Travel Office Policies and Letters to Employees
Notification of change in policy on travel expense reimbursements
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
Effective May 1, we are making the following changes to corporate travel policies.
Because of special discounts negotiated by the company with preferred airlines, all airline reservations must be made through our approved travel Web site portal, www.travel.consolidatedintergalactic.com.
If the suggested schedules presented by the program do not meet your needs, you can contact the Travel Office help desk at extension 4444 during regular working hours for assistance. There is also a special 24-hour hotline available for emergency travel arrangements or for unexpected changes to travel that is already underway; that number is listed on the travel Web site portal.
After May 1, Consolidated Intergalactic may choose to refuse reimbursement for any airline tickets purchased by employees outside of the travel Web site portal.
Please review these new policies carefully.
Per diem expenses for travel
From Travel Office to employees
Based on the latest cost analysis prepared for the company by our travel consultant, we are adjusting the per diem reimbursement rates for company authorized travel.
The base allowable rate for travel is $160 per day. This includes as much as $110 per day for lodging and $50 per day for meals and incidental expenses. The per diem for the first and last days of travel allows 75 percent of the meal and incidental expense rate and only includes lodging expenses if necessary.
Meals and incidental expenses are defined as including meals, snacks, tips, and applicable taxes. Consolidated Intergalactic does not reimburse for entertainment (unless related to a sales call and preapproved by a supervisor) or personal expenses such as clothing, dry cleaning or laundry services, or sundries.
All common carrier travel, including airline, train, and bus service as well as car rentals must be prearranged by the Travel Office. Local travel, including taxis, will be reimbursed on the basis of receipts submitted to the Accounts Payable Office.
The following locations have an allowable per diem of as much as 150 percent of the base rate for lodging and 150 percent of the base rate for meals and incidentals: Albany, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Newark, and Tampa.
The following locations have an allowable per diem of as much as 200 percent of the base rate for lodging and 150 percent of the base rate for meals and incidentals: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
For international travel, and if you anticipate or encounter exceptionally high costs on a particular business trip please contact the Travel Office help desk at extension 3231 before you incur expenses that may not be allowable.
Car rental policies
From Travel Office to employees
Any employee who rents a car for business purposes is asked to adhere to the following company rules:
• Make reservations through one of the four authorized rental agencies with which Consolidated Intergalactic has master contracts and use our discount code for direct billing. The four companies (Badgett, Evis, Harts, and International) offer vehicles in more than 95 percent of the airports in the United States. You must obtain pre-approval from the Travel Office to book through another agency.
• The standard rental class for business travel is a midsized car. You must obtain pre-approval from the Travel Office to rent a full-size or specialty vehicle (including vans).
• Decline all additional insurance packages on vehicle rentals made through one of the four authorized agencies. Our master contract applies corporate insurance coverage to rentals.
• Decline prepaid gasoline plans; return all rental vehicles with a full tank of gas.
Notification of preferred travel providers
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
Effective immediately, we have made changes to our preferred travel providers including airlines, car rental agencies, and hotels.
Attached to this memo is a list of approved companies including discount codes that must be provided at the time any reservation is made. It is each employee’s responsibility to assure that proper procedures are followed as outlined on the list.
If you experience any difficulty in making travel arrangements before a trip begins or once it is underway, please contact the Travel Office help desk at extension 4444 during regular working hours, or the special twenty-four-hour hotline listed on the travel Web site portal. Any arrangements that involve an airline, hotel, or car rental agency not on the CI Preferred Travel Provider list must be approved in advance by the Travel Office or the hotline.
Policy on unauthorized travel expenses
From Travel Office to employees
All employees who travel on behalf of Consolidated Intergalactic are advised of the following adjustments to the employee manual that describe certain expenses that will not be reimbursed by the company:
• Personal entertainment, including theater tickets, sporting events, and other shows except as preauthorized by a department head for salespersons and executives meeting with current or potential clients.
• In-room video entertainment including premium television channels and DVD or videotape rentals.
• Personal sundries and dry cleaning or laundry services with the following exception: employees traveling for more than seven consecutive days may increase their allowable per diem by $20 to include such items as necessary.
