Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide Applies to Concur Travel: Professional/Premium edition TMC Partners Direct Customers Standard edition TMC Partners Direct Customers
Contents VIA Rail Direct Connect... 1 Section 1: IMPORTANT About this Guide... 1 Section 2: Overview... 1 Benefits and Features... 1 Section 3: What the User Sees... 2 Ticketing... 8 Trip Cancellation... 9 Customer Support... 9 Section 4: Configuration... 9 Part 1: Professional and Standard Editions Client Agreement... 10 Part 2: Professional Edition Configuration in Concur Travel... 10 Part 2: Standard Edition Configuration in Concur Travel... 11 Section 5: FAQ... 12 The Basics... 12 Questions... 12 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide i
Revision History Date Revision Notes/Comments March 10, 2019 January 3, 2018 June 23, 2016 Updated the copyright; no other changes; cover date not updated Updated the copyright; no other changes; cover date not updated General updates; initial publication in the new format ii Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
VIA Rail Direct Connect Section 1: IMPORTANT About this Guide Be aware that certain scenarios have an infinite number of variables or extremely unusual circumstances, like rare cancellation or refund situations. So, not all scenarios can be presented in this guide. Also, certain processes may be influenced by third- or fourth-party participants. In some cases, you must contact the vendor/provider directly. Section 2: Overview VIA Rail Canada has partnered with Concur Travel to provide a direct connect option that will simplify the booking process and assist corporate buyers in booking rail through Canada. This direct connect brings your company premier access to VIA Rail Canada services and integrates rail bookings with the corporate reporting and account process. VIA Rail Canada and Concur believe this direct connect will provide a superior experience over current GDS booking and improve agency productivity. NOTE: Though the actual rail line is named VIA Rail Canada, the Concur direct connect is simply named VIA Rail. Benefits and Features Travelers and Travel managers will realize these benefits, which highlight the VIA Rail Direct Connect option: Full availability to VIA Rail Canada fares (including Web fares and corporate discounts) Expanded VIA Rail Canada booking capabilities and benefits not available in the GDS Corporate customer access to detailed reporting and accounting Integration with existing corporate workflow and agency support processes Available at your existing Concur Travel GDS air transaction fee Instant purchase as VIA Rail Canada charges the credit card or corporate ghost card for the rail charge Frequent departures and, in most cases, downtown-to-downtown service provides flexible scheduling A site-wide ghost (BTA) card can be used for a VIA Rail Reservation, when the Concur Travel site is set up accordingly. Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 1
Access to VIA 1 and Comfort class fares: VIA 1 class is naturally your first choice as a business traveler, since it offers everything you expect from a first-class trip - except the high price. Enjoy a wireless Internet connection when you travel in VIA 1 class between Montréal and Toronto on certain trains. Sit back, relax, and keep in touch with your world. If you are traveling in Comfort class, your corporate discount is applied to the Comfort-Liberty fare. No service charges for cancellations of VIA 1 or Comfort-Liberty class fares booked through Concur. Section 3: What the User Sees On the Train Search tab, if a corporate card is the only option available, the user has no choices. If an individual card is allowed, the user selects the applicable payment method. Then, the user clicks Search on VIA Rail. Using a corporate card: Using an individual card: All of the necessary corporate account information is passed along to VIA Rail so the user needs to only make a train selection within VIA Rail. NOTE: In an effort to facilitate current and future PCI compliance, prior to the user leaving the Concur site and entering the VIA Rail site, Concur will request a Temporary Token from Moneris (a payment provider) that is being passed along with the masked credit card details to VIA Rail. 2 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
VIA 1 (business) and Comfort Class (economy) fares are available to be booked. Passenger types supported are adult and senior: Once the user selects the appropriate class and fare, an itinerary will be displayed. Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 3
4 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 5
The user clicks Book Now to continue with the instant buy and update the Contact & Passenger Information: 6 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
VIA Rail Canada will ask the user to confirm certain information and select a ticket delivery method: Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 7
