Transportation

You will have access to the Online Booking Tool in Concur to make your own domestic airfare reservations. In addition, our contracted Travel Agency, Omega World Travel can also make your reservations for you. Whichever purchasing option you choose, you will still need to enter the estimated cost of the airline ticket on your travel request to account for the cost of airfare in your total travel estimate.

*Airfare information for foreign travel can be found in the Foreign Travel section.

Please complete the Travel Preferences section in your Concur profile to ensure your TSA information, preferred airlines, hotels, rental car, etc. are captured. Failure to complete this information could result in an increase in airfare costs. You will only have to complete your travel preferences section one time unless you have a change of name or new information to add or edit.

Baggage fees are reimbursable if the airline carrier charges for checking the first bag or for a carry-on bag. Some carriers will not charge for the first bag, but will charge for each additional checked bag. If an adequate business reason is provided in the comment field on the travel expense report, ORAU will reimburse the traveler for additional baggage charges (for example, the second bag contained meeting materials or an additional bag was needed due to length of trip).

Most airline carriers have a weight and size limit per bag, and there is an additional charge for each bag over the limit. You are is responsible for checking with the airline(s) prior to departure to determine the baggage charges, weight limits on baggage, and other charges that may be imposed at check-in. These additional charges will only be reimbursed if there is a sufficient business need to support the cost.

If baggage charges exceed $75, a receipt must be provided. Costs associated with lost baggage will not be reimbursed by ORAU.

All rental vehicle requests must be entered on the travel request and approved by your ORAU program point of contact prior to making the reservation. A rental vehicle may be authorized over other means of transportation if it is approved in advance of travel. When planning a trip, you should consider the location of the business and accessibility of restaurants, etc., as well as availability of public transportation. Public transportation includes shuttle service, taxis, bus service, subways, etc., and can be less expensive than renting a vehicle.

Reserving a rental car through ORAU allows you to obtain discounted rates plus Driver Protection and Liability Insurance that is provided to ORAU (available at no additional cost for vehicles rented only in the US or Puerto Rico). We encourage you to reserve your rental vehicle using the Concur Travel Module using the Online Booking Tool. However, you can also request that ORAU’s contracted travel agency, Omega World Travel, make a reservation for you.

Costs Associated with Rental Vehicles

• Actual costs (i.e., rental charge, gasoline, parking, and toll charges) will be reimbursed. Car rental receipts exceeding $75 must be submitted with the travel expense report. If the traveler returns a rental vehicle after business hours, a copy of the rental agreement from the rental agency is an acceptable receipt.
• Prepaid refueling options will not be reimbursed (paying for a full tank of gas before driving off) sometimes known as Fuel Service Option (FSO) or Fuel Purchase Option (FPO).
• A global positioning system (GPS) will not be reimbursed unless a justification (that includes the business purpose and the estimated cost of the GPS), is determined to be sufficient by the approver.
• A satellite radio will not be reimbursed.
• Charges to obtain frequent flyer mileage points will not be reimbursed.
• The cost to unlock a vehicle if the keys are accidentally locked in the vehicle will not be reimbursed.

ORAU will not be responsible for claims incurred while the rental vehicle is being used for personal travel; a traveler is fully responsible for all costs arising from an accident during personal use.

Additional information regarding rental vehicles, costs associated with rental vehicles, insurance, etc. can be found in the ORAU Corporate Participant Travel Guidance document found here. Before renting a vehicle, we suggest a thorough review of this guidance.

Costs of ground transportation for business travel will be reimbursed. Receipts must be submitted for fares of more than $75. Claims will be itemized on the travel expense report (e.g., taxi to/from hotel is $50; metro to client’s office is $6).

Reasonable tips proportionate to the cost of ground transportation will be reimbursed. The tips should be claimed as ground transportation and itemized separately. Courtesy transportation furnished by hotels should be utilized to the maximum extent possible between the place of lodging and the airport. Prudent tips for courtesy transportation will be reimbursed.

Ground transportation will not be reimbursed for personal cost. This includes the cost of transportation to obtain a meal or to purchase personal items.

A cost comparison must be approved in advance of travel if the traveler elects to drive their privately owned vehicle (POV) more than 350 miles one-way. Travel costs will be reimbursed based on simulated travel calculations.

EXAMPLE

Traveler is driving 400 miles one way:

In this example, the traveler will be reimbursed for the full cost of the travel via POV.

POV mileage under Air Travel is round trip to/from the airport; mileage under POV is round trip to/from destination(s).

A cost comparison is not needed if a justification exists for the use of a POV in lieu of air travel. For example, traveler is hosting a seminar that requires transporting boxes of training materials. In such cases, the PA should reflect the use of a POV with reimbursement of full travel expenses while the traveler is in travel status. The justification must be included on the PA in the comments section.

Transportation charges for bus and rail service will be reimbursed to the extent that the charges do not exceed the lowest available airfare. A simulation shall be obtained from the travel agency when cost is greater than $200 to compare the cost of the rail or bus transportation to the cost of an airline ticket.