Another thing to watch out for. Just this past week I received an email invoice and itinerary for my deadhead from HLN to KIX. Looked at it and got the locator number and went to the carrier website to choose my seat. The more I looked the more I realized something was off. Checked more closely and realized that Corp Travel had the ticket booked on the wrong day. If I had just let it go, thinking that the ticket had been booked correctly, I would have been a "no show" for the ticket that was booked and not had a ticket when I showed up at the airport for my deadhead. Take a look at those emails as soon as you get them. When I called to have it corrected there was only one seat left in FC for the flight I needed.

 

Yikes! Are the global travel folks making more mistakes recently (it seems)?

 

I think it's more of an international date line thing combined with Zulu vs local times . Had the same type thing happen to me some time back. Took forever to convince the girl that they had me leaving Hong Kong and arriving in Frankfort 24hours early. Yeah, that eastbound multiple time zone thing messes them up too .

 

They have these new gadgets called computers and the Internet (in an emergency you can figure it out in your head).

If that's really the problem then we need to do more training in the Global Travel Department!*?

 

Before you crap on them too hard consider doing all your booking with the computer program they have in there now. Its on par with FOX for begin flexible.

Here's what I do with corp travel….I QC the dates and seats, and try to say "thanks". As a 13 year commuter I can honestly say these ladies have gone out of their way many times to help me find a way to get where I need, stay under budget, and make it happen.

They ain't perfect some days. They do make a mistake here and there. They live in MEM and work in a cubicle. I'd slit my own throat if I had to do that. And I'll bet they are having do a lot more with a lot less based on everything else I've seen in flight ops the last five years...

 

I think the women (and men) who work at corporate travel do a great job. I don't fault them for any of the errors that happen, I assume it's some sort of computer issue. In all the years I've worked here, I think I can only blame them one or two times for a ticket that was incorrectly scheduled. And I always check the ticket online, at the airline website, to make sure it looks good. There have been some issues with fares, but since I pay attention to it, I have always gotten reimbursed.

 

Question on the deviation bank / commuting?
Since most of FDX pilots commute (read 65+% somewhere), does everyone have a passenger seat to get to base? (Of those that commute)
Example 1, pilot lives in ZZZ and is MEM based. Has a MEM-anywhere trip, does Fred pay to have pilot get to MEM from ZZZ/Home?
Example 2, pilot lives in YYY and is other based but has a trip starting in VVV, Fred pays to send pilot from ZZZ/Home to VVV and back?

Thanks
(Long time reader, first time poster; great info on here everyone)

 

Yikes! WWW TTT FFF

Example 1 - answer is No. I can't answer Example 2.

I think the simplest way to explain is this: No matter where a pilot is based, some trips start or end (or both) in a city other than his domicile.

When that is the case, the trip is built with a deadhead between domicile and that city and the company buys an appropriate airline ticket.

If the pilot chooses, he can cancel that ticket and use the allotted money to get to/from that city on his own. If there is money leftover (or he already lives in that city - and spends nothing to get there), he can use those funds in the same month as the DH to travel elsewhere (domicile/other city for a different trip, vacation, etc.) as long as the travel occurs with 3 days of a trip/R-day/recurrent.

As of our current contract, any unused money evaporates at the end of the bid month.

 

Thanks for the answer(s) / info.

It was a late night and a lot of reading recently before I had to ask for some clarification.

 

And to add, FedEx will pay for all transportation within three days before or after a trip, with a few restrictions. From anywhere, to anywhere, but if you go over your deviation bank for the month, you have to reimburse. Your deviation bank is based upon the value of your deadhead tickets for the month.