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1. Know all your options You’ve got to know all your flight options to be sure you’re planning the most convenient itinerary. Here are some helpful tips to remember when researching your options:

• Make sure your boss gets to his out of town appointment in plenty of time.
  • Is there a way to get him to his destination earlier so he can get a full nights rest?
  • Is there a direct flight instead of a connecting flight?
  • Is there a better connecting flight with a shorter layover?
  • Try not to make your boss run through the airport so he can get to his meeting on time.
  • Minimize the time your boss is in unproductive places. (like airports), this is not a good use of your company’s resources and will make your boss agitated
• Travel websites, Travel Agents, and other sources only show you the flights they can sell you. Southwest and JetBlue are two good examples of flight schedules not provided by travel websites or travel agents. Only OAG products will give you an unbiased display of every flight schedule in the world on one website. Planning international travel can be even more difficult since travel agents and websites display an even smaller percentage of flight schedule options . This will also save you time planning – since you don’t have to jump around to different websites to look for new or different flight options. OAG products reduce the back-and-forth between you, your boss, and your travel agent or website – you’ll might the best choice the first time.
• Consider alternate airports. For example, sometimes you can get better flight times flying into Chicago for a meeting near Milwaukee.
  

2. Buy a package when possible

• Packages can save 5% to 50% compared to buying air, hotel, car separately
• If your flight is late, packages will automatically keep your hotel room and rental car from being given to another traveler .
  

3. Search several sources for price

• No source always has the best price
• Use screen scraping websites, such as Kayak, Sidestep, and Yahoo FareChase to search more efficiently. These websites will search numerous travel websites for the best price with a single click.
• If you work for a large company, your corporate discounts will not always be lower than a web fare. If you're permitted - check the web for a lower fare.
  

4. Align car, hotel and air

• This will ensure your car and hotel reservations are held if your flight is late. If travel components are not aligned, they will give your car or hotel reservation away if you are late!
• Maximize travel points. Give the hotel and car companies your frequent flyer number. You will earn frequent flyer points on your hotel and car purchases as well.
  

5. Pick a great seat - Nothing is more annoying and humbling to a frequent traveler than a bad seat on an airplane.

• Know your traveler’s preferences: front or back of plane, or emergency exit row, aisle or row seat? How about a bulkhead seat (the first row after business class with extra leg room)?
• Does he need a power connection? He may have a long flight and want to use his laptop or watch personal DVDs.
• Seatguru.com is a great website for opinions on the best and worst seats for all airlines’ aircraft.
  

6. Create and print a travel pack - A travel pack is set of printed documents with everything your traveler needs to ensure stress free travel.

A Travel Pack includes things like:

• Weather and climate
• Maps and driving directions to/from airport, hotel, meeting, restaurant, airports (including business centers and Starbucks)
• Full itinerary, including flight #, seat map, confirmation #, phone numbers (extra copy for spouse)
• Meeting appointments & agendas
• Nearby restaurants and events
• Alternative flights, hotels, car rental agencies
• International info, i.e. currency rates, visa and passport info
• Contact info for changing plans
• Create e-notifications / synch to PDA

Applying these tips will ensure you provide the best travel experience for your boss and everyone you arrange travel for.