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Itinerary & Receipt Requirements
Fare Classes
Airfare Upgrades & Approval
Personal Time
Companion Fare
State Contract Fares
Travel Time in Excess of 14 Hours
Fly America Act
Book & Pay | Rewards Programs | Package Deals
See book & pay
Itinerary & Receipt Requirements
See receipts
Fare Classes
Basic Economy: Most restrictive (no seat selection as seat is assigned at check-in), lowest cost/boarding priority, least amount of flexibility for change/cancellations, baggage fees may include carry-on, allowed at traveler’s own risk
Economy: University standard for most economical or lowest logical cost, includes free seat selection, carry-on bags, standard boarding priority
Premium Economy2: Upgraded seat - more legroom and wider, seating in front of standard economy, priority boarding/check-in, may receive complimentary benefits
Business: Second section of the plane, comfortable seats for longer flights (14+ hours) such as a reclining seat and the ability to work on that longer flight, will receive complimentary benefits
First: An airline’s highest, most premium product, seating at the front of the plane, highest priority for check-in/boarding, will receive complimentary benefits; seats may include lie-flat, pods or suites
| Fare Comparison | Basic Economy3 | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also known as | Saver, Light | Coach, Main Cabin | Comfort | ||
| Includes | - | - | Coach or Economy Upgrade, Seat Fees2 | - | - |
| Most Economical / Lowest Logical Cost | Yes, Not Recommended | Yes, Highly Recommended | No | No | No |
| Boarding Order | Last | Standard | Priority | Priority | Priority |
| Free Advance Seat Selection | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Approval/Business Justification Required | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Upgrade eligible for 14 hour rule1 | - | - | Yes | Yes | No |
114 hour rule: Pre-trip approval required, international travel only, time is based on flight itinerary including layovers under 24 hours, federal funding is not eligible (See Airfare Upgrades & Approval).
2Seat Fees: Upgraded economy seats (also known as Preferred seats) OR seat assignment fees in basic economy fare require administrator approval and business justification (See Airfare Upgrades & Approval).
3Low-Cost Air Carriers: Frontier Airlines, Sun Country, Ryanair, Allegiant Air, easyJet, and more: Purchasing packages are considered seat fees and are at minimum a premium economy upgrade or higher. These air carriers allow flights to be purchased without packages, which will be treated as Basic Economy.
Non-refundable and refundable airfare – Please reference FAQ: What is the guidance between purchasing a non-refundable versus refundable airfare ticket? and the Change/Cancellation Policy
Airfare Upgrades & Approval
See airfare upgrades
Personal Time
See personal time
Companion Airfare
Amount(s) itemized to the UW business traveler(s) is what is eligible for reimbursement:
| Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|
| UW business traveler $400 (regular fare) | UW business traveler $99 (companion fare) |
| Personal traveler $99 (companion fare) | Personal traveler $400 (regular fare) |
| Reimbursable: $400 | Reimbursable: $99 |
See RCW 42.52.160
State Contract Fares
The UW also has access to Alaska Washington State contracted fares. These fares may be booked through a UW-contracted travel agency or Alaska's Atmos for Business Program. For more information and how to book, please visit the Alaska Airlines page.
Travel Time in Excess of 14 Hours
Travel time is calculated as the one-way from origin (airport) to destination (airport) including flight time and layovers. Documentation must include an itinerary with documented flight time. Do not include travel time to the airport or home from the airport.
Business class fare OR a foreign layover directly en route or at the final destination for brief rest period (not to exceed 24 hours) may be authorized, provided ALL the following conditions have been met:
- Business class upgrade is NOT ALLOWED ON FEDERALLY SPONSORED AWARDS. The layover option (brief rest period) may be taken on a federally sponsored award. See the PAFC webpage for more information.
- Have prior travel approval from an authorized person, can be on the out-of-state travel approval
- Origin or destination is outside the continental United States
Fly America Act
The Fly America Act is federal General Services Administration (GSA) policy that mandates the use of U.S. certificated air carriers for federally funded international travel. It is recommended to work with a UW contracted travel agency, as travel agents are experts in assuring Fly America compliance at the time of booking.
There are exceptions to using a US carrier, such as the when a US carrier is not available & the Open Skies Agreement that can potentially be met. See GSA Fly America Act for more information. For any questions regarding exceptions, contact GSA - travelpolicy@gsa.gov
Open Skies 'Cheat Sheet' from GSA's website:
Documenting exceptions: To document a Fly America exception or waiver, including under an Open Sky Agreement, you must include the following information in your travel reimbursement:
- A completed and signed internal agency Fly America exception form (Forms Page).
- A detailed travel itinerary from a travel agent or online travel service (i.e. Sanditz, Travelocity, Orbitz, or Expedia).
- The search results performed at the time of booking from an online travel service that document all available flights and the existence of the Fly America exception identified on the Fly America exception form, if applicable.