Travel

Please note - process overviews have been developed as guidance only and can be changed at any time. Please contact your Sponsored Projects Administration team with any questions.

Consultant Travel
Fly America Act
Non-GW Employee Travel
Travel Receipts

Consultant Travel

Definition: Reimbursing consultants traveling for appropriate business purposes on sponsored projects

Process Owner: Accounts Payable

Process Overview:
Consultants are individuals who are providing services or professional support to a sponsored project. These consultants are charged to the grant through 55111 (activity in US) or 55161 (activity outside US). Consultants may be reimbursed for their travel expenses on sponsored projects per the Travel, Entertainment and Business Expense Reimbursement Policy as well as sponsor guidelines.

Consultants must request travel as a part of their invoice to GW for the services provided. Receipts and any other relevant documentation (e.g., conference/meeting agendas; itineraries; sponsor approvals) must be included in the request.

The department should request the reimbursement via the Payment Request Form. Consultant travel should be charged to 55112 (US) or 55161 (non-US).

Once the appropriate department/school approvals are obtained, the Payment Request Form should be submitted via email to the SPA for review and approval. The SPA will then submit the reimbursement to Accounts Payable.

Associated Forms/Resource Links:

Fly America Act

Definition: Research travel to foreign countries supported with federal grants and contracts is subject to 49 U.S.C. 40118, commonly referred to as the "Fly America Act.”

Process Owner: Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

Process Overview:

The Fly America Act (49 U.S.C. 40118, pp. 52-53) provides that Federal domestic grantees should use U.S. flag air carriers to the maximum extent possible when commercial air transportation is the means of travel between the U.S. and a foreign country or between foreign countries.
This requirement shall not be influenced by factors of cost, convenience, or personal travel preference.
A U.S. flag air carrier holds a certificate under 49 U.S.C. 41102. Foreign air carriers operating under permits are excluded.
U.S. flag air carrier service includes service provided under a Code Share Agreement with a foreign air carrier when the ticket, or documentation for an electronic ticket, identifies the U.S. flag air carrier’s designator code and flight number

Example:
Delta Airlines code shares some flights to Seoul with Korean Airlines. To comply with the Fly America Act, a traveler would have to book their ticket through Delta, though the actual flight is being operated by, and is also available through, Korean Airlines.

Exceptions to the Fly America Act

Exceptions to the Fly America Act are detailed in full in the GSA Federal Travel Regulations (see §§ 301-10.131 through 301-10.143).

1. Exceptions for travel between the U.S. and another country

1.1. If a U.S. flag air carrier offers nonstop or direct service (no aircraft change) from the traveler’s point of origin to their destination, the traveler must use the U.S. flag air carrier service unless such use would extend their travel time, including delay at origin, by 24 hours or more.

1.2. If a U.S. flag air carrier does not offer nonstop or direct service (no aircraft change) between the traveler’s point of origin and their destination, they must use a U.S. flag air carrier on every portion of the route where it provides service unless, when compared to using a foreign air carrier, such use would:

increase the number of aircraft changes the traveler must make outside of the U.S. by 2 or more; or
extend their travel time by at least 6 hours or more; or
require a connecting time of 4 hours or more at an overseas interchange point.

2. Exceptions for travel between two points outside the U.S.

When travel is solely outside the U.S. and a U.S. flag air carrier provides service between the traveler’s origin and destination, a traveler must always use a U.S. flag carrier for such travel, unless, when compared to using a foreign air carrier, such use would:

increase the number of aircraft changes the traveler must make en route by 2 or more; or
extend their travel time by 6 hours or more; or
require a connecting time of 4 hours or more at an overseas interchange point.

3. Overall Exceptions

3.1. No U.S. flag air carrier provides service on a particular leg of the route, in which case foreign air carrier service may be used, but only to or from the nearest interchange point on a usually traveled route to connect with U.S. flag air carrier service.

3.2. A U.S. flag air carrier involuntarily reroutes the traveler on a foreign air carrier.

3.3. Service on a foreign air carrier would be 3 hours or less, and use of the U.S. flag air carrier would at least double the traveler’s en route travel time.

3.4. Use of a foreign air carrier is determined to be a matter of necessity. Foreign air carrier service is deemed a necessity when service by a U.S. flag air carrier is available, but:

cannot provide the air transportation needed; or
will not accomplish the funding agency’s mission.

Necessity includes, but is not limited to, the following circumstances:

3.4.1. When the sponsoring agency determines that use of a foreign air carrier is necessary for medical reasons, including use of foreign air carrier service to reduce the number of connections and possible delays in the transportation of persons in need of medical treatment.

