtain a purchase card is not a condition of employment for the vast majority of cardholders. . . . I am afraid that [most of] these cardholders will take offense at the legislation inferring that their creditworthiness is an indication of their trustworthiness on the job. This could result in many of the cardholders refusing to accept cards, and that could be devastating to the government's efforts to date in streamlining acquisition."

Obtaining credit reports on travel cardholders is a "good business practice" that makes the arrangement "fair to the banks," Sullivan says. Throughout the government, internal controls are being more uniformly implemented, he notes, reducing delinquency rates and travel and purchase card abuse.

The proposed legislation mirrors many of those internal controls, says Sue McIver, director of the General Services Administration's Services Acquisition Center, which oversees the government's contracts with charge card issuers. "The critical thing about the travel card program is that it gives [agencies] the ability to gather centralized data on frequent travelers," she says. The transaction detail in travel card statements can provide information about each leg of a traveler's trip, McIver says, making it easier for supervisors to ensure that travelers are adhering to regulations.

Across government, agencies are improving their management of the travel card program, McIver notes, as evidenced by the continuing decline in delinquency rates, which now approach those in the private sector. A year ago, the governmentwide delinquency rate, including the Defense Department, was 6 percent, according to McIver. Now, she says, "travel card delinquency is at an all-time low of 4 percent. Credit card companies have consistently indicated that their desired delinquency rate for the private sector is 3 percent or less." In other words, GSA's efforts to provide widespread training and assistance for managers, the availability of nearly real-time data on card transactions, improved monitoring by agencies, and other controls are paying off.

Moving Forward

When the most frequent violators of premium class travel regulations were presented with GAO's findings, they provided a variety of explanations. One traveler's aide indicated that he flies premium class to reduce time out of the office; however, the traveler's office was not able to demonstrate a cost savings related to lost productivity. Several travelers claimed that the trips in question were "mission essential," but Defense travel regulations do not include that rationale as a justification for premium class travel.

Most travelers assured the GAO that they would adhere to appropriate authorization and justification procedures in the future. But because of the apparent widespread lack of understanding of the regulations, GAO's recommendations involve improving the Defense Department's efforts to ensure travelers are aware of the limited circumstances in which they can use premium class travel.

GAO's Kutz agrees that improved internal controls make all the difference, saying it is "within DoD's power to resolve the issue" and that the agency will fix the problems. GAO's findings on premium travel are "another example of why we have DoD financial management on our list of high-risk areas," Kutz told lawmakers. "The answer is business transformation, which will help minimize fraud and abuse."

For more information on "Travel Cards: Internal Control Weaknesses at DoD Led to Improper Use of First and Business Class Travel" (GAO-04-88), go to www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-88.

]]>

The Best of Both Worlds

Caroline Polk — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0400

"Airfares under this program average a 72 percent discount off comparable unrestricted coach fares, saving the federal government more than $2 billion annually," the IG's office said in its semiannual report to Congress.

City Pair prices are significantly lower than coach fares offered to the general public. If a seat is available on a plane, the airline must offer the City Pair fare to a government traveler. And unlike many commercial fares, the program offers fully refundable tickets and does not charge for cancellations or changes.

The Federal Supply Service's City Pair program has room for improvement, however, the IG said. Although the program offers unrestricted, fixed fares that "shield the government from the volatility of the market, FSS loses the opportunity to benefit from the frequently offered, deeply discounted commercial fares," the report said.

A "dual fare" pilot program launched in fiscal 2002 is a step in the right direction, according to the IG. The program offers both fixed City Pair fares and "capacity-controlled" discount fares to government travelers. The discount fares, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis, allow government travelers to save even more money than with City Pair fares when they book tickets early. Unlike the City Pair program, however, once seats in a capacity-controlled fare category sell out, the airline is not obligated to offer the fare to government travelers. Under the pilot program, the usual controlled fare restrictions on advance purchases and seat assignments are waived.

Discount fares in the pilot program average about 20 percent less than City Pair fares. Travelers in markets that are using the dual fare program are encouraged to look first for capacity-controlled fares, then City Pair fares. The program has been expanded to 2,400 markets, and 10 of the 14 airlines participating in the City Pair program are offering capacity-controlled fares.

The inspector general recommended that FSS take several steps to improve the City Pair program, including:

Educate travel management center contractors and federal travelers on the benefits of using the dual fare program.
Obtain complete, accurate and timely information from the airlines, banks participating in GSA's travel card program, and travel management centers to determine how to further improve the program.

]]>

Not in the Cards

Caroline Polk — Tue, 01 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0400

he 1998 Travel and Transportation Reform Act required federal employees to use government charge cards, instead of personal credit cards, to pay for travel expenses. The cards were established to simplify accounting for travel expenses, in part by eliminating the need for travel advances, thereby saving time and money.

In theory, cardholders would submit their travel vouchers and documentation and be reimbursed promptly by their agencies for travel expenses. Then they would use those funds to pay their travel card bills. The reality is quite different. The ease of paying with plastic, and the ease of abusing that practice, has led to widespread misuse of travel cards. The good news is that agencies have worked hard to curb those abuses and, for the most part, are succeeding.

