TMO TIDBITS: Official TDY travelers must use TRAVCO

  • Published
  • By Nancy Woerdehoff
  • 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Did you know when a person goes TDY on official travel, they must arrange their travel through the Travel Management Office? Although there are many internet opportunities to save precious Operations and Maintenance money for squadron funded TDY's such as cheaptickets.com, priceline.com, Travelocity.com ... individuals purchasing their tickets through these online companies are violating a government General Services Administration contract the Department of Defense has with TRAVCO, not to mention it's illegal and finance may not authorize the purchase reimbursement when filing a travel voucher. 

If you know without a doubt that you are going TDY and there will be no cancellations or changes to your itinerary, TRAVCO, the government travel agency here, can book your tickets using "super-saver" or reduced government fares, which are cheaper than the unrestricted contract fare. Just remember, using super-saver or reduced government fares will result in cancellation or change fees, should you need to change them. Ensure the travel has solid travel dates to eliminate these additional change fees. An unrestricted government contract fare is sometimes cheaper but is fully refundable and exchangeable without cost. 

By government contract, the local finance office has the authority to charge a fee from the unit's fund cite provided on the orders payable to TRAVCO for a person purchasing their tickets online. Additionally, TRAVCO has the authority to file a complaint with the government for contract violations imposed by base personnel. 

To prevent any contract infractions and still save the squadron money, contact TMO at 731-6276 for assistance. If you are processing orders through DTS, there is an option to contact a TRAVCO representative to arrange the reduced airfares. 

Everyone's assistance is needed to ensure these guidelines are followed to prevent any further contract violations.