3.4.2. When use of a foreign air carrier is required to avoid an unreasonable risk to the traveler’s safety and is approved by the sponsoring agency (e.g., terrorist threats).

Written approval of the use of foreign air carrier service based on an unreasonable risk to the traveler’s safety must be approved by the sponsor on a case by case basis.
Determination and approval of use of a foreign air carrier based on a threat against a U.S. flag air carrier must be supported by a travel advisory notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of State.

3.4.3. When a traveler cannot purchase a ticket in their authorized class of service (i.e., economy) on a U.S. flag air carrier, and a seat is available in their authorized class of service on a foreign air carrier.

3.5. The Fly America Act allows use of a foreign air carrier when the transportation is provided under a bilateral or multilateral air transportation agreement to which the U.S. and the government of a foreign country(ies) are parties, and which the Department of Transportation has determined meets the requirements of the Fly America Act. Currently the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, and Japan have all signed these agreements. For more information, visit the GSA’s Fly America Act page.

Note: The Open Skies Agreements do not apply to transportation funded by the Department of Defense or a military department.

A full list of Open Skies Partner countries is available from the U.S. State Department.

4. Required Documentation for Exceptions

If a foreign air carrier is used based on any of the above exceptions to the Fly America Act, certification of the exception, as noted in §301-10.142, must be documented to the sponsoring agency, along with any other documents required by said agency.

Certification must include:

The traveler’s name;
The dates of travel;
The origin and destination of the travel;
A detailed itinerary of the travel, including the name of the air carrier and flight number for each leg of the trip;
A statement explaining why the travel met one of the exceptions in §301-10.135, 301-10.136, or 301-10.137 or a copy of the funding agency’s written approval that foreign air carrier service was deemed a matter of necessity in accordance with §301-10.138.

Associated Forms/Resource Links:

Non-GW Employee Travel

Definition: Reimbursing non-GW employees traveling for appropriate business purposes on sponsored projects

Process Owner: Accounts Payable

Process Overview:
Non-GW employees may be reimbursed for their travel expenses on sponsored projects per the Travel, Entertainment and Business Expense Reimbursement Policy as well as sponsor guidelines.

Travel reimbursement for non-GW employees must be requested by the GW department through the EAS Online Travel and Expense Reimbursement Form. Receipts and any other relevant documentation (e.g., conference/meeting agendas; itineraries; sponsor approvals) must be included in the request.

Once the appropriate department/school approvals are obtained, the travel reimbursement should be submitted via email to the SPA for review and approval. The SPA will then submit the reimbursement to Accounts Payable.

Associated Forms/Resource Links:

Travel Receipts

Definition: Travel Receipts for GW Employees on Sponsored Projects Funding

Process Owner: Accounts Payable

Process Overview:
The university does not use per diem except in exceptional cases (i.e., international travel, extended stays, etc.) in which approval by an appropriate Vice President or designee has been received prior to travel. Per diem requests on all sponsored project travel must be submitted to the shandragwu [dot] edu (Director of Sponsored Projects) prior to travel.

The per diem request must include the following:

GWU Sponsored Project Number (PTA)
Traveler’s name and role on project (i.e., PI, Co-PI, student, etc.)
Inclusive dates of travel
Travel destination(s)
Requested per diem rate(s) for Meals and Incidentals (M&IE)* and Lodging -
(Please use the Foreign Per Diem Rates by Location as determined by the U.S. Department of State)
*Meals & Incidental Expenses (M&IE): The first and last calendar days of travel are calculated and reimbursed at 75 percent of the approved per diem rate for M&IE.

The documented approval must be attached to the traveler's expense report in the GW i Buy + Expense Reporting system at the time of submission.

In all other cases, expenses are reimbursed on a cost-reimbursable basis and must be accompanied by a receipt. The website for the GW policy Travel, Entertainment and Business Expense Reimbursement is listed above, and lists both allowable and unallowable expenses. It should be reviewed before traveling along with the sponsor’s specific travel guidelines.

The following are some key points to remember, but are not intended to be a substitute for reading the GW policy and sponsor’s guidelines:

All receipts $35 and above need to be itemized and include date of purchase, vendor name, unit price of the purchased items, and total amount with proper explanation.
For all expenses that include other individuals besides just the traveler (e.g., meals), an explanation needs to be given of who the other individuals were and a justification for including them in the expense for reimbursement.
Alcohol is generally prohibited from reimbursement. It can only be reimbursed if its usage is part of the design and scope of work as approved by the sponsor. Appendix B of the policy gives a listing of other unallowable expenses.

After the trip has been taken expenses should be submitted using the Accounts Payable online expense reporting system thru the iBuy website.

Associated Forms/Resource Links:

For more information, please contact your SPM Team.