BROTHELS AND BAD CHECKS

In 2002, the Defense Department's travel card program landed in the spotlight following a series of widely publicized General Accounting Office reports that detailed instances of employees using the cards to buy all kinds of personal products and services. Charges even included more than $13,000 at brothels in Nevada (where such establishments are legal). GAO also reported that many employees paid their travel card balances with bad checks.

Defense is not alone. GAO investigations over the past three years have found that employees throughout the government have used travel cards to pay for a host of items unrelated to official government business, including clothes, mortgage payments and personal trips.

Delinquency rates-the proportion of accounts more than 60 days past due-vary widely among agencies. At the time of the GAO reports, the Army's travel card delinquency rate fluctuated from 10 percent to 18 percent-about 5 percent higher than the rest of the Defense Department and 7 percent higher than civilian agencies-and the Navy's delinquency rate was about 12 percent. In March 2002, the Bank of America threatened to cancel the travel cards it issued to Army employees because delinquent Army cardholders owed millions of dollars.

The Defense Department, with about 1.1 million cardholders, is the government's biggest user of travel cards. "If you look at the size of the Department of Defense and its charge volume, it doesn't take much for the agency to have an impact on the entire travel card program," says Sue McIver, director of the General Services Administration's services acquisition center, which oversees the government travel card programs. As for using travel cards at "adult" establishments, McIver notes that federal travelers can go to any restaurant they want, as long as they are paying for a legitimate travel-related meal, not entertainment.

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Not only do the abuses waste taxpayer and card issuers' money, they could spell trouble for national security. GAO found that many of the delinquent account holders at the Army, Navy and Air Force had Secret or Top Secret clearances. Delinquent account holders also were likely to have other financial problems, such as bankruptcy. Financial trouble is considered a security risk and is a consideration in determining whether to deny or revoke an employee's clearance. Yet, in many cases, security officials were unaware of the charge card problems, GAO said.

Employees who misuse cards probably figure that if they pick up a couple of souvenirs for the kids, then pay off the charge right away, no harm is done. That's not the case, according to McIver. "Our contracts with the banks say that we will use the cards for official travel expenses only," she says. "In addition, federal employees are bound by ethics laws to not use their government position for personal gain."

Part of the travel card problem lies with employees:

Surprisingly, Defense is the only agency consistently reviewing individual credit histories before issuing travel cards. "Defense may still choose to issue a card to an individual who has a poor credit history, but may more aggressively manage at-risk cardholders," says McIver.
Every sector of society has people who do not know how to handle credit, and the government is no exception. Young people often have little experience with personal financial management. Many of the problems in the military are associated with young enlisted personnel, although GAO found that higher-ranking personnel abused cards as well.
Some employees are slow to file travel vouchers, so the travel card payment comes due before they are reimbursed. In such cases, employees sometimes fail to pay their bills or pay with bad checks.

In addition, GAO says, a lack of institutional controls has played a major role in travel card abuse:

Some agencies have been slow to provide reimbursement, despite timely filing of travel vouchers.
In some cases, agencies failed to provide sufficient training and education in how to properly use the cards.
Many agencies were slow to take advantage of institutional controls, such as merchant category codes (MCCs), which categorize merchants by type of business. Managers can limit cards to businesses with travel-related MCCs (e.g., hotels and restaurants), reducing the possibility of abuse.

SWIFT ACTION

Over the past year, the Office of Management and Budget has pressured agencies to improve their travel card programs. In April 2002, then-OMB Director Mitch Daniels directed agency officials to develop "remedial action plans" for reducing fraud, waste and abuse in the programs and limiting the number of cards issued.

Agencies with low delinquency rates got that way by emphasizing training, implementing strong controls, using electronic reporting tools to monitor delinquencies and taking strong corrective actions when there's a problem, McIver says. The best performing agencies, she adds, "have built strong partnerships with their bank card providers and work strategically with their bank partners to ensure continued low delinquency."

Military and civilian agencies impose salary offsets on employees with accounts 120 days or more past due-in other words, they take the money owed out of the cardholder's paycheck. Travel cards that are 60 days past due may be suspended.

Virtually all agencies are now using MCCs to control where employees use their travel cards, according to McIver. HHS, for instance, has imposed what it calls a "retail block" on all cards, which prohibits them from being used at certain merchants.

The military now requires "split disbursement," something that many civilian agencies offer as an option. With split disbursement, the card issuer-in the military's case, Bank of America-is paid directly for charged expenses after a traveler submits his or her travel voucher. The traveler is reimbursed for permitted expenses that were not paid for with the travel card.

Some agencies are simplifying their reimbursement processes to speed payment to employees. GSA's SmartPay system, for example, lets employees file their travel vouchers online. Employees receive a direct-deposit reimbursement within five days.

Agencies are setting low credit limits for most travelers. For example, at the beginning of fiscal 2002, HHS capped the credit limit on most cards at $3,500, although some travelers, such as auditors, have higher limits because of their frequent travel.

