Regulations and Guidance

Travel Status

 

R05.02.060.A.(5)

  1. A traveler is considered in travel status from the time the traveler leaves a work station/residence to when the traveler returns to their work station (during work hours) or residence (outside of work hours).
  2. A traveler’s work station is the community where the traveler spends the major portion of working time, or the place to which the traveler normally returns upon completion of assignments.
  3. A traveler’s residence is the community within a 50 mile radius of where the traveler maintains a dwelling. If a traveler maintains more than one residence, the residence most clearly related to the traveler’s work station will be considered the traveler’s principal residence.
  4. A traveler is not in travel status for local travel within a 50 mile driving radius of their residence or work station. A mileage reimbursement form may be used to reimburse local transportation costs when the criteria for travel status are not met. However, the mileage representing the regular commuting mileage from personal residence may not be reimbursed.
  5. Travel status sets the time frame of business travel for per diem, compensation, allowable business expense, and insurance.
  6. Travel status should be for the minimum amount of time required to conduct university business.
  7. A traveler may travel the day prior to business if the only available scheduled flights depart prior to 7:00 a.m. and a traveler may stay an extra night after business concludes if the only available scheduled flights arrive after 10:00 p.m.
  8. A rest period of 24 hours or less is allowable, at either an intermediate point or at the traveler’s destination, if the scheduled business transit time exceeds 14 hours. When a rest stop is authorized the applicable per diem rate is the rate for the rest stop location.
  9. If the traveler is on leave and is required to travel for university business, the leave location is considered the home/work station for the purpose of establishing travel status. This does not require a comparison itinerary.
  10. If travel status is expected to be longer than one year, for stay in one location, it is considered a change in duty location and not university business travel.

Travelers are not required to arrive the day their business beings if the only available scheduled flights depart before 7 a.m. Travelers are not required to leave the day their business ends if the only available scheduled flights arrive after 10 p.m.

Essentially, the regulations allow travelers some flexibility in arriving the day before business start and leaving the day after business end. 

This does not allow travelers to arrive two days prior to business start to avoid a red-eye or late-night flight. Unfortunately, most travel between the East Coast and Alaska requires either an early morning departure or a late-night arrival.

However, a rest period of 24 hours or less is allowable if the scheduled business transit time exceeds 14 hours. The traveler may take their rest period at either an intermediate point or the business destination.

Scenario 1: A UAA employee runs work errands around Anchorage and seeks reimbursement for their mileage costs during this time. The employee can submit a mileage reimbursement form to their campus finance office (e.g. Accounts Payable). They should not run this type of reimbursement through Concur since they are within the 50-mile driving radius of their work station

Scenario 2: A UAS employee is attending a business meeting in Anchorage on Monday. The meeting starts at 8 a.m. which requires the employee to travel on a flight leaving before 7 a.m. The employee can travel to Anchorage on Sunday.

Scenario 3: Alternatively, their meeting ends on Monday at 8 p.m. The next available flight after their meeting does not arrive in Juneau until 10:30 p.m. The employee can return home on Tuesday.

Scenario 4: A UAF employee is attending a conference in Puerto Rico on Monday. The lowest logical cost flight requires a total transit time of 16 hours. The employee can begin travel to Puerto Rico on Saturday with the option of staying Saturday night at an intermediate point such as Orlando.