Join us next month at the Travel Supplier Showcase at The Big House! The on-site show will feature representatives from a variety of UM-preferred travel suppliers, such as CTP, Delta Airlines, Metro Cars, and others, who can answer your travel-related questions. In addition, you’ll be able to talk one-on-one with members of the U-M Travel Program Team. The show is open to all U-M employees and will be particularly beneficial for anyone who travels or books travel for university business. All attendees will be entered into a drawing to win one of several fantastic prizes, such as a UM-branded backpack or carry-on luggage, with winners randomly chosen live during the event. And the first 300 attendees will receive a set of UM-branded packing cubes—free!  

“U-M employees will be able to interact with many suppliers that offer a wide variety of travel-related services to the university community,” said Karin Feher, assistant director travel & expense and business operations. “And beyond that, our team will be at the show to answer questions from attendees and tell them about the many benefits of U-M’s Travel Program.”

The details for the show appear below: 

• Tuesday, May 7, 2024
• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Jack Roth Stadium Club @ Michigan Stadium
• Employees must bring their Mcard to enter the show
• Light refreshments will be served

Although an RSVP is not required to attend, we’d appreciate your response via this form to let us know if you plan to attend or not. Your response will assist us in planning. Employees who RSVP by April 19 will be entered in a drawing for a clear gameday tote bag.

More information, including parking options and a list of exhibitors, is available on the Travel Showcase webpage. We hope to see you there!

IDEMIA, an authorized enrollment provider for the TSA PreCheck program, will be at the U-M Travel Supplier Showcase to interview university employees who want to enroll in the program. 

Details on the interview process:

• Complete your online application in advance
• When registering for an appointment, use code “SP-UMTRVL” in the ZIP Code/Airport Code search field and select the “Walk-in” appointment option 
• Interviews are on a first come, first served basis between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. 
• You must arrive before 2 p.m. to receive an interview
• Bring all required documentation for the interview
• You’ll need your Mcard to enter the show
• The cost to enroll in the TSA PreCheck Program is $78*

*As a reminder, application fees for the TSA PreCheck and other trusted traveler programs are not a U-M business expense and must be paid for personally.

The Travel Partner Engagement Program allows units to share their travel-related recommendations with the U-M Travel Program Team. 

During meetings, which are held on a regular basis, based on the unit’s needs, the Travel Program Team will:

• Review trends on your unit’s travel dashboard, including current travel spend, CTP reservation details, adoption rates, CTA transaction reconciliations in Concur, and unused airline tickets. 
• Gather feedback and share what’s new.
• Answer your questions and collaborate on increasing adoption. 

“We really appreciate hearing feedback from the units, which allows us to continually refine the program to better meet their needs,” said Jeanette Frost, travel program manager. Learn more.

Dedicated CTP Agents

Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP), U-M’s designated travel partner, now has a team of travel agents dedicated to U-M. The U-M team, which started on March 11, is very familiar with university travel procedures.

“The U-M team at CTP has five agents who focus on individual bookings and an additional three agents who concentrate on group bookings,” said Jeanette Frost, travel program manager. “Collectively, this team is very focused on providing exemplary service to U-M employees and ensuring their travel experience is uneventful.”

To learn more about the agents, please see this flyer.

Group changes

• CTP group agents now handle requests for 10 or more travelers (previously was six or more)
• The Group Request form has been updated and can be found on the Procurement Services website and the CTP portal

Groups of nine or fewer travelers will now be handled by CTP agents who focus on individual U-M bookings.

CTP phone number changes

CTP has consolidated its phone lines so they now go into one main line. When calling (877) 804-3688—or (402) 252-4404 from outside of the U.S.—you will be presented with prompts to direct your call. These prompts will direct you to press 1 for online support for Lightning, 2 for agents for individual booking, or 3 for agents for group booking requests and support.  

CTP email changes

CTP has updated its email addresses to make them more consistent and easier for U-M travelers and arrangers to remember: 

• Individual bookings, use [email protected] 
• Group bookings, use [email protected]

U-M has contracted competitive vehicle rental rates with National Car Rental and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, U-M’s preferred suppliers, for business rentals. To access these rates, vehicle rentals must be booked through CTP—via Lightning or agent assistance—or the National Enterprise U-M Portal. The rates are not available through other booking channels, including the National and Enterprise retail websites. Renting a vehicle through U-M’s contract with National and Enterprise offers the university financial protection because it includes insurance for physical damage and third-party liability. To help ensure a successful and safe rental experience, renters should review these important tips before their trip.

Southwest Airlines and U-M recently partnered to give away free round-trip tickets to two U-M employees. The winners were selected in a random drawing—which was announced in our last newsletter—by Southwest from nearly 200 employees who entered the sweepstakes. The lucky winners are MaryRose R. and Jodi S., both from the Ross School of Business. Congratulations to both winners!

The U-M Travel Program Team is available to support your training needs. Please contact us if you would like us to join your team meeting or hold training sessions designed specifically for your department. (Joining your team meeting or conducting a training session can be done via Zoom or in person.) 

Our team can:



• Provide customized training for employee, guest, or group booking  
• Demonstrate Lightning, U-M’s online booking tool 
• Answer your travel policy, CTA, PCard, and Travel Card questions 

To schedule a training or a meeting, please email us at [email protected] or fill out our Travel Program e-form.

Representatives from both CTP and the U-M Travel Program will be available to answer your travel-related questions during the following virtual sessions. We look forward to seeing you and encourage you to add these dates to your calendar. 

• April 9, 2024, 9 to 10 a.m. (Q&A)
• April 24, 2024, 1 to 2 p.m. (Training)
• May 2, 2024, 9 to 10 a.m. (Q&A)
• May 22, 2024, 1 to 2 p.m. (Training)

Use the new Zoom link and passcode below for all 2024 sessions.

https://umich.zoom.us/j/96013633019

Passcode: 684564

Dates for additional sessions will be published on the Procurement Services travel webpage as they are scheduled.

As the summer travel season approaches, U-M employees are strongly encouraged to register their international travel and enroll in U-M Travel Abroad Health Insurance through GeoBlue. This is required for business trips and recommended for personal trips. 

• International travel: Registering only takes a few minutes and allows the university to quickly and accurately locate and assist U-M travelers abroad in the event of a health, safety, or security crisis. 
• University business travel: Employees traveling abroad for U-M business are automatically covered by GeoBlue at no cost and enrolled after registering their travel. Spouses, domestic partners, and dependents who are traveling with a U-M employee are also covered. 
• Personal travel: The GeoBlue U-M Personal/Leisure coverage can be purchased for $1.62 per day and can be purchased for spouses, domestic partners, and dependents who are traveling with the employee. U-M employees traveling abroad alone can also purchase the coverage.

We encourage you to join the U-M Travel Program’s new Slack channel, #travel-program, to stay up-to-date on all things related to U-M travel, including program updates, announcements, travel tips, events, and more. 

If you haven’t heard of Slack, we encourage you to check it out! Creating an account is easy and we hope to see you on Slack soon!