Training is an important factor. "Defense has focused on educating cardholders about their personal responsibilities and liabilities and taking management actions," says Bryan Hubbard, a spokesman for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. The military is concentrating on 18- to 25-year-olds, he says, teaching them how to use travel cards and how to file travel vouchers accurately. McIver says GSA offers online training in travel card use and sponsors a training conference every year for program managers.

At the management level, the Defense Department has taken a variety of steps, says Hubbard. It has increased oversight along the chain of command, canceled more than 400,000 unused travel cards, and instituted new program status updates for senior officials. In addition, the department has reviewed alternatives to the travel card, such as debit or stored value cards, and instituted new processes to make sure that cards are canceled for individuals who have separated or retired from service.

POSITIVE RESULTS

Defense's efforts have paid off. Between January 2001 and January 2003, past due charges fell from $32.3 million to $17.1 million, Hubbard says, and the number of delinquent cardholders fell from 45,881 to 27,480. And as for its double-digit delinquency rates, says Hubbard, "the Defense Department is proud [to have lowered] delinquency rates to 2.5 percent in January 2003 and 1.6 percent in April."

Chris Slack, government card executive with Bank of America, the issuer of Defense's travel cards, agrees that a lot of progress has been made. "We are definitely not in the environment we were in in 2001." Program enhancements such as salary offsets and split disbursements have helped improve Defense's delinquency rate, he says, and the bank expects the trend to continue.

Slack says a delinquency rate of 4 percent is in line with commercial standards. GSA data show that several departments and agencies average a stellar 3 percent or lower on individually billed travel card accounts, including the Housing and Urban Development and Justice departments, and HHS, GSA, Social Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

HHS is not resting on its laurels. It submitted a remedial action plan to OMB saying it intended to reduce its delinquency rate to 1 percent or less by Sept. 30.

The government's quick response to the travel card problems demonstrates the importance of the travel card program, which has improved efficiency and saved money. By enhancing relations with the banks that issue the cards and continuing to improve the program, the reforms will no doubt ensure that travel cards become as much a fixture for government travelers in the future as cash advances were in the past.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer and editor based in Washington.

]]>

The Meeting Makers

Caroline Polk — Sat, 01 Mar 2003 00:00:00 -0500

efore Sept. 11, 2001, most changes in the meeting planning industry were rooted in technological advances aimed at efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Government meeting planners eagerly embraced new services and tools such as online registration and equipment for PowerPoint presentations. The focus was on improving meetings while coping with ever-tightening budgets.

Immediately after the terrorist attacks, meeting planners across the country faced a new set of challenges that surpassed the usual last-minute program changes or software glitches. Planners dealt with anxious, traumatized meeting-goers who wanted nothing more than to get home, as well as with closed airports, scarce rental cars and communication breakdowns.

Chaos erupted in the hospitality industry as meeting planners canceled conferences and travelers postponed vacations. The fallout included high vacancy rates at hotels and airline bankruptcies.

The industry is turning around, but the attacks have had lasting effects on meeting planners.

DOING MORE WITH LESS

Government agencies are planning more conferences than ever. Even before the attacks, agencies with research missions-such as the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Defense Department-hosted many conferences. Now the focus on bioterrorism and other security concerns has added more meetings to their full agendas.

Meetings have increased at both the state and federal levels, in part because so many agencies are working on homeland security issues, says Donna Carey, president of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) and the statewide travel program administrator for the California Department of General Services.

This increased demand is tricky for agencies working with tight budgets. "We as government professionals need to demonstrate the value of our services. Meetings need to be cost-effective," Carey says.

TIGHT SECURITY

After the attacks, many government conference facilities were closed to the public. Security is a major concern, says

AnnMarie Williams, a program analyst who plans advisory panel meetings for FDA's Office of Device Evaluation. The agency's meetings are open to citizens and the news media, and pre-registration isn't required. But people attending an FDA-sponsored conference at NIH's Natcher Center in Bethesda, Md., last fall "had to bring two pieces of identification-a driver's license and another photo ID-to get in the door," Williams says. "It was hard to get the word out about that."

"We used to have our smaller meetings at [our offices]," Williams says. "After Sept. 11, we realized that we couldn't clear the members of the public [through security], so we now have to have all the meetings in hotels." The change has affected her budget, which doesn't support the higher cost of off-site meetings.

Tighter security requires contingency planning, says Ruth Harris, first vice president of the SGMP and a planner of academic meetings at the CDC in Atlanta. When choosing a site, planners now look at everything from alternative modes of transportation to what plans hotels have in place in case of an emergency. Communications are an issue, too. "Before Sept. 11, I doubt that any meeting planners concerned themselves with a hotel's emergency plan," says Harris. "Since then, there is greater concern." Now meeting planners check specific details such as who to call if a suspicious package is delivered.

"As a meeting planner, I'm responsible for the participants. I'm not willing to rely on hotel security," Harris says. Harris conducted a popular session on crisis management at the SGMP's annual meeting last year, and she plans to take her seminar on the road for the association.

