The Fly America Act requires you to fly on an American carrier when going abroad if using Federal dollars. Graduate students, check with your advisor where your reimbursement will be coming from to see whether or not it is Federal money.
There are always, of course, a few exceptions. For example, if a US carrier does not fly to your destination city, you may book on a foreign carrier. However, you must DOCUMENT your reasoning for booking a foreign carrier, otherwise you WILL NOT be reimbursed. When in doubt, document everything!
Please see the here for NYU's policies: Fly America and NYU
Here is a link to the actual Fly America Act:
http://www.tvlon.com/resources/FlyAct.html
Here is a link to NYU's business expense policy: https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/policies-and-guidelines/financial-affairs.html
Please also note a couple things:
- The Principal Investigator (PI) in writing, needs to approve of your travel plans before you purchase anything (use this form); if you are the PI, NYU now wants your fiscal officer/Chair to approve your trip prior to purchase (to ensure we're compliant with the Fly America Act and lessen risk of audits)
- Must have detailed back-up documentation of you actually taking the trip (boarding pass - they now would like this); Accounts Payable will no longer be accepting just a credit card statement with the price of the plane ticket. Additionally, you should try to include as much documentation as possible (itinerary for conference, etc).
- Instead of keeping receipts from each meal, you may be reimbursed on a per diem basis. The rate will be determined by the PI. If the traveler is not away for a full day, the per diem rate will be prorated based on the beginning or end time of travel.
Feel free to contact Carole-Anne Ishimine O'Neill (Grants Manager), Stan Usherenko (Financial Analyst) or your Center Administrator if you have any questions.