Travel
E-Travel News
January 2021 - Volume 13, Issue 1
In This Issue
- Personal Vehicle Mileage Rate for 2021
- New AAM Policy for Personal Deviations
- No-Show Reminder for State Travelers
Personal Vehicle Mileage Rate for 2021
Beginning on January 1, 2021, the standard mileage rate for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will decrease to $0.56 per mile driven for business use. The following reference documents & forms located on the Division of Finance Travel webpage have been updated to reflect the updated mileage rate for 2021.
- Privately Owned Vehicle Rates [PDF]
- Travel Authorization Form with Linked Travel Request [XLTM]
- Mileage Form [XLSC]
- Moving Expense Reimbursement Payroll Report [XLSX]
Note: When using the forms to calculate mileage, the date must be entered first. A browser refresh maybe required to access the updated forms.
New AAM Policy for Personal Deviations
Division of Finance and Division of Shared Services have partnered to update AAM 60.080 which will affect bookings made on or after January 1, 2021.
Approximately 10% of travel has some form of personal/deviated travel. Examples of common deviations include upgrading from economy class, extending the dates of a business trip, or choosing alternate routing from the official business location. All deviated travel requires a state authorized fare quote for the minimum business itinerary. Historically, 40-50% of deviated travel submitted to SSoA was missing a state authorized fare quote, resulting in either a returned submittal or an approximation of the quote. The following AAM language has been updated to implement an efficient and equitable policy that ensures the state is no longer paying for personal/deviated travel.
AAM 60.080 #3
A state-authorized fare quote must be obtained before personal travel is booked or at the time the travel is approved, whichever is later, for a price comparison to determine Traveler reimbursement. To ensure contract rates are applied the fare quote (air, car, and hotel) must be obtained in E-Travel Online by capturing the business itinerary and fare on the purchase page (no fee), or by calling the contracted travel agency (fee applies). After travel is complete, the Traveler must present a copy of the ticket receipt or itinerary showing payment and the state-authorized fare quote to obtain reimbursement. The state will reimburse the lesser amount of either the deviated ticket purchased or the state-authorized fare quote. If the Traveler cannot produce a state-authorized fare quote as instructed above, the Traveler will be eligible for a maximum allowance of $200 for a round-trip or multi-destination itinerary or $100 for a one-way itinerary, plus the authorized car and hotel expenses. The state will reimburse the lesser amount of either the deviated ticket purchased or the predetermined allowance.
Transmittal #99 to the Alaska Administrative Manual was issued and is effective January 1, 2021. Official communication from the Director of Division of Finance, Department of Administration was sent to Commissioners and Administrative Service Directors. In additional, over the past several months E-Travel Management and Shared Services have socialized this change with department finance officers and department travel administrators to help avoid travelers experiencing an unexpected financial impact.
The following resources have been developed to assist with the policy implementation:
- Personal Travel FAQs (Below are a few sample questions answered in the FAQs)
- What is personal or deviated travel?
- What is a state-authorized fare quote or minimum business itinerary?
- How much will the state reimburse?
- How do I obtain a valid state-authorized fare quote?
- How do I book and pay for my deviated travel?
- Creating a State Authorized Fare Quote
Questions regarding this update can be directed to your Department Travel Administrator.
No-Show Reminder for State Travelers
As a state funded traveler, please make every attempt to cancel or change travel plans in advance to avoid additional costs to the State.
Potential affects if travel is not cancelled in advance of departure:
- All your continuing and return flights will be cancelled.
- Your department may need to purchase an entirely new ticket for you to complete your trip.
- Hotels will impose their cancelation policy and charge the State the applicable no-show fee.
If you think you will miss your flight, immediately contact CTM using the phone number printed on your itinerary. If you change or cancel prior to the scheduled departure the value of your ticket can be used as a credit for a future flight (subject to change fees). When you contact CTM they will also update your car and hotel reservations to coincide with the change or cancellation.
- Changes within 72 hours of departure:
- Contact CTM by phone at 1-866-762-8728, or
- Contact the airlines or airport ticket agent
- Changes greater than 72 hours from departure:
- Change or cancel in E-Travel Online,
- Email e-travelhelp@travelctm.com, or
- Contact CTM by phone at 1-866-762-8728