Carl May, director of conference and event services for the University of Maryland's Shady Grove facility, which often plays host to federal government meetings, says many of his clients ask whether the facility is safe. "We're in a remote environment. It's more suburban. They are concerned with whether they can get in and out easily," May says.

TAKE MY HOTEL-PLEASE

With travel down, hotels are pushing harder for government business. Security restrictions at many federal buildings often deter government meeting planners from using their own conference facilities, increasing the chance for hotels to pick up some business.

Now properties that have supported government all along are struggling to compete with four-star hotels offering attractive deals for federal clients, says Carey. But she believes that when the economy picks up steam, the upscale properties may not be as enthusiastic about government business. "It goes in cycles; I've seen this happen two or three times," she says. And despite the deals now available, many agencies continue to work with the same properties they always have because those hotels have a good understanding of their clients' needs.

"Hotels have discovered that [government meetings are] a reliable piece of business," says Carl Thompson, SGMP's executive director. "Ninety percent of government meeting planners have to hold their meetings within the current fiscal year, so the meetings are short-turnaround, immediate investments for hotels." Also, recent increases in government per diem rates have expanded the range of properties available to government meeting planners, Thompson notes.

LETTING THE PLANNERS PLAN

Sept. 11 hasn't limited all the options for government meeting planners. One emerging trend is that agencies are hiring more contractors to run their meetings. Many federal employees who plan meetings do so on an ad hoc basis along with their many other duties. So contracting out the logistics makes sense, says May, who works with both contractors and agency planners on meetings at his University of Maryland facility. So far, it seems to be working well, he says. "The only hiccup in the operation is communication between the agency and the vendor. Sometimes the agency calls and makes a request, then the contractor calls," May says. "Overall, it's a good arrangement because the people running the meeting can focus on hosting a successful meeting instead of looking at so many things going on."

But SGMP's Carey thinks it's smart to keep meeting know-how in the government. "Agencies can save money by staying in-house [and teaching] people in government what it's all about," she says.

GREENER AND CLEANER

Another movement afoot at agencies is making meetings "greener"-easier on the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency developed the Green Meetings Conference Initiative as part of its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program, which encourages agencies to procure products and services that are less harmful to the environment.

EPA, the Oceans Blue Foundation (a charity dedicated to preserving coastal environments), and other sponsors have developed a Web site about green meetings (www.bluegreenmeetings.org). Tips include setting environmental goals, using less paper and more technology to disseminate information, reusing and recycling containers, limiting travel and saving electricity.

Many planners are thinking about the environmental impact of their meetings even without a nudge from the feds. "In California," says Carey, "we are looking at doing more with transportation, such as using hybrids and electric vehicles." Also, meeting planners no longer assume every traveler needs to rent a car. With measures like these, thinking green can also cut costs.

Clearly, Sept. 11 has resulted in a new set of challenges in all aspects of meetings-from facilities to logistics to security concerns. But new options for government in terms of outsourcing, finding deals on meeting space, and preserving the environment will undoubtedly yield positive results for many years to come.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer and editor based in Washington.

]]>

Can Flying Make You Sick?

Caroline Polk — Tue, 01 Oct 2002 00:00:00 -0400

Can what you do while traveling make you sick? Perhaps.

Can you do anything to make it less likely that you will get sick when on the road? Definitely.

Many health problems ranging from colds to tuberculosis to blood clots have been linked to air travel in news reports lately. But that doesn't mean you're likely to come down with one of those conditions on the road. You can stay healthy while traveling.

DON'T SIT SO CLOSE TO ME

Many people believe ventilation systems on planes circulate germs, raising the likelihood they will catch colds when traveling by air. The reality is they have a lot more to worry about with the people sitting nearby than from the person sniffling and hacking away 10 rows back.

Researchers have studied the transmission of colds and tuberculosis, a highly contagious lung disease, among travelers sharing long airplane rides. After a passenger with a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis traveled from Honolulu to Baltimore and back, researchers tracked down those who flew on the same flights as she did. They found that passengers seated within two rows of the sick passenger were more likely to have positive skin tests for TB than passengers in the rest of the plane were. Other passengers who tested positive for TB had other risk factors for the disease (for example, some were health care workers), making it impossible to determine whether they had become infected while traveling.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated another incident in which passengers became infected with TB during a long flight. The CDC concluded that transmission occurred because the passengers were seated near the infectious traveler, not because bacteria spread through the air circulation system. (Note: Infection with TB doesn't mean you will come down with the disease; it just means you'll need preventive medication.)

Older airplanes circulate fresh air in the passenger cabin, but newer planes rely on recirculated air. Planes that use recirculated air commonly use HEPA [high efficiency particulate air] filters, which remove microscopic particles in the air. These are the same filters that many hospitals use in operating rooms.

