Procurement & Payment Services

Airline/Amtrack Tickets

Based on a directive from the New York State Comptroller and SUNY System Administration, a memorandum dated September 2000 notified agencies that all airline tickets must to be purchased through an authorized travel agent, (Carlson Albany Travel), using a Central Travel Account (CTA). Please take note of the following:

Effective February 8, 2008, faculty and staff must provide Carlson Albany Travel a state account number if charging their tickets to the Central Travel Account (CTA). Carlson Albany will be unable to charge reservations to the CTA without this information.*
Carlson Albany Travel charges a $15 service fee for each airline ticket and a $5 service fee for each Amtrak ticket.

Faculty and staff are not permitted to use personal credit cards or other means requiring reimbursement to pay for airline tickets obtained from other sources unless the following procedures are followed:

If a lower airfare is obtained via an internet site or other source, and the cost is at least $100 less than Carlson AlbanyTravel, call Carlson Albany Travel to inform them of the lower fee and give Carlson Albany Travel the opportunity to match it.
If Carlson Albany Travel cannot match the lower fare ticket, the traveler can then proceed with purchasing a ticket from a different source. The cost of the lower fare ticket should be included with other travel expenses submitted on the travel voucher for reimbursement at the conclusion of the trip.
When submitting the travel voucher paperwork to Procurement & Payment Services, documentation must be included that can be used for audit purposes that includes the dates that Carlson Albany Travel was contacted, the individual at Carlson Albany providing the information and pricing, and the date and name of the individual at Carlson Albany that declined to match the price.

*Faculty and staff unable to receive prior approval for their travel will need to use a personal credit card and seek reimbursement upon returning from the trip by using a travel voucher process. Please be aware that faculty and staff are still required to use Carlson Albany Travel for all campus airline/Amtrak reservations.

If you have any questions, please contact Gail Tipton, Procurement & Payment Services, at ext. 2338.