Northwestern Travel Agencies
All faculty and staff at Northwestern are highly encouraged to use one of Northwestern's contracted travel agencies to book University travel. Each agency offers a range of services to meet the various needs of our travelers.
Beginning February 3, 2025, Northwestern will begin transitioning away from Egencia to Key Travel for online and agent assisted bookings. You will be able to book travel through Egencia until February 28, 2025 and you will have access to that travel in Egencia through a buffer period (TBD). However, you will not be able to book new travel in Egencia after this date. If your travel in 2025 will be completed after the buffer period, you will need to make changes or cancellations directly with the airline or hotel.
T100 Group will remain a preferred vendor for agent assist travel booking as well.
- For detailed information on booking through Egencia, Northwestern's online booking tool, please visit the Egencia page.
- For specific costs and fees associated with each agency, please visit the Agency Fees page.
Agency Services Comparison
| Egencia | Key Travel | Travel 100 Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Agency | Online Booking Tool (Agent available by phone for additional Fee) |
Full Service: Online booking tool, Agent Assist, Group Assist for domestic and international travel | Local Travel Agency offering high touch service. |
| Contact Information |
212-329-7203 To email a customer care representative, go to your Egencia home page. Select “Help” on your Egencia header and select “Contact Us”. |
646-289-6820 Email: northwestern@keytravel.com |
847-256-7570 Ask for Steve Roeser, Karen Begley, and Tom Gunn |
| Overview | Expedia's corporate online booking tool; offers streamlined booking process for airfare, hotels, and car rentals | Offers a streamlined booking process for air, hotel, rail, and car rentals in the US and internationally. Call customer service for more complicated itineraries. |
Full-service travel agency in the Chicagoland area, comprised of more than 70 advisors; offers preferred rates on hotels, cruises, tours, and car rentals |
| Fees | Not online* Yes via phone |
No fee for online booking*. Agent assisted bookings: $25 air, $15 hotel (standalone). See Travel Agency Fees page for more detail. There are no fees for calling an agent with questions pertaining to travel, only when a booking occurs. |
Yes, Agent assisted fee of $30 for a domestic booking, $40 for international |
| Group travel arrangements available? | Yes | $50 non-refundable deposit plus booking fees per ticket. | Yes, $100 set-up fee per property. Vendor search and rate negotiation: $100+ |
| Direct billing available for airfare? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Direct billing available for hotels? | Some hotels, including all hotels with Northwestern's Discounted Rates | Yes, for most hotels including all of Northwestern’s preferred hotels. | On a case-by-case basis. |
| Ability to book international sponsored travel? | Only on U.S. Airlines | Yes, only FAA compliant flights are offered for sponsored international travel. | Yes |
| Billing across multiple chart strings available? | No | No | Yes |
| Hours of Operation | 24/7 | 24/7 | M-F: 9 am-5 pm |
| 24/7 Emergency Support? | Yes: 212-329-7203 (Fees may apply) | Yes: 646-289-6820 | Yes: 303-876-4247 (Fees may apply) |
*Northwestern pays a fee for each ticket booked online through Egencia; this fee is paid for by Travel Services and is not charged to the department/unit.