In light of the increased use of recirculated air, researchers recently looked at transmission of the common cold in airplanes. They surveyed 1,100 passengers traveling from San Francisco to Denver between January and April 1999. About half the passengers traveled on newer planes that used recirculated air, the rest on older planes with fresh air systems. Passengers traveling on both old and new airplanes had similar rates of colds within a week of flying, so researchers concluded that the type of air circulation is not related to the incidence of colds. In other words, germs from the back of the plane are not blowing to the front, and vice versa.

About 20 percent of passengers in both groups, however, reported cold symptoms, more than one might expect in the general population. Adults average two colds per year, and most colds occur during the months in which the study was conducted. About 3 percent to 5 percent of the population has a cold at any given time. What accounts for the higher prevalence of colds in those travelers?

The confined quarters of the plane make it easier to transmit germs among passengers who are seated near someone who is already ill, the researchers concluded. Moreover, the jet lag, poor diet and sleep deprivation associated with travel all lower resistance to disease.

SHAKE A LEG

"Economy class syndrome," or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), consists of blood clots in the legs that can form when people with underlying cardiovascular conditions sit still for too long. The clots themselves are not a problem, but they can break off and travel to the lungs, a life-threatening condition called pulmonary embolism. Symptoms include leg pain, dizziness, chest pain and shortness of breath.

Most healthy, active people are not at risk for pulmonary embolism when flying.

A study of more than 135 million passengers who arrived at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport last year from 145 countries or regions found 56 cases of pulmonary embolism among the passengers who required transport to a hospital. Only three of the patients said that they had left their seats at some point during the flight. Even though the researchers may have underestimated the incidence of blood clots (they looked only at passengers who fell ill while still in the airport, not those who went to the hospital later), the risk still appears to be small-in this case, 0.4 cases of pulmonary embolism per million passengers.

Certain people are more susceptible to DVT than others and should consult a physician to assess the risk of blood clots, particularly on flights of six hours or longer. They include people with varicose veins, a family history of DVT, or blood clotting disorders; older travelers (over age 50 or so); women on birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy; smokers; and anyone who is seriously overweight. Ways to avoid DVT include staying hydrated, wearing loose clothing, not crossing your legs, changing position often, getting up and walking, and moving your legs while seated.

According to James Whinnery, manager of aeromedical research at the Civil Aeromedical Institute in Oklahoma City, "Only the people who fly the most need to worry [about DVT]. Someone who sits for a long time would always be at risk. It's not the aircraft."

Even though DVT is not common, it occurs enough that the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization are studying the problem. Their research will assess the frequency of DVT among travelers; identify which groups are most at risk; and look at possible causes, such as low cabin air pressure and oxygen levels.

IT'S STUFFY IN HERE

The Association of Flight Attendants, the Federal Aviation Administration, and others are concerned that poor air quality in airplanes may contribute to health problems. For example, insecticides, ozone and vapors from lubricants, de-icing solutions and hydraulic fuels all can leak into cabin air. The chemicals can have serious health effects, but it is not known whether they create problems for travelers at the concentrations found in cabin air.

In addition, cabin air is pressurized to levels found at 8,000 feet-basically, you're on a mountaintop. Even though the concentration of oxygen in the air is the same as at sea level, less oxygen is available to the body because of the lower air pressure. Moreover, carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the passenger cabin can be higher than in ordinary, ground-level air, the result of so many people sitting in close quarters. High CO₂ levels-that stuffy feeling-can lead to headache, drowsiness and dizziness.

"If you have any compromise in your oxygen-carrying capability, you can be affected by even small fluctuations" in CO₂ and air pressure, Whinnery says. Older people, particularly those with cardiovascular problems, and infants are especially susceptible to such fluctuations. Again, consult with a physician before flying.

Cabin air is not just stale-it's dry. Consequences of very low humidity include dry eyes, dry skin, irritation of the nasal passages and dehydration. Most people find that the discomfort ends shortly after landing.

In December, the National Research Council issued a report on cabin air quality. It made 10 recommendations, one of which was that the FAA demonstrate that federal regulations on cabin air quality are adequate. The FAA is working with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to study the relationship between cabin air quality and health.

HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH

Most people experience no ill effects from flying, even those who travel often. Jet lag from time zone changes and existing health issues are more likely to create complications for travelers. Air travel is so common and health problems are so infrequent that most people (except pregnant women) don't think to consult a physician before flying. But if you have concerns, consult your doctor. That way, you can rack up those frequent flier miles with confidence.

- Caroline Polk is a Washington writer.

]]>

Per Diem Perdition

Caroline Polk — Thu, 01 Aug 2002 00:00:00 -0400

Lodging rates change for some destinations; business trips are picking up again; survival tips for the road.

he government's per diem lodging rates for designated markets in the continental United States will stay the same through fiscal 2003, says the General Service Administration's Travel Management Policy Division.

But the decision does not apply to destinations included in the Federal Premier Lodging Program-those lodging rates will change as contracts are awarded. For a list of those destinations, go to www.gsa.gov/fplp. Participating properties can be found in Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington state and Washington, D.C.

