Booking with Collegiate Travel Planners FAQs

What is Lightning?

Lightning is the proprietary booking tool for Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP), our contracted travel agency.

What are the benefits of using CTP?

• Lightning and CTP collect the university’s travel and spend data for leveraging future rates with airlines, hotels, and car rental companies

• Many of UNI's travel policies, rules, and procedures are built into the booking process with Lightning/CTP to alert travelers up front when they are not in compliance

• CTP provides enhanced services to re-use unused flight tickets and an extended grace period time to cancel airline reservations without penalty.

• Duty of care capabilities to notify and account for travelers in emergency or urgent situations.

Does Lightning save recent searches?

YES, Lightning can save multiple recent searches. No more walking away from your computer or hopping on a meeting only to come back and notice your search has timed out leaving you having to start all over again.

With Lightning you can easily pick up right where you left off!

How do I use my unused ticket credits in Lightning?

Unused ticket credits are automatically applied to your cart, saving you money, and a few clicks along the way. If you previous departing and return flights were with different carriers, you will need to contact an agent to apply the unused tickets correctly.

Is there a Lightning mobile app?

 YES, CTP Mobile is the Lightning mobile app combined with a range of handy travel tools, enabling busy travelers and travel arrangers to book and manage their travel while on the move.

• Take control – Book domestic and international air, hotel, and car rentals on the go

• Get organized – No more emails or paper trails! Book travel on the go and access trip details at your fingertips.

• Stay informed – Intuitive and personalized trip notifications delivered when and where you need them, flight status updates, gate changes, directions, and more.

Can I use Lightning to book personal travel arrangements?

YES, if you want to add a personal leg to a business flight, extra personal days to a hotel reservation, or additional car rental days, the entire trip can be booked with Lightning. The business portion of the expense should be charged to your T&H Card, and the personal portion of the expense should be charged to a personal credit card.

Will I be able to accrue points from my frequent flier and travel loyalty programs when using Lightning?

YES, you can enter your frequent flier and travel loyalty program numbers in your profile. Once entered, new bookings will be linked to your loyalty program numbers and you will accrue points and your loyalty status recognition at time of booking.

Can I book multiple travelers at the same time?

YES, as long as you are have travel arranger access, you can arrange travel for up to 9 profiles and/or guests in one transaction.

My Lightning online booking search results seem limited.

•    Make sure the search green status bar indicates the search has finished. It can take a bit of time to complete.

•    The matrix at the very top of the search results summarizes results by provider. Click on the square to show the full results for each category.

•    The± drop down menu allows you to vary the airline results by 'X' hours before and after your selected time.  You may need to select a higher number to capture the results you are seeking.

In the Lightning online booking tool, what does the± drop down menu mean?

• The± indicates the number of hours before and after your preferred departure time that will be included in your search results.

• To see more flight options, increase this number. This may be most relevant at small airports with limited flights. 

Can I add my carry-on or checked bags when I reserve my flight with Lightning? 

No. You will add checked bags and carry-ons to your reservations when you check in via the airline's website or mobile app. 

Can I select my airline seats through Lightning or the Lightning Mobile App? 

• Sometimes you can in Lightning.

• You cannot select seats via the Lightning mobile app. 

• If you are not able to select your seats in Lightning, you can select your seats through the airline's website or mobile app.

I received an email from CTP saying my airfare reservation was confirmed but not ticketed and to contact the travel agent even though I have an airline confirmation number. 

• Message states "We're sorry. We encountered an issue that prevented us from completing your request. While attempting to ticket your reservation, a failure occurred. Your reservation is confirmed but not ticketed. Contact the travel agency or airline directly."

• This means that your credit card on file with Lightning declined and your flight was NOT ticketed and you don't have a flight.

• You must contact a travel agent at (877) 848-9330 or uni@ctptravelservices.com to make sure that gets ticketed.

How do I change an existing flight that was booked through Lightning or the CTM travel agent? 

• You can make changes to an existing flight in the Lightning Online Booking Tool.

• However, if your flight itinerary uses more than one airline, you cannot make changes in Lightning.

Contact the travel agent Corporate Travel Management to change at (877) 848-9330 or uni@ctptravelservices.com.

How do I cancel my flight that was booked through Lightning or the CTM travel agent?

• If you booked your individual flight through Lightning booking tool, cancel it through Lightning or contact 

• There is no agent fee to cancel a flight in Lightning or with the travel agent during regular hours.

• You must cancel prior to flight's departure. 

• Most airlines allow cancellation with no penalty within 24-hours of booking, if more than 7 days before departure.

• UNI's travel agent, CTP, has a slightly extended 24-hour grace period.

