Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. In accordance with the State of Ohio Ethics Commission rulings, university travelers can only redeem frequent flyer miles for university related business travel (no personal benefit is permitted).  It is the traveler’s responsibility to track accrual/usage of these benefits for auditing purposes.

No. Economy plus, seating upgrades, and/or priority boarding options are not permitted to be purchased with university resources and will not be reimbursed for coach fares.

! Note: When applicable, requests for reasonable accommodations for a disability will be considered by units in consultation with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator.  To determine eligibility, travelers must submit a Reasonable Accommodations Request that identifies the personal need and provide related documentation to support the request (e.g. letter from physician) for expenditures outside of policy.  Requests should be submitted prior to the scheduled trip and allow sufficient time to gather required documentation.

For more information, contact the ADA Coordinator’s Office at 614-292-6207.  Submit request to:  ada-osu@osu.edu

Business class airfare purchases are only permissible with international flight times in excess of five consecutive hours (excluding layovers), however a lower priced economy seat with a seating upgrade may be purchased in lieu of the business class flight as long as the cost does not exceed the  business class option quoted at the original purchase.

!Note:  An upgraded economy seat instead of a business class seat may be considered an adequate option for an International flight that is more than five consecutive hours.  In many cases, the cost of the upgraded economy fare is less expensive than the business class fare that is eligible with an international flight of more than five hours.  Comparison quotes should be collected at time of original booking to ensure the upgraded economy fare is less than the most reasonable business class option that meets the business needs of the traveler.  A screenshot image of the comparison fares and relevant details should be taken to properly justify the selection.

Travelers should book the lowest cost Economy or Coach Class airfare that fits the business needs of the trip. Consult with the university contracted travel agency for airfare bookings. The contracted travel agency is aware of OSU’s policy regarding airfare purchases, and provides the industry expertise to help travelers navigate the booking process.

As required by the Travel Policy, all business travel airfare should be booked through the university’s contracted travel agency.  Payment for business airfare can be charged to the university’s credit card that is stored with the contracted agency (with an approved Spend Authorization #).

• Airline or VISA/MC Gift Cards (either purchased or gifted) should NOT be used to purchase business airfare.   Reimbursement will be permitted with a one-time exception and tracked by the unit to prohibit future reimbursement.

• Airfare Points/Miles/Rewards (either purchased or earned).  Personal points/miles/rewards can be used to purchase business airfare.  Business points/miles/rewards must be used to purchase business airfare.  No reimbursement is permitted for any points/miles/rewards that are applied to business airfare purchases.

• Airline Compensation Voucher (either gifted or earned incentive from airline to voluntary recipient with oversold flights) must NOT BE used to purchase business airfare.  No reimbursement is permitted for airline compensation vouchers that are applied to business airfare purchases.

• Personal Unused Credit Voucher (earned from voluntary or involuntary cancellation of a personal flight) can be used to purchase business airfare. Reimbursement is permitted (with receipt documentation) up to the cost of the new business airfare only.  No residual loss can be reimbursed for applying personally earned unused credit value to business airfare of lesser cost.  No reimbursement permitted for change/service fees for use of personally earned unused credit.

• Business Unused Credit Voucher (earned from voluntary or involuntary cancellation of a business flight) should be used to purchase new business airfare.  If original flight purchased with university’s credit card, no reimbursement is permitted.  If original flight purchased with personal credit card, unit must verify approval for purchase (either T# or SA#) – if approved, verify any previous reimbursement to avoid duplicate payment.

Yes. A personal credit card can be used to purchase airfare for business travel through the applicable contracted agency.  Personal funds used to purchase travel expenditures must be sumbitted on an Expense Report in Workday for reimbursement.

Refer to Contact a Travel Agent for booking options.

Yes. If you wish to secure adjacent booking/seating for travel companions (e.g., family/other), you will need to contact the applicable contracted travel agency who will service the business portion of your trip (collect approved Spend Authorization # and validate your employee credentials) and then service the portion for your companion travelers (ensuring that seating assignments are as requested and have similar itineraries). Flights purchased for companion travelers must be purchased using a non-university payment method.

Refer to Contact a Travel Agent for booking options.
 

A non-refundable fare is generally less expensive than a refundable ticket and thus the recommended option that aligns with the University's Travel Policy (the lowest reasonable coach/economy fare that meets the business needs of the university).  A refundable fare can be purchased in certain circumstances with the unit's discretion and support documentation.

In the event of cancellation, the non-refundable fare will be converted by the airline into an "unused ticket credit" worth the value of the original ticket. This unused ticket credit can be used by the traveler towards the purchase of future airfare with the same airline.  Whereas, a refundable fare will have the value of the original ticket refunded back to the original form of payment.

The best practice is to pull the airfare cost comparison within 24 hours of the actual purchase (when reasonably possible). 

Comparisons should be pulled from a full service agent with the contracted travel agency or through Concur (online booking tool).  The comparison should include the date of the request and the lowest reasonable coach/economy quote in respect to both the business portion and the business/leisure portion.  

The cost comparison should be attached to the Travel Comparison Worksheet and uploaded to the Spend Authorization and be available for processing with the Expense Report for the airfare.