Air Travel

Additional References

Travel Agency Information

The University of Oregon contracts with four travel agencies for travel purchases using our UO credit card. Our travel agency partners can book individual air and rail tickets as well as group travel. They can reserve hotels and rental cars and are a valuable resource for information regarding passports, visas, airport security and travel safety. Please see links below for a side-by-side comparison of agency services and fees and for their online portals to explore additional travel and contact information.

Peak Travel (UO Contract)

PanAm, Inc (UO Contract) ** NEW 2014

Air Travel Requirements

All employees are required to travel using routes, schedules and airlines that provide the lowest rates and most efficient travel.

When combining personal travel with business, ONLY the business portion can be paid by the UO. Any personal portion of the airfare will have to be paid by the traveler at the time of ticket purchase.

A comparison airfare quote is needed if personal travel is included with business, extra days are being added to save money, and if the traveler is flying out of Portland instead of Eugene. This is called use of a non-direct route . First class airfare is not allowed under any circumstances.

International Travel Registrationwith The Office of Risk Management . The main purpose of travel registration is to help ensure that the University has the best knowledge to assist students, staff and faculty, in the event that an emergency (medical, natural disaster, political unrest) occurs while those travelers are abroad. This form will also provide the opportunity to enroll in supplemental travel insurance.

Four ways exist to purchase transportation services such as air, train, and bus fares.

Contract Travel Agencies The UO has contracted with four local travel agencies for travel services, one of which has a contract with the State of Oregon. These agencies will bill your department index for all charges. They are also the only place you can purchase city pair fares. These state contract rates might offer a lower fare particularly if your reservation does not include a Saturday night stay or if you are booking on short notice.

Airfare requests are entered in the Airfare Authorization Online Tool. Please try to complete all airfare requests by 4:30 pm the same day the reservation is made.

UO Procurement Card When department policy allows, the UO Procurement Card may be used to purchase common carrier fares including air, train, and bus fares. This does not include taxis and airport shuttles. You may make these purchases anywhere that will accept a Visa card. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this type of purchasing method. See Internet Airfare Purchases for more information.

If you use the department procurement card, you will be required to do a journal voucher when the charges clear, to move them to the appropriate travel account code. For more complete instructions on Procurement Card Purchases see Procurement Card Program .

PLEASE NOTE: If you use your UO department procurement card to purchase airfare, the traveler will not have travel insurance coverage.

Travel insurance is provided on airfare purchases made through our four contracted travel agencies and when using your UO Travel Entertainment Card. Some personal credit cards may also provide travel insurance. Add-on travel insurance or trip cancellation policies will not be reimbursed. For international travel, check with the Office of Risk Management (ORM) to obtain more information on Supplemental International Travel Insurance options. Only travel insurance policies recommended and purchased through ORM can be paid.

UO Corporate Travel and Entertainment card (T E Card)/Personal Credit Card The UO Corporate Travel and Entertainment Card and personal credit cards may be used to purchase transportation services. The T E card is a university issued charge card that can be used for all reimbursable business expenses and is not intended as a means of personal credit. The cardholder will be responsible for all charges and must pay in full each month. Reimbursement will not be made until after the trip is complete.

Purchase Order (PO) When department policy allows, travel services may be purchased by PO just like any other purchase.

If not using one of the contract travel agencies:

• The Airfare Authorization Form is not required
• All purchasing or procurement card rules apply

Frequent Flyer Miles

The UO will not reimburse or trade tickets purchased using frequent flier miles.

UO Unused Airline Tickets

This procedure provides guidance to departments in the accounting of unused tickets. On occasion, UO employees will make airline ticket reservations and subsequently not use the tickets for various reasons (e.g. family illness). Some tickets are refundable or reusable while others are not, so the procedure for receiving credit for tickets will depend largely on the method of payment that was used to purchase the ticket. Below are some guidelines for departments to follow when requesting refunds/credits of unused tickets.

1) Ticket purchased through a Contract Travel Agency

The department should contact the travel agency as soon as they know the ticket will not be used. The travel agency will identify the available options. Refunds will be posted to the UO account that was used to purchase the ticket. A report of unused ticket inventory will be posted on the Airfare Authorization Tool at travel.uoregon.edu with the data we receive from each of our contract travel agencies.

2) Ticket purchased using UO Procurement Card

The department should contact the vendor where the ticket was purchased (i.e. airline, travel agency, other) to determine if the ticket is refundable, or reusable. NOTE: Typically, tickets purchased on the internet from third party vendors (travel sites such as Travelocity.Com or Priceline.Com) are not refundable or reusable. If the ticket is refundable the credit should be applied to the procurement card. If the ticket is reusable, the department will need to track the ticket for future use. Paper tickets must be obtained from the traveler and maintained by the department. Tickets purchased by the University are university property.

3) Tickets purchased using an employee s personal credit card

The department should contact the vendor where the ticket was purchased (i.e. airline, travel agency, other) to determine if the ticket is refundable, or reusable. NOTE: Typically, tickets purchased on the internet from third party vendors (travel sites such as Travelocity.Com or Priceline.Com) are not refundable or reusable. If the ticket is refundable the credit should be applied to the employee s personal credit card. In some instances the vendor will charge a fee. The employee can submit a travel reimbursement request for reimbursement of this fee. A hard copy of the receipt will be necessary in order to receive reimbursement.

If the ticket is not refundable, the traveler may submit a travel reimbursement request for reimbursement of the ticket. This request requires Department Head or designee approval before being reimbursed. A hard copy of the receipt will be necessary in order to receive reimbursement.

If the ticket is reusable, the traveler may submit a request for reimbursement, however, the department must track the unused ticket for future use. Paper tickets must be obtained from the traveler and maintained by the department. Once an unused ticket is reimbursed by the University it becomes university property.