Pentagon money-saving travel site - doesn't

[brooklynite]

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon that gave taxpayers a $434 hammer and a $600 toilet seat cover now has a half-billion-dollar travel booking system that is bypassed by more than eight in 10 users.

Senate investigators found the Pentagon's Web-based product - despite its high price tag - fails to find the cheapest airfares, offers an incomplete list of flights and hotels and won't recognize travel categories used by the National Guard and Reserves.

The investigators found that Defense Department travelers are contacting professional travel agents to find their hotels, flights and rental cars, and then using the computer system to enter those choices. Once the system is activated at an installation, travelers must use it to make their reservations, the Pentagon said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15746788/

[formercia]

1. I never used in-house travel.

and I didn't do it for any benefits except to save the taxpayer money. One advantage to being in an operations slot was the ability to do my own scheduling. It always saved time and money and I never had a complaint from management.

[melm00se]

2. my company has a similar tool

the parts that many people miss are:

1) Most large customers have some sort of rebate plan in place with the airlines. Yes a flight might show on paper as $500 but when all the dust settles at the end of the year, the rebate might depress that by 20-30-40% (depending upon the rebate contract)

2) The other big savings is that once people get used to using the tool, the people cost goes down and that is reflected in the rebate amount.

the big problem is that people don't like to change...when we cut over to this system it took almost 18 months before it became the tool of choice instead of calling the in-house travel folks. During the transition time the costs did go up, but once the tool was fully embraced travel costs went down in awful big hurry

[Henryman]

3. Refundable Fares

Each of the federal agencies has an agreement that when an airline reservation is made through the awarded contractor, the price should be the lowest "published" fare. And, more importantly, if the trip is not made for any reason, the fare is refundable. Normally, refundable fares are a lot higher.

[Trillo]

4. You make the private travel agent's lower fares seem

like the black market. "Published" versus something else.

[Henryman]

5. published fares

Sorry about that. Not an expert on airline fares. But I believe the published fare is price offered through general means like the airlines website for 14-day advanced notice flights. Published fares are not specials like last minute bargains. You're right, a travel agent or internet search could find lower special fares. But, my point is that normal fares and special fares are nonrefundable, government purchased tickets are refundable.