Over the next few months, GSA will review the standard per diem rate for the continental United States (that is, the rate for cities not specifically mentioned in the per diem list). The maximum is $55 for lodging and $30 for meals and incidental expenses. The agency also will evaluate per diem lodging rates for specific destinations in response to complaints from federal travelers. Changes, effective Oct. 1, will be published in the Federal Register and on GSA's Web site in early September.

Lodging Rate Changes (Effective May 15)
	Old Rate	New Rate
Baltimore, Md. (Baltimore County)	$110	$137
Lexington Park/Leonardtown/Lusby, Md. (St. Mary's and Calvert counties)	$66	$72
Montgomery, Ala. (Montgomery County)	$61	$57
Memphis, Tenn. (Shelby County)	$70	$75
Source: General Services Administration

Federal travelers who are unable to find a hotel within the per diem rate in specific cities can report it on the "No Vacancy" link on GSA's Web site. Go to www.gsa.gov, then click on "Travel," then "Per Diem," then "Domestic Per Diem," then scroll down to the bottom for the "No Vacancy" sign. GSA cited complaints by travelers when it changed per diem rates for 29 cities, from Atlantic City, N.J., to Yuma, Ariz., last year. So it's worth letting GSA know if you run into trouble finding a place to stay.

Find the latest information on per diem rates at http://www.gsa.gov/perdiem.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer and editor based in Washington. ]]>

Office Machines Everyone Can Use

Lauren R. Taylor and Caroline Polk — Tue, 01 Aug 2000 00:00:00 -0400

letters@govexec.com

lectronic and digital technologies are taking over the workplace. The next big change will be the redesign of copiers, faxes and other communications equipment so that people with disabilities can use the machines on their own.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, which mandates new regulations for federal development and procurement of communications technology, is driving the trend toward more access. The law says that federal agencies must ensure, to the extent that it does not impose an "undue burden" on them, that technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities. Final regulations are expected in September; agencies will have several months to comply.

Products in the Works

Of course, agencies cannot comply with the regulations until equipment is available for them to buy, but some equipment manufacturers are taking a wait-and-see approach before changing their products. Canon U.S.A., for example, is reviewing its product line while awaiting the final regulations, and the company says it will modify its products if necessary. In the meantime, according to Dennis Kless of Canon's government marketing division, the company has worked with customers to modify equipment as needed.

Xerox, too, works with its customers to adapt equipment to their needs. Modifications include tilted consoles so that people in wheelchairs can see the controls, bigger buttons on controls for people with limited dexterity, and Braille legends so that blind and visually impaired people can use the machines. According to Dick Schieck, customized applications manager at Xerox, all the company's copiers are designed so that people with limited strength, or those who can't fully use both arms, can operate the machines. Thus, trays and door panels can be opened easily, and paper jams can be cleared without the user having to reach far into the machine or use both hands to remove stuck paper.

The Right Thing to Do

Xerox has provided retrofits and accessories to accommodate people with disabilities since before the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, notes Schieck, "because it was the right thing to do" for customers and employees. The company won an award from Careers & the Disabled magazine for its efforts to both provide products for people with disabilities and recruit and hire disabled employees.

Pitney Bowes began marketing its Universal Access Copier System almost two years ago. The copier employs advanced speech-recognition technology, Braille labeling and several design adjustments allowing use by blind people and people with mobility limitations, including those in wheelchairs. The copier is lower to the ground than other copiers, and users can operate it via voice, touch screen or keypad.

The copier has been well received-so much so that last May, it was added to the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, joining such famous technological innovations as Samuel Morse's telegraph and the Apple I computer as part of the National Museum of American History's permanent record of the information revolution.

Minolta, too, has introduced new products designed to improve access for people with disabilities. The DiALTA Di250 and Di350 copier-printers have modular designs that allow users to configure them as needed. The controls extend in front of the unit and can be lowered to a height ideal for wheelchair users; in addition, users can feed documents, program the machine and pick up the finished job all from in front of the computer.

What will be on the market a year from now is anyone's guess. But the increased availability of accessible technology is likely to help more than just people with disabilities as we traditionally think of them. The aging workforce is sure to welcome features that make life easier for arthritic hands and eyes that aren't as sharp as they once were. And those injured through weekend athletic endeavors or recovering from surgery also will benefit from the enhanced equipment.

]]>

Should Auld Acquainta %^%@!ERROR!

Caroline Polk — Mon, 01 Nov 1999 00:00:00 -0500

t's Jan. 1, 2000. You're in a hurry to drop off your rental car and catch your flight home from a business trip that ran a few days late. You could have left yesterday, but you decided to celebrate New Year's Eve with old friends who live in that town. You stop at a gas station to fill up and avoid the rental company's expensive refueling surcharge, but you see a sign: "Pumps down due to Y2K."

Having begged your way out of the fuel surcharge, you arrive at the airport to find your flight canceled-the attendant informs you that the plane is coming from a smaller airport that is having "Y2K problems." The security system there won't read anyone's ID cards, so ground and flight crews can't get to the planes and other equipment. Of course, the airport authority there was assured by its consultants that everything would work fine.

