Covington International Travel

How to Book an Online Reservation with Covington

1. Enter Covington International Travel's Booking Engine at: http://www.covingtontravel.com/go/
2. Type a user name and password in the appropriate blocks.
3. Complete the on-line User Profile. Note the Icons at the top of the page. If you are booking air reservations, click on the "Air" icon at the top of the screen.
4. Fill out information requested regarding your flight itinerary.
5. Click on "Check Flight Availability
6. Select your desired flights from the options listed for outbound and return. Click on "Price Selected Itinerary"
7. You should now be at the Reservation/Booking Request Form. Fill out requested information - (If you did not fill out the Profile in Step 3 above). If you would like to book a car or hotel at this time, please click on the appropriate icons at the top of your screen.
8. When finished, click on "I'll wait while you book these travel arrangements."

NOTE: Covington waives the $15.00 issuance fee for all transactions made through their on-line booking services at their website - http://www.covingtontravel.com/go/

Tips on How to Find Lowest Fares

Travel Agencies, as a rule, use live, real-time schedule and pricing information direct from a Computer Reservation System (CRS). This is the same data used by travel professionals around the world and is the primary method used to book airline reservations for most commercial airlines.

The fares shown in the various CRS systems are the lowest published fares available given the guidelines that you specify to your travel agent. The more flexible your travel plans and the more you communicate that flexibility to the travel agency, the more options your agent will be able to review to search for lower fares.

Remember: Two people sitting next to each other on an airplane may have paid completely different fares due to changing availability and the number of discounted fares an airline allows on a given flight. The airlines call this practice "yield management", trying to maximize the profit from every seat on the airplane by assigning different "classes of service" to the available seats. Each class of service has various rules and restrictions that the traveler must meet to qualify for the fare in that class of service. The classes are broken down into two major categories: Fully Refundable Fares and Non-Refundable Fares.

Fully Refundable Fares are usually higher priced tickets that carry fewer restrictions and can be frequently changed with little or no penalty.
Non-Refundable Fares are less expensive but carry many restrictions, charge substantial fees for any changes (if changes are even allowed), and almost always carry advance purchase requirements.
(Business travelers are often forced to buy the higher priced fully refundable tickets, simply because their travel plans do not allow advance planning and are often subject to change.)

If a specific flight that you want does not display the fare you are expecting, it may be for one of the following reasons:

1. The fare was not applicable to that flight.
2. The fare class was already sold out (even if you qualify for the fare, the class must be available to obtain it.
3. You did not qualify for the fare because of advance purchase restrictions.

On any given day between New York and Los Angeles, there are over two hundred different fare types. It would be an exercise in frustration to display them all along with the rules governing each fare. The idea is to follow some simple rules, be flexible in your planning whenever possible, and let your travel agent do most of the work for you.

Travel Tips

• Stay over a Saturday night.
• Plan Ahead (Buy your ticket in advance whenever possible.)
• Use the same carrier for all flight segments.
• Be flexible in your choice of travel days and flight times.
• Consider traveling from alternate airports.
• Avoid holidays.

Covington's main interest is to provide you with travel reservations of the highest caliber at the most cost-effective price. They are your primary source of information on dealing with all the various suppliers you use in the course of your business travel. Sharing information with them as to the flexibility of your travel plans and what options are acceptable to you helps them do a better job on your behalf and increase your satisfaction with their services.

Covington Fee Schedule for Service

Note: That all Covington International Travel fees are assessed in addition to any fees or penalties charge by any travel vendor, government agency or other entity. Fees are subject to change. Any fees should be charged to your travel car or personal credit card for reimbursement.

The information listed on this page was provided by Covington International Travel.