Air Travel

Tickets
State Contract Airfares
Airfare Exceptions
Receipts
Personal Travel/Time
Change or Cancellation of Travel Plans
Frequent Flyer Programs
Companion Fare
First / Business Class Travel
Travel In Excess of 14 Hours

Tickets

All airfares for UW employees/students must be purchased through a

directly booking with any airlines' website
directly calling any airline

Airfares must be purchased with a corporate account, either the individual UW Travel Charge Card or a department CTA. State contract airfares must be purchased with a corporate account beginning with 478825. Failure to comply with this regulation will result in airline penalty fees for which you are personally liable.

You may apply for early reimbursement since you will be receiving your charge card bill in advance of your trip

State Contract Airfares

2009 State Contract Airfares effective 4/1/09 - 3/31/2010
2008 State Contract Airfares effective 4/1/08 - 3/31/09

Provide YCAWA as the fare basis code when purchasing contract airfares.

Non-UW travelers are allowed, but not required to use the contract airfares.

Airfare Exceptions

There are acceptable exception reasons for not using the contract airfares:

You found a cheaper coach airfare.
The contract airline does not have a flight that meets your time needs.
There are no seats available on the flight you need.
There is no contract airfare to the particular destination.

Indicate one of the exception reasons as listed above on your travel expense voucher (TEV) if you do not use the contract airfare. If none of the reasons is applicable, you will be reimbursed actual cost of the ticket up to the lowest available coach fare OR up to the contract airfare if available, whichever is LESS.

Since you must select travel options that are most economical to the State/University, the following is the acceptable way to identify the lowest available coach fare when none of the acceptable reasons for not using the contract airfare applies.

You must use Azumano (contract internet provider) to identify the lowest available coach airfare. Since past airfares are not available, you must recreate the actual itinerary using the same parameters (same advance purchase time, same day/time for the going and return flights) that existed for the actual trip. You may be reimbursed the actual cost of the ticket OR the value of the comparison itinerary as identified in Azumano, up to the contract airfare if available, whichever is LESS.

Receipts

Attach one of the following to your TEV.

The last page of the ticket.
The itinerary statement listing proof of payment.
A charge card statement listing the flight itinerary.

Frequent Flyer Programs

According to the State Ethics Board Advisory Opinion 03-03, state agencies may allow you to use frequent flyer benefits earned on official state travel. However, you may not participate in the selection of a carrier when you receive frequent flyer benefits for travel on that carrier. You must still use the purchasing requirement for airfares.

The University of Washington recommends that you use frequent flyer benefits earned on official university business travel prior to incurring additional cost for university airfare. Please be advised by donating personal funds or benefits to a state agency you should not expect reimbursement or consideration in return.

Companion Fare

According to RCW 42.52.160, a state employee may not use any person, money, or property in his or her official custody, for the private gain of the employee. Having the state/university reimburse/pay for the full fare ticket and the employee's spouse or friend accompany the employee at the companion fare ticket is selecting a fare for UW business travel for the private gain of the UW employee.

When a companion fare ticket is used for UW business travel and one of the two persons traveling is not on UW business, the individual not on UW business must pay the full ticket price and the UW traveler will be be reimbursed at the companion fare ticket cost.

First / Business Class Travel

First class airfare requires written approval from a Vice President, Vice Provost, or Dean.

Business class airfare not associated with the travel in excess of 14 hours rule must also have written approval from a Vice President, Vice Provost, or Dean. If you travel frequently and need this kind of airfare, a single annual letter updated yearly rather than one per trip may be more convenient. The approval may be in memo or email format and must state the reason for the First or Business class airfare.

This type of approval is individual/situation specific and is separate from the prior trip approval. This approval must be attached to your TEV.

If you do not have approval for First or Business class, you may be reimbursed the actual cost of the ticket up to the lowest available coach airfare for the same trip as evidenced by a comparison itinerary.

Use a state contract travel agency and obtain a printout of an itinerary PRIOR to the trip with the UW business flights you would have taken without the First or Business class. This comparison itinerary must be priced at the lowest available coach fare, printed from the same source and with the same date that the actual ticket with the the First or Business class was issued. You may be reimbursed the actual cost of the ticket OR the value of the comparison itinerary, whichever is LESS.

If you did not obtain a comparison itinerary PRIOR to the trip, you must use a state contract travel agency and obtain a lowest available coach fare comparison itinerary for the same business trip using the same advance purchase time and days of the week that you would have taken had there been no First or Business class.
You may be reimbursed the actual cost of the your ticket or the value of this comparison itinerary as identified by one of the state contract travel agency, whichever is LESS.

Travel In Excess of 14 Hours

Business class airfare OR a foreign layover directly en route to the final destination for a brief rest period may be authorized if your foreign travel is in excess of 14 hours. The rest period may not exceed 24 hours.

Business class airfare OR a foreign layover may be authorized when travel is direct between authorized origin and final destination. The final destination must be outside the continental United States, the scheduled one-way flight time (not including domestic layovers/connections time) is in excess of 14 hours AND you meet all of the following conditions.

You must have prior approval from an authorized person.
You must use all state business frequent flyer miles available for an upgrade.
You must contact a qualified state contract travel agency, consolidator and/or airline(s) to determine if a business class fare can be obtained at a cost that is less than the coach class contract fare, if available.

*This example qualifies for the 14 hour rule. All flight layovers/connections are foreign and the total scheduled flight time is over 14 hours.

*This example below total scheduled flight time does not qualify for the 14 hour rule. The domestic layover/connection in Chicago is 1 hr 15 min which does not apply towards the scheduled flight time of 14 hr 30 min less 1 hr 15 min = 13 hr 15 min.

Note: You must include a copy of the approval with your TEV when you are requesting airfare reimbursement for business class airfare or lodging and meal reimbursement for a foreign layover and your travel does not qualify for the 14 hour rule.