In This Section
- Airfare Policy
- Car Rental Policy
- FAA Flight Delay Data
- Lodging Policy
- Other Expenses
- Private Aircraft
- Registration Fees
- Consolidator Tickets
- Currency Conversion
- Embassy Listings
- Export Control Rules Traveling Internationally
- Fly America Act
- Foreign Per Diem Rates by Location
- US Dept of State-Travel Info
- International Travel Policies
- International Travel Policies Students
- Study Abroad Student Policy
- Travel Regulations
Quick Links to Articles Below
- Airline Fly America Act
- Open Skies Agreement
- Car Rental Policy
- Consolidator Tickets
- Conversion Rates
- Export Controls and International Travel
- Foreign Travel Policy
- Foreign Per Diem Rates by Location
- Travel Agencies
- Travel Assistance/Insurance
- US State Department Travel Warnings
- Vaccinations - CDC
- Visa/Passport Requirements
- Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
- International Travel Policies Students
- International Travel Policies
Consolidator Tickets
Ticket Consolidators are agencies that purchase tickets in bulk from the airline. They primarily are found in larger cities and operate solely on international travel. However, they deal directly to most local travel agencies. The Preferred Agencies above can purchase these deeply discounted tickets from these consolidators for you. Quite often on tickets purchased from a consolidator, the original value of the ticket is preprinted and does not accurately reflect the actual reduced cost of the ticket.
For this reason, verification of the actual cost of these tickets is required for reimbursement. The preferable form of verification is the billing or itinerary from the travel agency showing the cost but may also be in the form of a canceled check or credit card statement showing payment to the agency. Because it is difficult to know which tickets reflect the actual cost and which ones are reduced, this verification is required on all foreign tickets purchased through non-local travel agencies, and on tickets purchased indirectly from a consolidator through a local agency.
Export Controls and International Travel
U.S. Export control laws apply to academic travelers and failure to comply can have grave consequences including civil and criminal sanctions, including imprisonment. The U.S. export controls are grounded in three separate sets of federal regulations. The embargo laws and regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) a unit of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).
Export Controls can arise due to the location of the travel, the people with whom you interact while traveling, the items you take with you or ship for use while abroad and the nature of the information you take with you, even if you do not intend to share it while abroad. For additional information about export controls see: http://dsp.research.uiowa.edu/export-controls-home
The U.S. export control regulations can be tedious and difficult to understand. If you have any questions about what, if any, export control regulations apply to your international travel, contact the Export Control Coordinator in the Division of Sponsored Programs for assistance at 335-3582 or export-control@uiowa.edu.
Airline Open Skies Agreements - Fly America Act
The Fly America Act was enacted in 1974 to mandate the use of U.S. flag air carriers for federally funded international travel. Since the Fly America Act's enactment, innumerable changes have taken place in the airline industry. Because of this evolution, the Fly America Act and the federal travel regulations promulgated under the act have been revised to allow travelers more flexibility while remaining in compliance with the law. The Federal Travel Regulations were written in a question and answer format making them easier to understand. (If you would like to review the regulations, see the U.S. General Services Administration web site).
The Federal Travel Regulations no longer require that international tickets be "issued" by a U.S. flag air carrier or "printed" on their "ticket stock". While international flights should be on U.S. flag air carriers whenever possible, the Federal Travel Regulations now permit flights on foreign air carriers when code sharing is present. In other words, the flight is considered the same as one operated by an U.S. flag air carrier. The U.S. flag air carrier's designator code, however, must be present in the area next to the flight numbers on the airline ticket, boarding pass, or on the documentation for an electronic ticket (passenger receipt).
For example, Delta Airlines has a code share agreement with KLM Airlines to Amsterdam. If the boarding pass (flight coupon) or e-ticket identifies a flight as DL #, the requirements of the Federal Travel Regulations would be met, even if the flight was on a KLM Airlines airplane. If however, the boarding pass (flight coupon) or e-ticket identifies the flight as a KL #, then the requirements of the Federal Travel Regulations would not be met.
What does this mean to you? If you are scheduling international travel that is federally funded, you must ensure that all flights, where possible, are scheduled on U.S. flag air carriers or on foreign air carriers that code share with a U.S. flag air carrier. To assist you in accomplishing this goal, see the list below all U.S. flag air carriers and their codes. In addition, it is highly recommended that you book your international travel through one of our Preferred Agencies. Please be sure to advise them that your trip is business related and should be validated on an American carrier.
Examples of situations that are in compliance and not in compliance with the Fly America Act are available for your review by clicking on these key words. It should be noted that not all federal agencies enforce the Fly America Act with the same fervor.
There are times when an exception may be appropriate. To document the exceptions, we rely on the Fly America Act Wavier. For example, there are instances when: a U.S. flag air carrier does not provide service on a particular leg of your trip; the use of a U.S. carrier will unreasonably delay your travel time; you are involuntarily rerouted; or for medical or safety reasons, etc. Use of the waiver checklist, though not required, will help you document the reason for use of a non-U.S. air carrier when they are required. ↑top
Open Skies Agreement
The Fly America Act was amended by various Open Skies Agreements. At first glance, these agreements would appear to allow the use of European carriers, such as Lufthansa. However, the Open Skies Agreements are nullified if there is a city-pair agreement in effect for that city. As the General Service Agency's site says there are now 5,000 city-pair agreements, the large cities to which UI employees are most likely to travel probably are covered by a city-pair agreement. Therefore, it is most likely that a U.S. flag air carrier would still have to be used.
The General Service Administration site allows you to check to see if there is a city-pair agreement in effect. The traveler could use this site as a means of justifying the use of federal funds for a carrier from the European Union (e.g., Aer Lingus, Air France, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic) if they could show that there was not a city-pair agreement in effect.
Federally funded "in-country" travel (e.g., Berlin to Munich) must still be on a U.S. flag air carrier if one is available.
U.S. Flag Carriers
In order for a flight to be in compliance with the Fly America Act, the code of a U.S. flag air carrier must be noted as part of the flight number on the airline ticket, flight coupon (boarding pass), passenger receipt or e-ticket. Each airline has a two letter alpha code. For example, United Airlines has a code of "UA". On an airline ticket, boarding pass or passenger receipt, this two digit code is designated just to the left of the flight number. From this list, you will be able to compare airline codes on the ticket with those on the list and thereby be able to ascertain whether or not the flight is on a US Flag air
A detailed list of U.S. flag air carriers and their two letter code is set forth below:
- Airtran Airways (FL)
- Alaska Airlines (AS)
- American Airlines (AA)
- Delta Airlines (DL)
- Frontier Airlines (F9)
- Hawaiian Airlines (HA)
- Southwest Airlines (WN)
- Spirit Airlines (NK)
- United Airlines (UA)
- US Airways (US)
Travel Assistance/Insurance
The University of Iowa offers medically based travel assistance through ZURICH TRAVEL ASSIST™ as a part of its Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance coverage. If you choose AD&D coverage as a part of your benefits package, you are covered by this medical and emergency assistance program. Zurich Travel Assist is in effect anytime you travel more than 100 miles from your home and can respond to medical and legal emergencies throughout the world. Benefits include medical evacuation, emergency medical referral, prescription assistance, and more. See the University Benefits AD&D Insurance page or https://www.zurichna.com/industries/travel for more information. Contact the UI Benefits office, 335–2676, if you have questions or need assistance with this program.