When the most efficient travel is by air, reimbursement will be limited to coach fare except for the instances noted below:
An employee may upgrade his/her travel class at any time by paying the incremental cost. A letter of explanation will be required for any exceptions.
Note: The last page of the ticket showing the itinerary and costs, usually called the "passenger receipt", is required for reimbursement.
Wellesley agrees in general that frequent flier points accumulated by employees traveling on College business belong to the individual, not the College. The traveler, in turn, has the responsibility to the College never to elect more expensive travel alternatives in order to accrue frequent flier mileage credit.
When planning your airline itinerary, consider the following cost-saving strategies.
Stay over one Saturday night at your outward destination. Most deeply discounted air fares require staying over a Saturday night. Compare the cost of hotel and meal expense of staying Saturday night to the savings in air fare. If the cost of staying over is less, the traveler is encouraged to stay over the Saturday night and the College will reimburse the traveler for Saturday night lodging and meals.
Make reservations in advance. The most deeply discounted fares are available when purchased three to thirty days before departure. Most of these fares are non-refundable but the fare paid can be applied to a future non-refundable ticket for travel on the same airline upon payment of a fee (usually $25 - $50).
Be flexible in selection of airlines and times of travel. One airline may have a promotional fare not offered by competing carriers.