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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, (Travel Leaders/Albany Travel), using a Central Travel Account (CTA). Please take note of the following:
- Effective February 8, 2008, faculty and staff must provide Travel Leaders/Albany Travel a state account number if charging their tickets to the Central Travel Account (CTA). Travel Leaders/Albany will be unable to charge reservations to the CTA without this information.*
- Travel Leaders/ Albany Travel charges a $15.74 transaction fee for each airline ticket and a $5.25 transaction fee for each Amtrak or bus ticket.
- Please be aware that airlines may charge travelers an additional fee for baggage. Please check with the appropriate airline for specific policies related to baggage costs.
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 Travel Leaders/AlbanyTravel, call Travel Leaders/Albany Travel to inform them of the lower fee and give Travel Leaders/Albany Travel the opportunity to match it.
- If Travel Leaders/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 Travel Leaders/Albany Travel was contacted, the individual at Travel Leaders/Albany Travel providing the information and pricing, and the date and name of the individual at Travel Leaders/Albany Travel 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 Travel Leaders/Albany Travel for all campus airline/Amtrak reservations.
If you have any questions, please contact Gail Tipton, Procurement & Payment Services, at ext. 2338.
