Transportation

Travel may be achieved by plane, train, bus, taxi, private vehicle/aircraft, rented or state-owned automobile; whichever method serves the requirements of the university most economically and advantageously.

If choosing to drive rather than fly for distances greater than 800 miles round trip, the University of Arkansas will reimburse at the lower rate of flying verses driving. The comparison will include any additional fees associated with the type of travel (i.e., airport parking, gas, lodging costs due to extended travel, etc.). All comparisons must be done prior to travel and provided with the expense report documentation. 

Roundtrip mileage to XNA will be reimbursed as either actual mileage from your “official workstation” or your residence, whichever is less, when travel begins during normal working hours. If it is necessary to perform duties outside of normal working hours, then roundtrip mileage to XNA and back will be reimbursed as actual mileage from your residence. All actual mileage from your residence or “official workstation” should be calculated by using the Item Details for Google Maps within our ERP system. For one way mileage, simply leave roundtrip box unmarked and notation in memo field.

Commercial Airfare

  • Individuals whose travel is supported by federal funds should follow the guidance provided in the Fly America Act, regarding using American flag carrier airlines.
  • Travel by commercial air shall utilize coach class fare. In most instances, travelers purchase economy coach, non-refundable tickets, BUT if there could potentially be a conflict with your travel, you have the option of purchasing a fully refundable coach ticket.  Please Note: these tickets are more expensive, so should only be utilized when there is the potential to change the flight dates and/or times or cancel the flight. (Name changes are no longer allowed for American Airlines tickets. Please purchase refundable tickets for infrequent travelers.)
  • Tickets should be purchased at least 14 days in advance when possible.  Airline tickets purchased less than 14 days in advance require additional justification.  This justification can be supplied within the Concur Booking tool, OR if you used personal funds to purchase your ticket, the justification can be written on the itinerary or expense report. 
  • No business or first-class tickets may be purchased without written approval by the Travel Office prior to purchase. For international flights approximately 8 hours in duration, fares up to business-class may be purchased without prior authorization if the department allows it.
  • Preferred seating for airline tickets should not be selected by travelers unless no other seating is available and must be justified in writing with the expense report. With special authorization by the Travel Office, preferred seating may be allowable when flying internationally and the flight is approximately 8 hours in duration, when booking an Economy class fare.
  • Basic flight (trip) insurance offered by the airline on round trip commercial airline tickets of $1,000 or more is reimburseable.  The insurance should cover the cost of the ticket in the event of flight cancellations or delays caused by weather conditions, mid-flight diversions that force arrival at a different airport, or unexpected injury or illness that prohibits travel. 
    • The purchase of travel insurance is not normally reimbursed unless there is a specific reason that the trip may have to be postponed.
  • No upgrades in airline cost are permitted for the personal comfort of the traveler.  (i.e., upgrade from economy class just for additional leg room on flight
  • TSA Pre-Check fees are not allowable.
  • Passport fees are not allowable.

When purchasing an airline ticket, you may use a university t-card or personal funds.

  • If using a university t-card, the airfare must be purchased using either the Concur Booking Tool or by contacting Anthony Travel directly (unless an exemption has been granted by the Travel Office).  Information regarding the use of Anthony Travel or the Concur Booking tool is available here. Note:  Payment made for an airline ticket using the Administrative or Traveler T-card includes $500,000 life insurance in the event of an airline disaster. 
  • If purchasing a ticket with personal funds you have the option of using any reputable source; however, you must be aware that you will not be reimbursed for this amount until AFTER the trip has ended and the Expense Report has been processed by the Travel Office. This is very important to know since many times these tickets are purchased well in advance of your trip.

Privately Owned Aircraft

When a privately owned aircraft is used for travel on University business, the rate of reimbursement will be the rate as established by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State. This rate is currently .52 cents per nautical mile. Please see Fayetteville Policy and Procedure 302.1 for mandatory requirements for approval of privately owned aircraft. Mileage calculator for privately owned aircraft.

Charter Flights

When it is necessary for employees to charter a plane, the total cost is reimbursable. If, however, the plane was chartered only for the personal convenience of employees, reimbursement shall be limited to the cost of airfare for a "scheduled" airline flight to the same location.

Private Vehicle

If a private vehicle is used, mileage shall be reimbursed and computed using map mileage. Mileage shall be computed from the traveler’s official station or residence; whichever is less, to the destination. Reimbursement will be the rate as established by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, which is currently $.52 cents per mile.

The university will reimburse for official miles driven only. The university assumes no responsibility for any maintenance, insurance, operational costs, accidents, or fines incurred by the owner of the vehicle while on official business for the university.

Individuals driving their own private vehicles on university business are entitled to vicinity mileage reimbursement. This amount must be listed separately.

Vehicle Rental

Vehicles should be rented only when it is more cost advantageous than driving your personal car or taking a taxi or shuttle when out of town.  When a vehicle is rented, unless you are renting the vehicle on foreign soil, you are not to take out the additional car insurance that will be offered to you at the rental agency. 

We have a mandated State contract for car rentals with Enterprise/National and Hertz. When renting vehicles within the State of Arkansas and where available within the United States, the mandatory Enterprise/National and Hertz rental car contracts must be utilized unless a documented exception is noted by the Travel Office. 

For more information about rental cars, please visit the Car Rental page.

Students: If driving (personal or rental vehicle), all drivers must complete the driver safety training module and take a short quiz on HogSync. The quiz can be found here.

The driver safety training module and related quiz needs to be successfully completed only once during your UofA college career unless changes are made to the program. If you have viewed the Drivers Safety video per the previous program, you do not have to complete the driver safety training module as is listed above. Questions concerning the program can be direted to the Office of Student Activities, ARKU A665, at 575-5255.