In January, planes won't drop out of the sky, but Y2K problems could cause some major inconveniences for travelers. If computer talk makes your eyes glaze over, here is the Y2K problem in a nutshell: Until recently, many computers required that people entering data enter only the last two digits of the year. When the year rolls over to 2000, those computers will read the date as 1900, unless they are reprogrammed. The potential for error is amazing. Fortunately, efforts to remedy the problem are in full swing all over the world.

Airlines, rental car agencies, and hotels have been working for several years to forestall Y2K problems. Most observers expect any travel problems around the new year to fall into the category of inconvenience, rather than danger-at least in the United States. Smart travelers are learning what the travel industry has done to prepare for Y2K so they can head off potential problems before they head out the door.

Airports

The FAA recently celebrated bringing its systems into "full Y2K compliance," meaning that the air traffic control system is ready for the new year. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey has said, "Aviation safety will not be compromised on Jan. 1, 2000, or any other day." She will be flying across the country on Dec. 31 to prove her point. But on Sept. 10, Joel Willemssen, the General Accounting Office's director of Civil Agencies Information Systems, testified to Congress that the FAA should conduct additional tests of some of its mission-critical systems, including several weather and communications systems.

Willemssen said individual airports are at various levels of Y2K preparation and that several of the nation's largest international airports will not be ready until Nov. 30-a deadline that leaves little breathing room. Y2K-related equipment malfunctions could affect runway lighting, security, baggage handling and aircraft refueling. Although airports can turn to manual systems should computer-dependent systems fail, such problems, Willemssen said, could have a "ripple effect, causing delays at other airports and eventually reducing the efficiency of the system nationwide."

Airlines

In July, officials from the airline industry's joint Y2K program, the Aviation Millennium Project, released a report stating that U.S. and Canadian airlines were 95 percent finished with their Y2K preparation efforts. "The airline industry is in great shape, and we will be ready for the new millennium," said Carol Hallett, president and chief executive officer of the Air Transport Association which coordinates the Millenium Project. "Individual carriers have been working for several years to tackle Y2K problems, and the situation is well in hand."

Willemssen's testimony did not paint such a rosy picture, however: Four of the nation's major international airlines will not complete their Y2K preparations until late this year. Willemssen also said that as of the end of June, nearly one-third of 146 international airlines surveyed by the FAA either planned to complete their Y2K repairs after Sept. 30 or "did not provide any date." The FAA, airlines and airports are designing contingency plans in case a problem occurs.

Car rentals

Car rental companies report that they are well prepared for Y2K. Dollar, Hertz and Avis, for example, all have been working on the problem since 1997 or earlier. Rental agencies indicate that any Y2K problems most likely will come from computers unrelated to their operation. For example, computer-operated pumps could fail at gas stations, and flight delays or cancellations could reduce the rental activity at airport franchises. Similarly, canceled or delayed flights could cause a vehicle shortage, because people may keep their cars longer than planned. Like the airlines, the car rental companies are developing contingency plans.

Lodging

Hotels and motels say they have fixed their national reservation systems and other potential Y2K problems in their corporate offices. Hotel chains, however, are generally leaving the job of repairing local systems to their franchise properties. Those systems include everything from in-room movies to key cards, elevators and accounting programs. Local properties are not exactly twisting in the wind, however: Choice Hotels has distributed a management system to its properties, and Marriott is operating a Y2K help line for its franchisees. Bottom line: Preparedness could vary from property to property. It is reasonable to expect that a motel in Dustball, Nev., could have a harder time getting computer consultants than a hotel in San Francisco. Call the hotel a day or two before you travel, just to make sure that all systems are go.

Amtrak

Amtrak began working on the Y2K issue in 1996 and has already replaced its computer hardware and software with Y2K-ready systems. If your travel plans include a trip along the busy Northeast Corridor (the tracks between Boston and Washington), you will be happy to know that

Amtrak has finished testing its signal equipment there, as it has on tracks in Michigan, Chicago and New Orleans. Amtrak uses a computerized system to remotely control signals and switches. If the computers have problems, employees can manually operate that equipment. As a safeguard, the railroad will have additional staff available on Dec. 31 to ensure that equipment is working properly and that any problems are cleared up quickly.

International Travel

In countries that are unprepared for Y2K, some of the problems you could face include not just delayed flights but also inoperable ATM machines and communication breakdowns. Credit cards will become useless pieces of plastic if banks or store clerks can't process them, and you could have a hard time calling home to get money problems straightened out. A lot of modern medical equipment is computer-based, and if hospitals have not brought it into Y2K compliance, access to quality medical treatment could be a major problem.

So if you are going overseas at the start of 2000, plan carefully (see box). Bert Edwards, chief financial officer at the State Department, suggests that travelers buy trip cancellation insurance and make sure they contact the State Department for the latest travel advisories before heading overseas. If you have a severe health problem, you may want to reconsider travel to Third World countries; wherever you go, you should bring extra quantities of any medications you need.

