Join the U-M Travel Program on April 30 from 10 to 11 a.m. for the latest session in the Virtual Supplier Feature series, a quarterly virtual event highlighting preferred travel suppliers. National Car Rental/Enterprise Rent-A-Car is this quarter’s featured supplier. These sessions provide valuable insights into supplier offerings, with representatives on hand to answer questions.

January’s session featured Delta Airlines, giving attendees an in-depth look at exclusive benefits for U-M travelers. A recording is available here for those who were unable to attend.

Visit our website for a listing of all travel-related virtual session offerings!

Starting May 7, 2025, travelers will be required to present one of the following forms of identification to board domestic flights in the USA: 

• A state-issued REAL ID compliant license or identification card
• An alternative acceptable form of ID, such as a passport

This new regulation, enforced by the Department of Homeland Security, aims to enhance airport security and streamline the identification process. To ensure a smooth travel experience, please visit the Homeland Security website for detailed information on REAL ID requirements, including how to obtain a compliant ID and what constitutes acceptable alternatives.

It’s a common scenario—you’re supposed to travel for business, but circumstances change, and you can’t go. Now you’re left with an unused ticket credit for the flight you didn’t take and no upcoming business travel plans before it expires. So what do you do?

For flights booked through CTP, you should call CTP and ask an agent to explain any airline restrictions on reissuing the ticket. Most airlines allow name changes. If someone else in your department is traveling or your department is bringing in a guest, they may be able to use the ticket credit. Once the traveler is ready to book their airfare, they will need to call CTP and ask for a name change on the ticket. 

CTP can usually get the name change fees waived and reissue the ticket in the new traveler’s name. This is a great way to ensure the value of the unused ticket still benefits your department.

All current employees and students traveling abroad for the summer break are strongly encouraged to follow the steps below to ensure access to a number of travel-related resources.

• Register your international travel with U-M: Travel registration takes just minutes and allows U-M to quickly and accurately locate and assist U-M travelers abroad in the event of a health, safety, or security incident abroad. Registration is required for employees traveling on U-M business and is optional for personal travel.
• Ensure you are covered by GeoBlue, U-M’s Travel Abroad Health Insurance. U-M students and current employees traveling internationally for personal reasons can purchase GeoBlue (Leisure Plan) for $1.68 per day. Students on international U-M Related Travel are required to be enrolled in GeoBlue while abroad. Current employees on international U-M Related Travel are automatically covered under the GeoBlue (Business Plan) (for up to 364 days). 

For more travel planning and travel safety resources, check out Global Michigan. If you have any questions, please contact the U-M Global Engagement Team.

The CTP U-M Travel Request Form is another option for working directly with CTP’s dedicated agents. The form streamlines the process by highlighting required fields and can be completed by the traveler or arranger. Documents can also be attached to the form. 

Once it's submitted, an email is sent to the CTP agent team. An agent will begin working on the request and will follow up with the traveler or arranger by email. 

This form is especially helpful for new arrangers who may be unsure of what information CTP agents need to book travel.

Southwest Airlines recently announced changes to some of its fares and policies, which will be effective for flights booked on or after May 28, 2025. Flights booked on or before May 27, 2025, will be subject to current policies.

New fare structure

Southwest has announced a new Basic fare option, which will have less flexibility than other fares. Basic fares will not allow for changes, transfers, or refunds. Additionally, unused Basic fare ticket credits will expire after six months. 

Due to the highly restrictive nature of these fares, they will not be allowable under U-M policy. Southwest’s Basic fares will be visible, but not available to select in Lightning, similar to Delta’s Basic Economy class listings in the portal.

Baggage fees

Southwest will now charge for checked baggage, reversing its “bags fly free” policy. The fee structure will be announced closer to the effective date of the policy change. Rapid Rewards Tier Members will be offered free checked bags, depending on their status level. 

Flight credits

Unused ticket credits will now have expiration dates, depending on the fare type. Credits for Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, and Business Select fares will now expire after 12 months. Credits for Southwest’s new Basic fare will expire after six months.

Thanks to an exclusive partnership with CTP and Hilton, you can enjoy instant Silver status with Hilton Honors! Register today to take advantage of perks like a fifth night free and a 20% bonus on base points during your 90-day trial period. Before registering, be sure that your Hilton Honors program number is saved in your CTP profile.

✨Stay two nights within 90 days—Silver status extended through March 2027

✨Stay five nights within 90 days—Earn Gold status through March 2027, unlocking even more benefits like:

🔹Daily food and beverage credits

🔹Room upgrades (when available)

🔹80% bonus on base points for faster reward nights

Don’t miss this limited-time opportunity to enhance your travel experience! Register today.

Approval Delegates are individuals designated to approve expense reports on behalf of another approver when they are temporarily unavailable, such as during business travel, peak workload periods, vacation, or other personal leave. Assigning an Approval Delegate during absences is important to ensure that expense reports continue to be approved in a timely manner through the approval process. 

The Approval Delegate should be of equal or higher authority level than the individual they are substituting for to ensure that proper oversight is maintained. Additionally, a system restriction is in place that prevents individuals from selecting someone as an Approval Delegate for whom they’re a Default Approver. This ensures that the approval chain continues during absences for all who submit expense reports while the approver is away.

A number of enhancements were recently made to Emburse Enterprise (formerly known as Chrome River). Important enhancements and announcements can be found on the Emburse Enterprise dashboard upon login.

• Software expense types—The "Computer Software/Licenses" category tile has been removed. In its place, two new tiles are now available:
• Software as a Service (SaaS): Use this code for subscriptions or licenses that provide access to software hosted and managed by a third party. SaaS purchases typically involve a recurring subscription fee rather than a one-time purchase.
• Non-SaaS software: This code applies to software products you own and manage on your systems, often purchased as a one-time or perpetual license. This includes traditional software licenses installed on university-owned hardware or cloud-hosted software you maintain.
• Both tiles will map to the same account code, and descriptions for each tile are available in the expense account map.
• Personal charges to PCard—Any personal charge made to a PCard will be processed through payroll. This includes both purchases and refunds. Concur previously handled personal PCard expense refunds by reimbursing the employee through Accounts Payable, then deducting the same amount from payroll. Emburse Enterprise nets these out solely through payroll to simplify the process.
• CTP receipt transactions—CTP receipts typically appear in the system before the Central Travel Account (CTA) transaction appears. A CTP receipt submitted on its own can register within the system as an out-of-pocket expense. A new rule has been created so that the CTP receipt cannot be submitted without being linked to a CTA transaction, eliminating any misidentification of the payment source.

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 10, 2025, 10 to 11 a.m.—Q&A
• April 22, 2025, 11 a.m. to noon—Training
• April 30, 2025, 10 to 11 a.m.—Virtual Supplier Feature (NEW) - National Car Rental/Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• May 14, 2025, 11 a.m. to noon—Q&A
• May 28, 2025, 2 to 3 p.m.—Training
• June 9, 2025, 2 to 3 p.m.—Q&A
• June 26, 2025, 9 to 10 a.m.—Training

Use the Zoom link and passcode below for all sessions.

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

Passcode: 684564

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

We encourage you to join the U-M Travel Program’s 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!