The Central Travel Office continues its efforts to educate and inform UC travelers on the benefits of booking within the system-wide program. We do record all our sessions, and previous webinars can be found in the travel portal Video Library.
Sessions are held on Wednesdays at 11AM. Click on the session title to register.
2025 SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT SESSIONS COMING SOON:
This annual event, now 5 years running, allows our UC travel community to connect directly with a variety of suppliers who will highlight ongoing partnerships! Promoted to over 50,000 UC faculty and staff across all campuses and health centers, the event consistently draws an average of 380 participants per session and maintains a strong satisfaction rating of over 84%.
Sessions will kick off in September 2025, with some suppliers offering giveaways. To be eligible for giveaways, participants must register using a UC email address and attendance is required. Registration links will be provided as session details are confirmed.
September 10: Benefits & Perks of UC-Negotiated Contracts — From preferred seats to potential upgrades, UC contracts offer travelers a variety of benefits. This session will highlight some key perks and how to identify them.
September 17: Southwest Airlines will highlight benefits exclusive to UC travelers when tickets are purchased within contract, such as discounted fares, Rapid Reward bonus points, accelerated A-List status opportunities and much more. Participants will be entered to win one of several giveaways, including TWO (2) free Southwest Airlines tickets and 10K Rapid Reward points for FOUR (4) travelers. Attendance is required to be eligible, and a total of SIX (6) winners will be randomly selected during the session.
October 1: Amtrak will showcase the advantages of train travel, including no middle seats, plenty of legroom, free WiFi and so much more. Representatives from the Capitol Corridor, San Joaquins and Pacific Surfliner will also be present to answer questions on those specific routes where UC has contracts. Participants will be entered to win a round-trip ticket on one of the THREE (3) featured Amtrak routes mentioned. Attendance is required to be eligible, and a total of SIX (6) winners (2 per route) will be randomly selected during the session.
October 8: Alaska Airlines will share information on their continued growth and highlight exclusive benefits for travelers when a ticket is booked within UC contract, such as complimentary upgrades, preferred seating and priority boarding. Participants will be entered to win one of several giveaways, including ONE (1) status match upgrade from current tier, up to and including MVP Gold and TWO (2) lounge passes. Attendance is required to be eligible, and a total of THREE (3) winners will be randomly selected during the session.
October 15: Hertz will highlight UC contracted benefits, including guaranteed unlimited mileage and no drop-off fees for one-way rentals within California. Participants will be entered to win one of several giveaways, including FOUR (4) Gold Club status match upgrade from current tier, up to and including President’s Circle and TWO (2) lounge passes. Attendance is required to be eligible, and a total of SIX (6) winners will be randomly selected during the session.
October 22: Delta Air Lines
October 29: Marriott Hotels
November 5: Uber
November 12: CQ (Club Quarters)
December 3: United Airlines
December 10: Enterprise/National
Please forward questions, comments, or concerns to uctravel@ucop.edu.
Thank you.
Disclaimer: UC Central Travel Management is providing information about any potential giveaways associated with this series for informational purposes only, not as a UC sponsored promotion. Reference to any specific prize or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by UC. The promotion expressed by these suppliers is their own, and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement by UC of them or any entity or affiliates that they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our UC Central Travel Management Office.
SESSIONS HELD FOR THE 2nd ANNUAL EARTH MONTH CELEBRATION (2025):
In a series of engaging sessions, our travel partners shared new initiatives and progress in sustainability and community impact. Recordings of the sessions showing how their efforts are protecting the planet and driving positive change—one trip at a time, can be found in the Video Library.
April 8: Lufthansa's Ongoing Community Impact Story — Last year, Lufthansa shared an exciting story related to their sustainable business practices in Shillong, India, telling the story of how staff can actively engage to teach entrepreneurship under the UN charter for sustainable living. Join us and learn another aspect of that story that led to grants for innovation.
April 9 – Enterprise/National — Enterprise Mobility is helping advance more sustainable mobility by offering innovative, flexible and accessible transportation solutions. These offerings can also help individuals and UC reduce the carbon impacts of travel and enhance mobility in their communities.
April 15: United Airlines — Cancelled
April 16: Uber Powering Sustainable Nutrition on Campus — Uber will share their sustainability goals, commitments, and roadmap for achieving them. They will present a case study on the Uber Eats program for graduate medical students and residents at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
April 22: UC's Central Travel Office — For the 2nd time in 3 years, UC’s systemwide travel program has been selected as a finalist in the Achievement in Sustainability for the BTN Business Travel Sustainability Awards. UC was the only one representing higher education, was only 2 of 6 organizations based in the US and the only nonprofit! Join us as we share our ongoing efforts in prioritizing sustainability as an important issue impacting the campus travel.
April 29: Southwest Airlines' Community Responsibility — Southwest believes that community is at the Heart of what brings us together, and their people put their heart in all they do. Join us and learn how they have created a culture of caring by serving over 2,800 organizations in 2024, including the Salvation Army: Carr P. Collins Mobile Food Pantry; Community Partners of Dallas; Meals on Wheels Day of Caring; and many others.
April 30: Hertz's Ongoing Sustainability Efforts – Hertz will share some of their challenges related to EV adoption as they continue an enterprise-wide climate risk assessment with a multi-decade climate transition plan. They will also present a case study on their connection with technical high schools across the country, where they continue to introduce students to and enable their knowledge of low emissions vehicles.
PREVIOUS SESSIONS:
May 14: UC Auto and Traveler Insurance Coverage — The Central Travel Office will host UC Risk Services program managers for an informative session on auto and travel insurance coverage for faculty and staff. They will share information on what is available, how it works, where to find it and important steps to take before travel.
May 21: Southwest Airlines Upcoming Changes — Southwest Airlines aims to enhance customer experience and improve efficiency by implementing several significant changes, including introducing assigned seating and premium seating options, changing its boarding process, and eliminating the automatic 2 bag free policy. The Central Travel Office invited Southwest to lay out these changes and highlight benefits to UC travelers.
July 23: Ongoing Southwest Airlines Changes — The Central Travel Office has invited Southwest Airlines back so that UC travelers can gain a better understanding of the many ongoing changes, including the upcoming assigned seating and premium seating options, along with the changing boarding process.