The State Department is incorporating Y2K-related information into its travel advisories for each country. Travelers can find the information on the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site at http://travel.state.gov/y2kca.html. According to Edwards, the State Department's systems are Y2K ready, and the usual consular services will be available for Americans abroad. Contingency plans have been developed in the event that problems in foreign countries make it difficult for embassy personnel to conduct their usual business.

The Transportation Department is evaluating the Y2K readiness of foreign airports and air carriers that fly into and out of the United States. The department has published statements on individual countries' civil aviation systems (and other Y2K transportation issues) at www.dot.gov/technology.htm. According to DOT's David Smallen, "the level of readiness varies greatly from country to country. People should get all the information they can before deciding whether they feel confident flying to an overseas destination." That may mean checking the status of a country's systems, even well into next year, before making travel plans.

Fingerpointing

Every sector of the travel industry is taking steps to ensure that its domain is free from Y2K glitches. No company wants to make headlines because one of its planes crashed, it lost hundreds of reservations, or its elevators got stuck. The Y2K theme is "if there is a problem, it won't be our fault-it will come from someone else." If major Y2K problems do occur, travelers can expect to see the buck passed either up the line, to local authorities, or down the line, to suppliers of various goods and services.

Overseas travel aside, you can feel confident about traveling around the new year. But bring extra reading material and keep your essentials in your carry-on bag. The most likely scenario is one of delays and lost luggage-so what else is new?

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer and editor in Washington.

]]>

On a Wing and a Prayer

Caroline Polk — Sun, 01 Nov 1998 00:00:00 -0500

ravel guides for specific destinations are in abundant supply, but what if you simply need advice on coping with a busy travel schedule? How do you juggle work and family responsibilities? What can you do to keep from falling behind in your work while on the road or to cope with business customs in unfamiliar countries? Several recent books set out to help you answer those questions.

On the Road Again, by William Hendricks and Jim Coté (Fleming H. Revell, 1998, $9.99), focuses on how to sustain a healthy marriage in the face of frequent travel by one or both partners. The book is well organized and devotes space to communication skills, conflict resolution and trust building. It also includes ideas on how to create family-friendly company travel policies.

Hendricks and Coté come to their subject from a Christian perspective, but they save discussion of their faith for a chapter on building a shared spirituality in marriage. Readers for whom Judeo-Christian perspective is not a priority can benefit from most of the book and skip the last chapter.

Now that you've determined how to keep your family from disintegrating in your absence, you can focus on getting a little work done. June Langhoff's The Business Traveler's Survival Guide (Aegis, 1997, $9.95) is a handbook for maintaining your technological capabilities while on the road. This slim volume contains a wealth of information on using computers, modems, e-mail, fax machines and cell phones while traveling. The first few chapters cover the selection and use of computer, fax/modem and cell phone/pager. The author gives attention to how to avoid digital phone lines, which are increasingly common in hotels and are incompatible with most laptop modems. She then discusses working in various awkward locations, including airports, cars and other people's offices; working abroad; and maintaining high-tech safety and security procedures, such as password protection and file encryption.

A helpful chapter on troubleshooting equipment includes tips on how to cool off laptops (like the one you left in the rental car for four hours in the Miami sun); what to do about slow modems; and how to deal with accidental erasures of data. The last chapter is a useful list of resources that includes Web site addresses and toll-free telephone numbers for hotels and overnight delivery services. For the most part, each chapter reads like a series of tips, so don't expect the book to keep you up late turning the pages. It is, however, a handy book to pack if you work a lot with computers while away.

202 Tips Even the Best Business Travelers May Not Know, by Christopher J. McGinnis (Irwin Professional Publishing, 1994, $12.95), contains ideas for new and seasoned business travelers alike. From what to wear ("Black. It is classic and works well in almost every situation) to where to sit on an airplane ("If you are prone to motion sickness, a seat over the wing ensures the smoothest ride"), this book has some excellent suggestions for easing your way. A new edition is due out this year.

So, your family is functional, you're packed--wrinkleproof--and ready to go, fresh cell phone batteries at hand. Your destination: a country where you don't speak the language, the currency is unfamiliar and the business practices include a long break in the afternoon and an exceedingly early start in the morning. How do you call home? Will your hair dryer work? Joe Reif and a team of editors have compiled The Global Road Warrior: 85 Country Handbook for the International Business Traveler (World Trade Press, 1999, $29.95). Organized by country, each section includes basic demographic and economic information, a map, details on telephoning both within the country and internationally, phone jack and electric plug standards and Internet connection options. The cultural information for each country is especially valuable, including details on greetings, tipping and how to get help in an emergency. This book is well worth consulting when traveling or sending staff overseas.

Travel books can be helpful no matter how often you leave town. Certainly, any book that covers communication in marriage or parenting has some broader application. And you don't have to be a business traveler to take advantage of tips for wrinkle-free packing. If you're looking for ways to make your hectic life a little less so, travel books might be a good place to start.

Caroline Polk is a freelance writer in Washington.

]]>