Many students, post-doctoral scholars, faculty and staff travel on behalf of Stanford. To be reimbursed for this travel, travelers and travel arrangers must follow university policy; in most cases airfare for university-sponsored travel must be booked through a Stanford Travel booking channel.
This article provides helpful guidance on several common questions that the Travel Team receives about booking travel. For recent business expense updates, visit Business Expense Updates and Hot Topics. For Purchasing and Contracts updates, visit Purchasing and Contracts Updates and Hot Topics.
For general help with the Stanford Travel program, policy, or reimbursements, please submit a support request. To speak with a member of the Stanford Travel team about travel booking questions, please call 1-650-497-1214, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST.
Stanford Travel launches a new booking channel, Key Travel, on March 20, 2023.
Key Travel is the world’s largest travel management company specializing in the humanitarian and academic sectors. In addition to Stanford-negotiated rates, Key Travel offers flexible academic rates for international airfares that are exclusive to the academic sector. Unique features include the ability to book multiple travelers (e.g., family members) on the same reservation and provide Fly America Act guidance for federally funded travel.
Effective immediately, FCM is no longer able to book new reservations for university travelers. Travelers with an existing FCM reservation can still reach out to FCM if they need to change or cancel a booking. The designated team of FCM agents remains available to assist travelers with any inquiries about existing trips; reach out to them via email (@email) or phone at 1-800-832-3445.
Going forward, Stanford Travel recommends Key Travel for travel that is complex or requires booking multiple travelers on the same reservation. Please visit the Stanford Travel Program page for details on how to contact one of the designated Key Travel agents.
With many travel activities resuming in full force in 2023, the Stanford Travel team is looking forward to a new year full of possibilities! A small, but mighty crew with over 75 years of combined travel industry experience, this team focuses on providing high-quality support for Stanford travelers.
To ensure high levels of customer service, the team works closely with Stanford Travel's multiple booking channels, develops partnerships with preferred suppliers, and collaborates with campus partners (Financial Support Center, Card Services, Business Expense, and Global Risk Management) on a variety of services to support Stanford travelers and travel arrangers.
Learn more about the team, recent enhancements, and how they support you.
The Stanford Travel program provides negotiated discounts for hotels in Palo Alto and the surrounding vicinity for Stanford employees, affiliates or visitors traveling to the area for university business. The easiest way to take advantage of these discounts is to make a reservation through a Stanford Travel booking channel.
Hotels offering these discounted rates include The Westin, Sheraton Palo Alto, Hotel Citrine, and more! Discounts vary by hotel and are subject to availability. New to the program this year - The Graduate Hotel which is nestled in the heart of downtown Palo Alto and within walking distance of the university!
To view the full list of participating hotels, please visit the Stanford Travel Local Hotel Program page.
Delta to Offer Free Wi-Fi
On February 1, Delta Air Lines will begin offering free inflight Wi-Fi to its SkyMiles loyalty program members. The new benefit is part of a larger "vision for personalized travel" for members that also will include access to certain content and exclusive offers. Dubbed Delta Sync, the program's perks will roll out through 2023 and 2024. The free Wi-Fi, in partnership with T-Mobile, will be onboard most domestic mainline flights to start, according to the carrier. More than 700 Viasat-equipped aircraft will be enabled with free Wi-Fi by the end of 2023. It also will be available on most international aircraft by mid-2024, and most regional aircraft by the end of 2024, according to Delta.
United Airlines and Emirates Partnership
United Airlines and Emirates recently announced an agreement that will enhance their networks and give customers easier access to hundreds of destinations within the U.S. and around the world. United Airlines will offer a new direct flight in March 2023 between New York/Newark and Dubai. From there, customers can travel on Emirates or its sister airline flydubai to more than 100 cities. United MileagePlus members can earn miles when traveling on Emirates or flydubai, and Emirates Skywards members will be able to earn miles when they travel on United operated flights. Emirates has also partnered with Air Canada to offer reciprocal loyalty benefits.
Biometric Screening Technology
An entirely biometrics-based airport screening system is poised to eliminate the hassles of navigating through airport security. Passengers’ faces will become their “digital IDs” for all checkpoints along their air journey. Visit the TSA’s Biometric Technology page for more information on the proposed rollout.
Local Hotel Spotlight: Hotel Citrine
Hotel Citrine is conveniently located in Palo Alto, just 12 miles from San Jose International Airport and minutes from Stanford University. The hotel's signature guest rooms and suites feature sustainable bedding, eco-friendly finishes and a color palette inspired by nature. The hotel's restaurant, Wild Onion Bistro & Bar, offers California cuisine that is seasonal and locally sourced, with handcrafted cocktails and a curated selection of local wine. Hotel Citrine is a beautiful setting for meetings and events in Silicon Valley, featuring a flexible gathering space, private dining room and patio for outdoor events. Get discounted hotel rates on university business travel through Stanford Travel's booking channels.