When the ticket is purchased, Concur Travel will place the confirmation in the user's travel itinerary: Ticketing Concur Travel, powered by RESERVIA, will send an e-booking confirmation to the user. The user exchanges the e-booking Confirmation for a paper ticket at a VIA Station, prior to boarding. Self-service ticketing kiosks are available at major stations. The user can scan the bar code on the e-booking Confirmation to obtain the ticket(s). A copy of the confirmation code will be included in Concur Travel and the user will be e-mailed a confirmation directly from VIA Rail Canada. VIA Rail Canada does not issue boarding passes they issue tickets with the appropriate number of coupons, which are lifted by the service manager on board the train. When the user picks up the ticket at the station, the credit card used for the purchase will be required for verification purposes. If the user paid with a VISA card, the user or the person buying the tickets can simply show a photo ID. 8 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
Trip Cancellation Should travel plans change before the issuance of paper tickets, the user should cancel the trip online through Concur Travel by clicking the Cancel Trip link in the Action column on the Upcoming Trips tab of the Travel home page: Remember that discounted fare plans are subject to cancellation penalties. The net refund amount will be credited to the credit card account. However, after the issuance of paper tickets, the user should contact VIA Rail Canada to cancel the ticket and the user may obtain the refund at a VIA Rail station. The agency should not refund a VIA paper ticket. A commission recall will be done by VIA through the ITSS for all paper ticket refunds done at VIA Stations. Customer Support VIA Rail Canada provides email support for Concur Travel bookings powered by RESERVIA. The user can click the Contact VIA link to report any problems encountered during the booking process to VIA Rail Canada or submit a special request. For any request involving a VIA Rail Canada ticket purchased through the Concur Travel direct connect, your travelers may contact VIA Rail Canada at service@viarail.ca or speak with a station service manager. Travel Agents may contact VIA Rail Canada at tradedesk@viarail.ca or call 1 (800) 361-8010. Section 4: Configuration Follow the appropriate steps for your edition of travel: Part 1: Professional and Standard Editions Client Agreement Part 2: Professional Edition Configuration in Concur Travel or Part 2: Standard Edition Configuration in Concur Travel Part 3: Professional and Standard Editions Additional Information Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 9
Part 1: Professional and Standard Editions Client Agreement A corporate agreement is not needed in order to have VIA Rail available via Concur. If a client choses to set a relationship with VIA Rail directly, they can contact VIA Rail's Corporate Sales team. Please work with your travel agency or Concur Travel implementation manager. Part 2: Professional Edition Configuration in Concur Travel Concur and VIA Rail Canada have delivered a streamlined setup process. Please work with your travel agency or Concur Travel implementation manager on these steps to implement the VIA Rail Direct Connect. Provide the Agency IATA number (and the VIA Rail Canada Corporate Account Number (when applicable) to be used for direct connect bookings. This will register your company and your travelers will be provided with all published rates and benefits of the Concur Travel direct connect program. Corporate discounts will be applied automatically at the time of booking. The IATA number for VIA Rail is taken from the ARC/IATA Agency Number on the Agency Details page, when present: If that number is absent or deemed invalid by VIA Rail, a blank Agency Number will be used for the VIA Rail request. The ARC/IATA Agency Number enables VIA Rail to recognize a Travel Agency for payment of commission. The Corporate Discount Code enables VIA Rail to recognize a corporate client and offer discounts and coupons, as well as manage upgrades and promotions. To configure: 1. Click Administration > Travel (on the sub-menu) > Travel System Admin and access the desired client travel configuration. NOTE: Depending on your permissions, the page may appear immediately after you click Administration or Travel. 10 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
2. In the Rail Connectors section of the travel configuration page, locate VIA Rail. 3. To enable: Field Enable Corporate Discount Code When making a VIA Rail booking and a Ghost Card is in effect, allow the use of other credit cards as well Description / Action Select to enable. Enter the code. Select (enable) this check box, if desired. Part 2: Standard Edition Configuration in Concur Travel To configure: 1. In the Travel Setup Wizard, click the Discounts and Travel Content setup step. 2. Select the desired configuration. 3. Click the Direct Connect tab. 4. Locate VIA Rail. 5. To enable: Field Enable Corporate Discount Code When making a VIA Rail booking and a Ghost Card is in effect, allow the use of other credit cards as well Description/Action Select to enable. Enter the code. Select, if desired. Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 11