If you have any questions about allowable expenses on business travel, please contact the Travel Office help desk at extension 3231 before you incur expenses that may not be allowable.
Notification of contract with outside travel agency for transportation reservations
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
Effective immediately, all reservations for airline and train travel, car rental, and hotels are to be made through Go Away Travel Services (GATS), a professional corporate travel service.
GATS will ensure that Consolidated Intergalactic receives the best available negotiated rates with travel providers and assist all employees in following guidelines. Agents for GATS will be authorized to grant exemptions to per diem rates for lodging when necessary.
All employees are asked to communicate with GATS through the Consolidated Intergalactic Travel Office. Calls to extension 3737 will be connected to an agent at GATS.
In addition, any employee who needs emergency assistance while on company travel because of changes in appointments, cancellations or delays of flights, or other reasons can call a twenty-four-hour hotline at GATS. The phone number will be listed on your travel confirmations.
Request for more details of travel plans
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employee
Regarding your request to travel to the Global Gadget Trade Show in Geneva, Switzerland in May: Your presentation is scheduled for May 2 and your proposed itinerary includes a return on May 10.
Please advise whether there is any other company business that necessitates your staying in Geneva for an additional week.
If you choose to stay in Geneva for personal reasons, please contact Human Resources to arrange for use of your available vacation days. Reimbursement for hotel and meal expenses would end on May 3.
Policy on attendance at conference or seminar
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
Please be aware that the company reserves the right to limit the number of attendees at national or international trade shows; all travel to such events must be pre-approved by departmental supervisors.
We will make an effort to rotate assignments to major trade shows so that each employee who might benefit from attending receives a chance at least once every other year.
Approval of attendance at conference or seminar
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employee
Your request to attend the Global Gadget Show has been approved. Please contact the Travel Office to make arrangements; because of the large number of attendees from the company, we will be seeking to book blocks of hotel rooms near the convention site.
Requesting more information about conference or seminar before approval
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employee
Regarding your request to attend a seminar on international trade tariffs, please provide more information on how it pertains to your job assignment here at Consolidated Intergalactic. As your supervisor, I am required to approve any international travel before arrangements are made by the Travel Office.
Denying attendance at conference or seminar
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
I have reviewed the information you have provided and have determined that it would not be a good use of our limited resources to send you to Istanbul to attend the seminar on international trade tariffs.
I appreciate the fact that you are looking for ways to increase your background and skills, and hope we can find another opportunity of this sort in the future.
Proposed travel plans for approval by employee
From Travel Office to employee
Please review the attached proposed travel arrangements for your upcoming trip to Paris. We have made a few modifications in flight schedules and shifted your hotel to a location more convenient to the convention center.
We will make final bookings on May 5; please advise us of any problems with the suggested itinerary before that date.
Approval of conference registration
From Travel Office or Training Department to employee
This is to notify you that we have confirmed and prepaid your registration at the Global Gadget Show in Geneva in May. Your credentials and schedule will be sent directly to you within the next two weeks.
Confirming details of approved trip, with details of travel policy
From Travel Office or Training Department to employee
We have approved your request for travel to Geneva in May. Please note that because you have chosen to extend your stay in Switzerland for a week, using vacation time, we are unable to book your flights in business class. Company policy only permits use of business class for trips that do not include such personal days.
Approval of travel plans
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
Your request for travel to Geneva, Switzerland for a trade show has been approved. Please review the attached itinerary to make sure it meets your needs; advise the Travel Office help desk of any proposed changes before April 15.
Qualified approval of travel plans
From Travel Office or Accounts Payable to employees
We have received your request for approval of an international trip in May. In the paperwork you included, you proposed flying out of Chicago to Geneva on April 30; our travel consultant suggests that the total cost of the trip would be considerably less if you departed on a Sunday and stayed over a night in Switzerland. Is this acceptable to you?
From Employee to Travel Office
Request for approval of travel plans
From employee to Travel Office or Accounts Payable
As per the regulations of the employee manual, I am writing to seek approval for an international trip. I have been invited to make a presentation at the Global Gadget Trade Show in Geneva, Switzerland in May.
Details of the trip are attached, as is approval from my departmental supervisor.