As a result of our partnership with Alaska Airlines, Stanford Travel is pleased to announce a new promotion! From January 1 through March 31, 2023, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members in California will only need to fly two round trips on qualifying flights to earn MVP status, or four round trips to earn MVP Gold status.
Learn more or enroll through this Alaska Airlines link.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended the enforcement date of the REAL ID by 24 months, from May 3, 2023 to May 7, 2025. Passengers must show a REAL ID, a REAL ID-compliant Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), or a passport to board domestic flights. For students who fly domestically, this means that they will need this identification to fly home at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.
A REAL ID is available from the state’s driver’s licensing agency. To learn more about the REAL ID, visit the Department of Homeland Security’s REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
When booking travel, the traveler is responsible for ensuring that airfare, lodging, and ground transportation are booked in accordance with the university’s policies. Stanford Travel booking channel systems do not flag bookings that are out of Stanford’s policy.
During the booking process, however, the booking channel systems do provide messages about important travel topics and updates. To help ensure smoother travel, travelers should always review this messaging (shown below) when it appears in the booking channel system.
Car rentals for university-sponsored travel are available for faculty, staff, and students, including young adults and guests. The minimum and maximum age to rent cars varies by state, country and vehicle type. Renters are responsible for confirming their age eligibility with the booking channel or car rental company at time of rental.
Youthful Driver Surcharges waived by Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Most car rental companies charge Youthful Driver Surcharges for renters under 25 years old. These surcharges are waived by Enterprise for eligible renters who are 21-24 years old and rent a vehicle via the Stanford Travel booking channels Egencia or FCM.
Booking and Paying for Guest Car Rentals through Enterprise Rent-a-Car: Enterprise offers a process for paying for rental cars for guests booked on domestic travel in Egencia. By creating an Enterprise rental car direct billing agreement, the traveler can rent a car without needing to pay for the rental with their personal credit card. Refer to How to Pay for an Enterprise Car Rental for Guests for more information.
As a reminder, the Enterprise Palo Alto location also offers special rates and rental procedures. Discounted rentals are available for Stanford faculty, staff, and students, including students ages 18-20, at Enterprise’s Palo Alto location at 814 San Antonio Road. Please visit Stanford Transportation’s Enterprise Rent-A-Car page for additional information.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's new Airline Customer Service Dashboard describes services that U.S. airlines provide, such as meal vouchers or hotel accommodations, to mitigate passenger inconveniences when a flight is canceled or delayed due to circumstances within the airline’s control. With flight disruptions expected to continue through the next year, it's important to understand what to expect if your flight(s) are impacted.
Southwest Airlines is offering an exciting new promotion just for Stanford travelers! Register from October 15, 2022 through December 31, 2022 to receive promotional A-List status on Southwest Airlines for 90 days. And there is even an opportunity to extend the A-List status for 12 months. Please see the flyer for more details and the link to register (if requested, log in with your Stanford email [SUNet@stanford.edu] to view the flyer).
Effective immediately, travelers have the option to book their hotel outside of the Stanford Travel program but must use the itinerary-forwarding service to send itineraries to InternationalSOS. Since booking a hotel through Stanford Travel offers benefits such as automatic updating of reservation changes and administrative efficiencies, Stanford Travel remains the preferred option wherever possible.
Similarly, travelers are no longer required to reserve a car through the Stanford Travel program, but may continue to choose to do so for convenience and time-savings gains.
For more information, visit the Travel Booking Policy Update news article.
As a part of Stanford Travel's ongoing promotions, travelers who book flights using Stanford Travel booking channels and include their airline, hotel, and car rental loyalty membership numbers, i.e., frequent flyer numbers, can be entered to win monthly travel prizes from August 1 to December 15, 2022. Prizes include airline club passes, hotel stays, and more!
Follow the instructions on how to add loyalty membership numbers in your reservation for Egencia and FCM.
For tickets already issued, travelers must contact the airline directly to add their loyalty number to the reservation.
The optional eReceipts app allows Stanford travelers or Purchasing Card (PCard) cardholders to take and upload pictures of business and travel expense receipts with a mobile device, tag them with an expense type, add comments if needed, and share them directly with their preparers and verifiers.
In response to feedback from users, the eReceipts app rolls out to campus with enhanced features:
- Reduced the number of expense type options displayed for TCard and personal expenses
- Provided a drop-down menu to view expense types more easily on a mobile device
- Added a help link to the top of the mobile device screen used to add receipt
Learn more about the app, check out updated resources and join a live demo on the eReceipts news page.
