Iowa State faculty and staff now have the ability to obtain airline reservations online.

Travel and Transport, 133 Welch Ave., a travel agency in Ames, is providing a free online service to both faculty and leisure travelers.

Once the page is accessed the user first sets up a database account with a password.

The password guarantees the safety of any information entered.

Then a traveler’s profile is taken where travel preferences are entered: a window or aisle seat, smoking or nonsmoking or type of food preferred on the plane. One can also choose the types of hotels, airlines and car rental companies they prefer.

After entering the home airport the user is transferred to the reservation system.

Instead of talking on the phone and having the agency relay information to the traveler, the traveler can access the page.

“This allows Iowa State faculty to make reservations when they want any time of the night,” said John Orosco of Travel and Transport.

“They can get updated information and won’t have to call in at the agency.”

Orosco said they make sure the reservation is the best price and routing available.

The tickets are reviewed for accuracy, double-checked for alternative fares and routes.

Travel and Transport will then call the user to confirm the reservation.

The page can be accessed from the ISU home page under faculty and staff information or directly from their world wide web address: www.itn.net.