  • CTP has through the end of the next business day after booking - up to 11:59 pm CENTRAL TIME.

  • Contact a CTP agent at (877) 848-9330 if this extended time would be helpful. 

• If there is a cancellation fee, some airlines will deduct the fee from the credit value of your unused ticket. Others will charge the fee as an additional charge. 

How do I change or cancel group flights that were booked through Lightning or the CTM travel agent?

• If you booked your group's flights through Lightning booking tool, you may change or cancel by contacting a group travel agent at (800) 810-2695 or groups@ctptravelservices.com.

• You must cancel prior to flight's departure.  

If I am unable to use my flight ticket, can I re-use my ticket for a future flight? 

If your ticket does allow you to reuse your ticket, you will be given a credit to apply to a future flight.

• Be sure to cancel your ticket before flight departure in Lightning or call CTP (877) 848-9330 to cancel.

• There is no agent fee to cancel in Lightning or with agent during regular hours.

• If you do not cancel prior to the flight, the airline might not give you a credit. 

• With most airlines you have one year to re-use the ticket.

• If you will be traveling again, you can reuse your ticket when you book through Lightning on the same airline.

• If you will not be able to re-use the ticket, you can do a name change and have another person use the credit.

• The name change on your unused ticket must be done prior to canceling your flight.

What should I do if an airline ticket for a guest (non-employee) is booked through CTP, and the guest ends up canceling their trip?

Contact a dedicated CTP agent and explain that the airline ticket was for a guest and the traveler will no longer travel on the UNI's behalf. The agent will contact the airline and request a future name change so the remaining portion of the ticket can be used for another traveler. You will need to have the name of the new traveler, prior to cancellation. Please note, this is not guaranteed for every situation and airline policies can be different when it comes to name changes. 

How does CTP help me manage risk while traveling?

Traveler Tracker + GeoRisk:

Make informed, responsible travel decisions with CTP’s Traveler Tracker + GeoRisk. Traveler Tracker + GeoRisk provides central access to real-time global travel advice relating to COVID-19 travel restrictions, including border controls, quarantine requirements, travel permits, and destination health insights, via an interactive global map and itinerary-based trip search. Users can select a country via the interactive global map, or search based on their proposed travel itinerary, to view current travel restrictions and advice, health status, and access detailed downloadable country travel guides.

Traveler tracking:

CTP’s Traveler Tracker platform supports your duty of care program by tracking travelers’ locations via their travel itinerary, anywhere in the world. Updated in real-time and fully integrated with the individual’s travel itinerary, CTP’s interactive global mapping tool provides an instant picture of country-by-country risk levels via a color-coded map.

Travel risk alerts:

CTP Risk Alerts is a risk management dispatch solution keeping travelers abreast of developing travel risks as they happen.

Links for Airline Travel Alerts:

United Airlines

American Airlines

Delta Airlines

Southwest Airlines

Frontier Airlines

Allegiant Airlines

Traveling Abroad?  Please visit USA.Gov for travel alerts and the STEP program.

What is the difference between non-refundable and refundable airfare?

• A non-refundable fare is generally less expensive than a refundable ticket and thus the recommended option that aligns with the University's Travel Policy (the lowest reasonable coach/economy fare that meets the business needs of the university).

• A refundable fare can be purchased in certain circumstances with the unit's discretion and support documentation.

• In the event of cancellation, the non-refundable fare will be converted by the airline into an "unused ticket credit" worth the value of the original ticket. 

• This unused ticket credit can be used by the traveler towards the purchase of future airfare with the same airline.

• A refundable fare will have the value of the original ticket refunded back to the original form of payment. 

Does CTP & Lightning offer New Distribution Capability (NDC) pricing?

CTP and the CTM Group are proud to have worked closely with IATA and industry partners to influence the NDC’s evolution and to deliver value to our customers first.

What this means for our customers:

• CTP’s technology is NDC-ready and already delivering NDC content and benefits to customers.

• CTP’s regional technology hubs can rapidly develop, test, and deploy the latest industry innovations into our proprietary technology tools, such as Lightning online booking tools, ensuring our customers enjoy the benefits at the earliest opportunity.

• CTP does not rely on the development processes and timelines of third-party technology providers.

• CTP’s technology aggregates travel content from multiple sources – NDC, GDS, APIs – within our Content Factory, enabling us to provide customers with travel content via the most cost-effective channel

• CTM controls the timing and prioritization of content delivery for new NDC elements, while also ensuring continued risk and reporting capabilities.

For more FAQs about Airfare Ticket Purchases, Ticket Transfers and Unused Tickets, please click here.