The Stanford Travel team has eliminated or reduced fees for agent-assisted booking on both the Egencia and FCM booking channels. The team took this step to make agent assistance more cost effective at Stanford and reduce the administrative burden of expensing Stanford-sponsored travel.
Travelers and travel arrangers may book Stanford-sponsored travel on the Egencia booking channel either online or through an agent. Until now, fees for agent-assisted bookings (for airfare, hotel, car rental, and more) could be as high as $33, but there is no fee for agent-assisted bookings made on or after July 6, 2022.
Airline booking fees have also been reduced from $40 to $25 for the FCM booking channel as of July 6. FCM specializes in small groups and complex travel booked exclusively through an agent.
To see the new fee structure, visit the Travel Management Fee Schedule on Fingate. For reference, the old fee structure will also remain published at this link until the fall.
Note: Egencia fees will still apply for Savings Finder and Meetings travel.
On select routes within California, Stanford Travel partner Alaska Airlines is now offering free upgrades to premium and first class seats to Stanford travelers, when available. The upgrades are given 90 minutes before departure time. This benefit applies to all university-sponsored travel booked through Egencia or FCM (Stanford Travel) booking channels. No additional steps are required to receive the seat upgrade.
To learn more, please see the Alaska Airlines flyer. (If requested, sign in with your Stanford email address (SUNET@stanford.edu) to access this flyer.)
To stay updated on other travel promotions, events, and news, follow the Stanford Travel Slack channel #fms-stanford-travel.
Stanford-negotiated rates for United flights are available for United MileagePlus members who enroll in United Corporate Direct (UCD) and book on united.com or the United app. United Corporate Direct discounts apply to United flights only. Note that car rentals and hotels must be booked through the Egencia and FCM booking channels, not UCD.
For more information, visit the United Corporate Direct Resource page.
Airbnb is no longer supporting the Stanford Airbnb for Work product. However, Stanford travelers may still use their Airbnb for Work accounts (or personal Airbnb account) to book lodging for university-sponsored travel. For questions, travelers must contact Airbnb directly through their Help Center.
Non-hotel lodging, such as Airbnb, is exempt from the Stanford Travel booking policy.
Starting May 3, 2023, passengers must show a REAL ID, a REAL ID-compliant Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), or a passport to board domestic flights. For students who fly domestically, this means that they will need this identification to fly home after the coming academic year.
A REAL ID is available from the state’s driver’s licensing agency. To learn more about the REAL ID, visit the Department of Homeland Security’s REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
When traveling for Stanford University, all documentation, such as airline tickets, must match the identification you are using for travel, e.g., passport or government issued ID. To change the name in your travel profile to match your identification, follow the steps in How to Change Travel Profile Name for Stanford University Travelers.
Occasionally, multiple travelers (up to 10 people) may want to book a trip together via the Stanford Travel booking channels. For example, family members may accompany those traveling on Stanford university-sponsored business (as personal travel), or colleagues may want to travel together. To book travel for small groups, see How to Book Multi-Person Travel Using Stanford Travel Booking Channels. To book travel for groups of 10 or more travelers, please submit the Group or Program Travel Request form.
Program administrators may need to book and pay for multiple travelers from various departments for a particular trip, event series, or for groups of 10 or more travelers to the same destination. To book travel for your group or program, complete the Group or Program Travel Request form. The Stanford Travel team will contact you to refer you to the best option for your specific travel needs.
As a travel arranger you will have the ability to manage travel for others who have a current Egencia travel profile. For instructions, visit How To Manage Travel for Others as a Travel Arranger in Egencia.
To add a travel arranger, visit How To Add a Travel Arranger in Egencia (for Stanford Travelers). To request to be a travel arranger, visit How To Add a Traveler in Egencia (for Travel Arrangers).
A guest profile template is used to book guests or affiliates who do not have a SUNet ID. These bookings can be made via a guest profile template. (Stanford faculty, staff, students and postdoctoral scholars already have Egencia profiles and should not be booked using the guest profile template.) For instructions on booking guests or affiliates, visit How to Book and Manage Guest Travel in Egencia.
To book on behalf of another Stanford traveler, refer to How to Manage Travel for Others as a Travel Arranger in Egencia.
Enterprise offers a process for paying for rental cars for guests booked in Egencia. By creating an Enterprise rental car direct billing agreement, the traveler can rent a car without needing to pay for the rental with their personal credit card. The department Travel Card will be charged by Enterprise for the rental charges when the car is returned to the drop off location. Please note that this direct billing agreement is only available to pay for rental charges at North American locations.
For instructions on this process, visit How To Pay for an Enterprise Car Rental for Guests.
