Defense Travel System changes in store for DoD travelers in Europe

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Stefan Alford
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Several major changes are in store for U.S. Air Forces in Europe official travelers as modifications affecting the Defense Travel System take affect this summer and fall. 

A new commercial travel contract, expanded around-the-clock assistance, and a new Government Travel Charge Card are some of the changes that will impact travelers in the near future, said Elmo Gladden, director for travel re-engineering at the Pentagon. 

Gladden and a dozen experts from the Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management Office hosted a USAFE DTS Transportation Summit and Workshop here May 19-23. More than 50 participants from all USAFE installations attended to share ideas and feedback, as well as discuss the reservations and financial components of the DTS system. 

"It was a very successful workshop," said Gladden. "The crossfeed and dialog went very well. The bottom line for DTS is customer satisfaction in taking care of their travel-related needs." 

For USAFE and U.S. Army Europe, the Commercial Travel Office (CTO) contract is currently up for bids, with a selection to be announced later this summer. The CTO is the agency that makes transportation and lodging reservations for travelers booked through DTS. 

"The award (of the new contract) will standardize CTO requirements, reduce contract administrative costs and provide improvements in services to the customer," said Gladden. "The customer should also see some additional benefits from the new contract to be in place by the end of the fiscal year." 

Another FY-end change is the transition to the new Government Travel Charge Card. The Bank of America Visa is being replaced with a credit card from Citibank, with those cards being issued to members at overseas locations first, tentatively set for mid-August timeframe. 

Workshop participants discussed ways to migrate the DTS system to accommodate the new card and strategies for overcoming the challenges associated with the change, said Gladden. 

A customer-driven initiative that was implemented last month was the 24/7 access for travel-related help through the Traveler Assistance Center. The center has help desk operators available to address questions, "such as if somebody is stuck at the airport and needs a ticket," said Gladden. 

The TAC can be reached from Europe at DSN 312-564-3950, commercial at 809-463-3376-1-888-435-7146, or via the internet at https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/passport. 

Another improvement that Gladden said is "very close" to becoming a reality is the addition of booking lodging in DTS at military installations. 

"We've almost got the military lodging program in place to be able to do that in DTS, just as travelers make their commercial hotel reservations now in the system," he said, adding that this function is one of the enhancements to the overall program that DoD hopes to bring online soon.