1/19/2007
EOL Travel FAQ
Q: I need to travel on EOL business. What should I do first? A: First get the permission of your facility manager and an account key to charge the travel against. Next submit an admin_req (http://www.eol.ucar.edu/cds/help.html ) to your facility’s administrative assistant with the complete details of your trip. See the EOL Travel Guidelines for what you should include in your admin_req request (http://www.eol.ucar.edu/generalinfo/travel/guidelines.pdf ). You must have a travel authorization with necessary signatures in place before you travel. If you elect to make your own travel arrangements, you must adhere to the UCAR and EOL travel policies and procedures; if you do not, you might not be reimbursed. Q: This trip is for a field campaign. Do I need to do anything different? A: Yes, you should first contact FPS to find out if there is a single administrative assistant handling all travel arrangements for your field campaign. If so, submit your admin_req to that assistant. If not, submit your admin_req to your usual administrative assistant. The administrative assistant will prepare your travel authorization and will fill out any needed additional field campaign sections/forms. Q: Can I use my favorite airline? A: Perhaps, if your favorite airline’s fare is comparable to other airlines’ fares. For example, if you need to fly to Chicago nonstop, you would compare your favorite airline’s fare against other airlines’ nonstop fares at around the same departure/arrival times. Q: Can I buy my own tickets so that I earn frequent flier miles on my credit card? A: Yes, but follow these steps. First, talk to your administrative assistant to be sure you have a travel authorization in place before the ticket is purchased. Second, supply confirmation that you have followed the above “comparable price” rule within EOL. Your administrative assistant will file that information and can get you reimbursed for the price of your purchased ticket prior to your trip if you so choose. Finally, if you’re traveling internationally, you must obey the Fly America Act (aka Fly Flag). If you do not comply with Fly Flag, your ticket may not be reimbursed by EOL. Q: What are the rules of Fly Flag? A: The simplest answer is that you MUST fly a United States air carrier as far as possible to your destination. For codeshares, your tickets must be ticketed on the US carrier’s “paper”. For example, if you need to travel to Frankfurt, Germany and want to take the United/Lufthansa codeshare direct flight, your tickets (or e-ticket itinerary) must show that your ticket is on United, not Lufthansa. This applies even if the Lufthansa-ticketed seat is less expensive. The cost of the ticket is NOT a consideration for Fly Flag. Please see http://www.fin.ucar.edu/procedures/sec3/proc316append.html for complete information. If you are traveling internationally, we strongly suggest you work with your administrative assistant to purchase your tickets. Tickets that do not comply with Fly Flag are not reimbursable. You must also comply with Fly Flag rules even if your ticket is being reimbursed by another organization. Q: Can I travel business class when it is allowed by UCAR policy? A: UCAR policy allows business class travel in some circumstances, but EOL is more restrictive because of budget considerations. If you are traveling overseas, EOL will authorize the purchase of the least-expensive upgradeable-class ticket for you, so that you can upgrade with your frequent flier miles. Please work with your administrative assistant if you want to do this to ensure you get the right class fare. For trips inside the US, you may upgrade with miles or
1/19/2007
regional upgrades, provided the cost of the upgradeable class ticket is the same as or less than a non-upgradeable class ticket. Q: Another organization is going to pay for part or all of my trip. What do I need to do? A: First, consult your administrative assistant to determine whether your trip is reimbursable or in-kind. ! Reimbursable travel is a trip where you incur expenses as usual on your trip and an outside organization reimburses you (or UCAR) for your trip via check or bank transfer. ! In-kind travel is a trip where an outside organization pays your airfare, hotel, etc directly, without any outlay by you or UCAR. Next, submit an admin_req for the trip and in it, specify either how much money or what items (airfare, hotel, etc) you will be reimbursed for or will be paid for directly. Also include any instructions from the organization on how travel arrangements or reimbursement claims should be made. It is strongly suggested that you discuss both reimbursable and in-kind travel with your administrative assistant prior to making any arrangements. You must follow Fly Flag rules if your airfare is a reimbursed expense. Q: Another organization is going to pay for my entire trip directly. Do I still need a travel authorization? A: Yes. Even if another organization is going to pay your travel expenses directly, your administrative assistant still needs to prepare an “insurance-only” travel authorization for you. This authorization ensures that you are covered under UCAR’s insurance policy while you’re traveling, but no dollar amounts will be on the voucher since the other organization is going to pay for your expenses directly. Please note that if there’s even a slight chance that the outside organization will not pay for all of your expenses directly, it’s better to have a “regular” authorization in place so that you can be reimbursed for expenses the outside entity didn’t cover. Q: I still have questions that this FAQ didn’t answer. Who should I ask? A: You should talk to your facility’s administrative assistant or administrator if you still have questions after reading this FAQ.