COVID-19 Standards and Guidelines: Travel Management
Effective on September 30, 2020 the University published the COVID-19 Standards and Guidelines: Travel Management. These guidelines have been approved by the Healthcare Advisory Group and the appropriate Sr. Vice Chancellors. All travelers should take a few moments to review these guidelines and note that not following the guidance can result in not being reimbursed. Key items include:
- All travel paid by the University must be booked through Concur/Anthony Travel. The traveler will not be reimbursed for travel booked outside of Concur/Anthony Travel unless they present evidence with their expense report that extenuating circumstances prevented access to Concur or the ability to contact AT.
- The University’s Travel Card must be used for all domestic and international travel expenses paid by the University.
- Changes to non-personal international travel made outside of Concur/Anthony Travel should be added manually in the International SOS MyTrips portal.
- All travel itineraries paid for by another host institution must be registered manually.
For complete details please visit the University's COVID-19 Standards and Guidelines page.
Expense Processing Reminders
- When submitting registration costs for a virtual event, you must utilize the expense type “VIRTUAL CONFERENCE/SEMINAR/COURSE REGISTRATION”.
- Reminder that donations, sponsorships, and gift cards are not reimbursable in accordance with University Policy FN 28, University Travel, Business Entertainment, Honoraria, and Miscellaneous Reimbursable Expenses.
- When submitting any expense report inquires, include the Report Key. The Report ID should not be used.
Enterprise Car Rental
Inventory for rental vehicles is currently very tight due to the increase in car rentals as a result of travelers renting vehicles in lieu of flying as well as a shortage of new vehicles due to semiconductor computer chips being unavailable to auto manufactures for new vehicles. Enterprise has advised that all travelers should reserve a vehicle as soon as they think they may be requiring a rental. The reservation can be canceled at any time without penalty. If you encounter a sold out situation in Concur when trying to book, please email Anthony Travel requesting assistance with securing a rental. Include the following information in the email:
- Renters Name
- Location Vehicle is Needed
- Vehicle Type
- Pick Up Date
- Pick Up Time
- Return Date
- Return Time
- Emerald Club number (if applicable)
Travel and Expense Management Lunch and Learn
We will resume the Travel and Expense Management Lunch & Learn series on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 11:30-1:00. The Lunch and Learn series reviews important information related to the travel and expense management programs and provides an opportunity for Q&A.
Use this link to save this event to your calendar and join the webinar on May 19, at 11:30am using the included Zoom link. Please note, you will be required to sign into Zoom using your @Pitt email address in order to access the meeting and pre-registration is not required.
If you require an accommodation for a disability to participate in this event, please contact Purchase Pay & Travel Communications by May 14, 2021.
Unused Airline Ticket Bank
In the fall, we asked for input from each Responsibility Center’s Business Manager on improvements to the process for effective and fair utilization of unused airline tickets due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Using this feedback and working with Anthony Travel, we have created a central unused airline ticket bank to ensure that unused tickets do not expire.
The value of unused airline tickets which were booked through Anthony Travel and charged to subcode 8119 for COVID-19 expenses are now part of the University’s central unused airline ticket bank. Any employee traveling for approved University-related business, in accordance with the University’s operational postures and the COVID-19 Standards and Guidelines for Travel Management, should use this ticket bank for any new airline bookings until it is exhausted.
How to Utilize the Unused Airline Ticket Bank:
- Call Anthony Travel to initiate the booking at (844) 583-5963 or (412) 246-9024, or book online via Concur. Note: If booking online, you will be contacted by Anthony Travel about your use of the ticket bank.
- For all non-05 sponsored project travel: The traveler’s department will be charged for the new ticket cost at the time of the booking.
- For 05 sponsored project travel ONLY: All new 05 sponsored project travel booked through the unused airline ticket bank will not be charged to the department/project, but will be applied to subcode 8119 since the initial expense remains on the project. All 05 sponsored project travel must be specifically identified at time of booking to ensure usage is tracked in the general ledger account.
Important Reminders:
- All expenses for travel cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions that are NOT charged to 05 sponsored projects should be charged to subcode 8119 (COVID-19 related expense). Units should debit 8119 and credit the travel expense subcode that was charged. The costs will remain in 8119 and will not cancel out yet; however, the Controller’s Office is in the process of determining the reimbursement process and more information will be forthcoming.
- Unused airline tickets booked outside of Anthony Travel are not included in the central unused airline ticket bank. Booking travel through Anthony Travel/Concur provides a variety of benefits.
Travel Requests
Under the current COVID-19 Operational Postures all travel requires preapproval. Guidance on submitting a travel request is located on the Purchasing, Pay, & Travel training page. Please include the accurate entity, department, purpose, project and reference numbers in the travel request. Anthony Travel will ask for the Request ID created for this trip when working with you to book your reservations.
Do Not Travel Advisory List
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of State on April 20th have listed over 100 countries to the Level Four: DO NOT TRAVEL advisory list. Before planning any travel please visit the CDC’s website or the U.S Department of State’s website for a complete listing of all countries on this DO NOT TRAVEL list.