September-October 2007
- Important Reminders - |
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Beginning October 1, all travel vouchers and required receipts must be received and reviewed by the Travel Office before payment will be made. The prior practice was to pay first and then review. This change is a best accounting practice and is being made so that the Laboratory will be in alignment with Federal regulations. Domestic and local travelers whose vouchers are processed entirely through Gelco can expect reimbursement to take approximately one week from the date that required receipts are received by the Travel Office; two weeks for vouchers processed partially through Gelco. Reimbursement for foreign travel will not be affected by this change. To find out more, read the full announcement here. |
Important Passport News
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Receipts Required Before Payment
Beginning October 1, travelers returning by air to the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport to gain entry into the country.
- Travel System Information - Change to Routing Status in Gelco The change to requiring receipts before payment (refer to article above) required a slight modification to Gelco. Beginning October 1, when a voucher is approved by a division staff member in Gelco, the status will read, “DIVISION APPROVAL”. The status, “APPROVED” will indicate that Travel Office personnel approved the voucher for payment. Please contact Craig Gaylor, X4206 or CRGaylor@lbl.gov, if you have any questions. - Planning Your Trip - Deadline for Submitting Foreign Trip Requests Per DOE Order 551.1B all foreign travel requests, regardless of funding source, must have prior written approval by the division director or designee, and be approved by DOE and the State Department. Travel requests must be submitted as follows: The Travel Office must receive the advance notice at least ten (10) days prior to the below requirements:
*Travel to Taiwan requires a 45 day submission regardless of funding - Airline News - Virgin America Airlines begins operations in the United States
Continental, Jet Blue top recent J.D. Power ranking
Southwest Airlines (SWA) Announces WIreless Check-in
At the airport, visit any E-Ticket Check-in kiosk and print your boarding pass. The system will recognize that you’ve already checked in for your flight and will issue your boarding pass in the same boarding group that was indicated on the Check-in Confirmation screen from mobile.southwest.com. - Healthy Travel - Tips for a More Comfortable Flight
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Upcoming Events
Intro to Cliqbook To sign up, log into Employee Self Service and go to Training Enrollment. - Extreme Makeover -
A Testing & Acceptance Group was formed in September. The team, comprised of division representatives, will be testing the new travel expense reimbursement system at various stages of development and perform formal testing and acceptance which is scheduled to begin in January 2008. The first pilot is scheduled for spring 2008 in General Sciences. - Safety Tip of the Month -
Don't take your wallet or purse, unless you go through them and take out your video rental cards, grocery savings cards, department store credit cards, etc...They won't be of any use to you out of the country and they'll just add bulk to your belongings. Also in the event that you lose them, you'll spend that much more time replacing them when you get back. If you have questions about foreign travel safety or security please call the LBNL Office of Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism at x4988 or send an email to CIOffice@lbl.gov. Travel Office Hours: 8 AM-5 PM Travel Express Archive |
Virgin America Airlines
More than 9,000 travelers recently awarded Continental Airlines and JetBlue top satisfaction rankings in the traditional network carrier and low-cost carrier categories, respectively, as part of the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study. 
Wireless Check-in is available at Southwest Airlines! Simply log on to 
A number of factors, including cabin pressure, dry air, and lack of personal space, can make air travel potentially uncomfortable for passengers. While some of these elements are simply facts of life on a plane and are out of a traveler’s control, there are a few things travelers should keep in mind to make air travel more pleasant.  |
TRAVEL STAFF Reimbursements: Michelle McCan | Lonnette Robinson | Cynthia Thomas Travel Operations: Craig Gaylor | Jean Ortiz | Maxine Redfearn | Elijah Walker Travel Operations Manager: Anil Moré Reimbursements Manager: Sallie Frainier |