Travel

Employees and consultants are required to exercise care while incurring expenses for official travel arrangements. Our policy is to use the least expensive class of accommodations necessary to meet your needs and to accomplish the purpose of the assignment. Travel should be completed by the most direct, usually traveled route.

US domestic travel. This will be booked at the lowest nonrefundable fare. Premium economy fares will not be approved.

International travel. When arranging international flight schedules, consideration should be given to airfare cost, and options for alternate dates should be considered for cost savings. Travelers may depart for the outbound flight early enough to allow arrival in-country 24 hours before official work begins, or utilize a rest stop. Travelers may depart for the return flight the same night their business ends or choose to depart the next day.

Keylime accommodates the following classes of service based on project/client approval. Non-refundable fares are not allowed.

• Coach Class: Least expensive refundable penalty fare (a fare that allows for a refund).
• Premium Economy: Premium economy may be approved for travelers in cases when the origin/destination are OCONUS and flight time is over 8 hours, including layovers, where funds have been budgeted and it is an allowable expense.
• Business Class: Business class may be approved for travelers in cases when the origin/destination are OCONUS and flight time exceeds 22 hours, including layovers, where funds have been budgeted and it is an allowable expense, or in cases where an approved medical exception is on file.

Fly America Act & Open Skies Agreements. Keylime follows the Fly America Act & Open Skies Agreements exceptions, outlined below.

Fly America Act. A US flag carrier (i.e., an airline owned by an American company) must be utilized to the first international connecting point, regardless of cost or convenience. Code-sharing agreements with foreign air carriers, whereby US carriers purchase or have the right to sell a block of tickets on a foreign carrier, comply with the Fly America Act, if the ticket identifies the US carrier’s designator code and flight number.

Open Skies Agreements. The Open Skies Agreements are bilateral or multilateral agreements between the US Government and the governments of foreign countries that allow travelers to use foreign air carriers from these countries for government-funded international travel. Many Open Skies Agreements exist but only four agreements meet Fly America Act requirements.

• European Union (EU): Keylime travelers can use a US flag carrier or an EU air carrier for travel outside the United States. Iceland and Norway are not EU members, but are members of the EU air treaty. This is the only one of these four agreements that allows for an origin or destination in a third country as long as the flight stops in the EU. Note: As of January 1, 2021, the UK is no longer a member of the EU. Therefore, this Open Skies Agreement does not pertain to the U.K. Travelers must use a US flag carrier to travel from the US to the UK, not a UK airline (e.g., British Airways), unless they use a different Fly America Act exception.
• Australia: Keylime travelers can use US flag carriers or Australian airlines only if the origin/destination is either the US or Australia. Travelers cannot connect through Australia to another country using an Australian airline.
• Switzerland: Keylime travelers can use US flag carriers or Swiss airlines only if the origin/destination is either the US or Switzerland. Travelers cannot make a connection through Switzerland to another country using a Swiss airline.
• Japan – Keylime travelers can use US flag carriers or Japanese airlines only if the origin/destination is either the US or Japan. Travelers cannot make a connection through Japan to another country using a Japanese airline.

Taxi/Uber/Lyft. Reimbursement for taxi fares includes the actual cost of the fare plus gratuity. A receipt and justification are required for fares (including gratuities) over $75 and should include the date and destination.

Lodging. Keylime will reimburse the actual amount spent on lodging up to the limits for each city visited, as established by the General Services Administration (for travel within the US) and the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) (for travel outside of the US). Reimbursement is based on the Lodgings Plus Per Diem method of reimbursement. An itemized receipt with a zero balance or proof of payment is required for reimbursement.

For travel within CONUS, lodging per diem rates established by the US Government do not include room taxes; therefore, the room rate will be reimbursed up to the maximum per diem amount, with taxes reimbursed separately. For travel outside CONUS and in all foreign locations, the published DSSR lodging per diem rates do include room taxes and therefore separate claims for taxes will not be allowed.

Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE). Reimbursement of M&IE is based on the Lodgings Plus Per Diem method of reimbursement, using rates established by the federal government for each city visited. Per Diem allowances will not be adjusted for complimentary meals that are provided by common carriers such as airlines or trains or hotels.

Incidental expenses are part of the per diem rate and include things like laundry, porters, and tips. Meals provided in conjunction with meetings or functions attended must be documented and are excluded from per diem reimbursement.

The following additional limits are in effect:

Travel expense report. Keylime will reimburse supported travelers for costs incurred for official travel, provided they complete an expense report on Harvest. Unless otherwise stipulated in a contract, funding document or budget, Keylime will reimburse travelers for the cost of transportation and other related expenses based on the policies, restrictions, and rates established by the US Government. Expenses must be submitted via Harvest no later than 21 days after travel has been completed.