Section 5: FAQ The Basics Topic Integrated display with air: CT Policy controlled: Trips on Hold via Concur: Trip Changes via Concur: Trip Cancels via Concur: Refunds processed by: Delivery Options: Pre-Assigned Seating: Credit Cards Accepted: Multi-Segment Bookings: Guest Booking Capability: Loyalty Program generated via CT profile: Ghost/BTA/Lodge Cards Accepted: GDS Supported for passive segment: Must write GDS passive segment: Comment No No No No Yes, before the issuance of paper tickets VIA Rail e-boarding pass ( selected routes) and paper ticket Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Sabre, Apollo, Galileo, Worldspan, Amadeus Yes * Select Access Fee: No ** Sabre Convenience Fee: * Refer to Support Portal for fees ** Applicable to Sabre fulfillment only when passive segments are written Questions Q. How will the VIA Rail Direct Connect fare look different in Concur? A. Once a train reservation has been made on the VIA Rail website, the confirmation will be displayed in the Concur Travel itinerary and reported as a rail segment. 12 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
Q. How are tickets issued? A. VIA Rail Canada issues a booking confirmation, which is sent to you by email. This email contains a confirmation number and barcode confirming your reservation. You can simply scan the bar code at the self-service ticketing kiosk to obtain your paper ticket. Alternatively, you can present your booking confirmation email to a VIA ticket agent. Q. Can I cancel a rail trip? A. If a paper ticket has not been issued from the confirmation, you can cancel a VIA Rail trip purchased through the VIA Rail Direct Connect. To cancel, click the Cancel Trip link in the Action column on the Upcoming Trips tab of the Travel home page. If your booking a VIA 1 or Comfort-Liberty fare, there are no service charges for cancellation. Q. How do I select a seat? A. At the time of booking, you can indicate your seat preference of window or aisle on the passenger information screen. Q. What form of payment is used on the VIA Rail bookings? A. All major cards are supported. Travelers provide the form of payment during the booking process. Q. How do I change a rail ticket? A. You can email your request to service@viarail.ca or call 1-888-VIARAIL (842-7245) to change your booking. Then, go to a VIA station with your ticket and the credit card used to purchase your ticket, to obtain your new ticket. Q. Can I still call my travel agent to book VIA Rail Canada? A. Because the VIA Rail Direct Connect booking includes the IATA number used by your company and agency, you will receive a full account of tickets issued both by the agency and directly by VIA Rail Canada. Q. How will VIA Rail bookings be reported? A. Reporting for your VIA Rail Direct Connect bookings will available through Concur Travel reports as usual. Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 13
Q. What is required to take advantage of VIA Rail Direct Connect? A. Simply enter the agency IATA number and the VIA Rail Canada Corporate Account Number to be used for direct connect bookings into your system administrator's travel configuration. This will register your company and your travelers will be provided with all published rates and benefits of the VIA Rail Direct Connect program. Corporate discounts will be applied automatically at the time of booking. Q. Can our travel agency still support ticket with customers using VIA Rail Direct Connect? A. Yes. It is Concur and VIA Rail Canada's goal to fully support for VIA Rail Direct Connect tickets. Any ticket purchased though this interface will be documented in a manual segment. See Segment type indicators below. To service these tickets, your agents may email tradedesk@viarail.ca or call (800) 361-8010. Q. What manual segment will be used with my system? A. The following are used in various GDS systems: GDS Sabre Apollo/Galileo Worldspan Amadeus Passive Segment Type YK GK TVL segments of type AIR GK Q. What are the benefits of VIA 1 class of service? A. Available on most trains in the Québec to Windsor corridor, VIA 1 class gives you the space, comfort, and atmosphere you need to sit back and relax or turn your travel time into a productive working session. Also, included in the price of your ticket is a delicious three-course meal. Q. What should I do to enable VIA 1 class of service? A. As VIA Rail is not policy controlled, users will be able to book this class of service without any additional setup. Q. Should I still check the VIA Rail Canada website? A. If you use VIA Rail Direct Connect, you have access to the same availability and fares with the exception of sleeper class; however, if you use the GDS, you have limited access to availability and fares. 14 Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide
Q. What does our travel agency or implementation manager need to do to set up VIA Rail Direct Connect? A. Complete instructions are provide in the Configuration section in this guide. Concur Travel: VIA Rail Direct Connect Travel Service Guide 15