Alternate Travel Vendors
The University prefers and encourages business travelers to use UK Travel (AAA Corporate Travel Services, Concur, or Avant Travel) for their travel arrangements; however, they may choose to use an Alternate Travel Vendor instead. An alternate vendor is any vendor other than AAA Corporate Travel Services, Concur (UK's online booking tool), or Avant Travel. Examples of alternate vendors are Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Delta.com, ABC Travel Agency, etc. When a ticket is purchased through an alternate vendor, a personal credit card must be used and documentation from Concur is required to substantiate that a favorable airfare was received from the alternate vendor.
- Payment Options - Business airline tickets arranged through an alternate travel vendor must be purchased with a personal credit card
and will be reimbursed to the traveler on a Travel Voucher after travel is completed. Business hotel (room & tax) and rental car charges for arrangements made through an alternate travel vendor may be paid for: (1) with the University Procurement Card, or (2) with a personal credit card (expenses reimbursed through a Travel Voucher after travel is completed).
- Cost Comparison from Concur - To substantiate that a favorable airline ticket price was received from an alternate travel vendor, a cost comparison from UK's online reservation system must also be submitted with the Travel Voucher. The cost comparison from
Concur must show a listing of airfares for the same dates of travel, the same travel destinations, and the same approximate times of departure as shown on the ticket purchased from the alternate travel vendor.
If personal travel is included with business travel on the airline
ticket, then the cost comparison must be for the business travel dates/destination(s)
only. The cost comparison must be the first page of available schedules from
Concur, which also shows the search parameters used and the airline
matrix across the top of the screen. Print from your browser (do
not use the print/email function on Concur) to include all information
requested. The cost comparison must be printed on the same day as
the ticket is purchased, and must be date-stamped to show this.
If an air plus hotel
or car "package" was purchased through an alternate vendor, then the
appropriate cost comparisons for the air as well as the hotel or car
must be secured from Concur.
Regarding international travel cost comparisons, it may be that Concur cannot provide an adequate cost comparison due to the complexity
of an international trip; therefore, it is acceptable to use a cost
comparison from one of UK's designated travel agencies (AAA, Avant Travel) for these types of international
trips only. You may need to make a printer adjustment to allow a date stamp and page
number to appear on the cost comparison.
- Alternate Travel Agency/Web Site Fees - To be determined by selected agency; however, reimbursement will be limited to the lead agency’s (AAA) fees as follows: $29 for domestic electronic airline ticket, $39 for international electronic airline ticket (paper ticket fees are slightly higher).