Here are the steps you should take when booking your air travel.
Determine number of travelers

MIT strongly discourages traveling in groups of three or more faculty/staff members to avoid serious impact on an Institute activity in the event of catastrophic injuries during travel. MIT also discourages your department from booking group arrangements for more than 20 students on the same flight.

Review restrictions

If your travel is funded by a research cost object, check Kuali Coeus (if you have access) or with Research Administration Services (RAS) in the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) for any specific travel restrictions established by the sponsor. See Travel Terms by Sponsor for specifics on individual federal agencies. Contact your RAS representative if you have any questions.

Note that federal funding carries requirements and restrictions for air travel:

  • You must travel on U.S. flag carrier airlines to the maximum extent possible if your trip is supported by federal funds. This may include code sharing—an arrangement between airlines through which a U.S. carrier leases space on a plane owned by a foreign carrier.
  • You cannot charge business class or first class fares to federally sponsored research projects unless the sponsor specifically approves it and you document it in your travel expense report.
  • We strongly discourage travel on non-commercial aircraft for Institute business. If you are contemplating travel on aircraft you own, operate, rent, or charter, you must obtain prior permission from the MIT Office of Insurance.

You’ll find further guidance on allowable reimbursement of direct and indirect airfare costs in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21 or OMB’s Uniform Guidance section 200:474.

Purchase in advance and use preferred air carriers

Reserve your air travel as soon as possible—at least 14 days in advance if possible—to obtain advance purchase discounts on coach fares.

When you use MIT’s preferred air carriers, you can take advantage of negotiated fares and discounts. If you use other carriers, you must maximize savings for the Institute. In either case, book the lowest available coach fare. To get MIT’s preferred rates, contact The Travel Collaborative, MIT's Preferred Travel Agency or book your flights on Concur, MIT's online travel booking and expense reporting tool. See details in Step #5 below.

Document lowest fares

Select the lowest-price coach flight available to ensure maximum reimbursement (note that MIT will not reimburse you for airfare, hotel, rental cars, or any other travel purchased with frequent flyer miles). Do not use frequent flyer or other rewards memberships as criteria for selecting an airline that is not the lowest price available from an MIT-preferred airline.

You may fly business class (or first class if business class isn't offered) if the trip meets any one of the conditions below.

  • Your scheduled in-air flying time of a one-way direct or non-stop flight exceeds six hours.
  • Your scheduled in-air flying time of a flight with multiple legs totals more than six hours from origin to destination.
  • For roundtrip travel, one of the above requirements must apply to at least one way of travel in order to fly business class in both directions. For example, business class is allowed for a roundtrip Boston-Los Angeles flight even if only one way exceeds six hours.

If you travel in a class other than coach, you must provide a comparable itinerary showing the lowest available coach rate at the time of booking.

If you must travel business class as the result of a medical condition, you must submit proper documentation to MIT Human Resources. See details at Human Resources Accommodations for Disabled Employees.

Book through Concur or a preferred travel agency

Concur is MIT’s online travel booking and expense reporting tool. Concur makes it easy to find the lowest available fares, track and report itineraries and expenses, and sign up for automatic travel alerts.

If you want to work directly with the MIT preferred travel agency that is connected to MIT's Concur tool, call The Travel Collaborative (TTC) at 617-497-7400 for assistance. Call toll-free from North America, 1-844-445-3330; from all other locations, call 1-207-805-3340.

If you are using a departmental MIT Travel Card, you must book with The Travel Collaborative (TTC) and ensure that the ticket is issued in the name of the traveler (not the name on the Travel Card).

When you reserve your flight using Concur, The Travel Collaborative will automatically issue you an electronic ticket. Be sure to bring a printed copy of your ticket information along with appropriate personal identification (driver’s license, passport, visa as required) when you travel.

If you use The Travel Collaborative remember this agency is resource to you in an emergency, or if you have to make changes or need other help during your trip. In addition to helping you with mid-trip changes, this MIT preferred travel agent will advocate on your behalf with hotels, airlines, and car rental agencies.

Check federal polices

Note that world events can result in changing policies for carry-ons and safety considerations specific to airports or destinations.

You should check the Department of Homeland Security for updates. Your airline may also post travel alerts.

The Details

Determine number of travelers

MIT strongly discourages traveling in groups of three or more faculty/staff members to avoid serious impact on an Institute activity in the event of catastrophic injuries during travel. MIT also discourages your department from booking group arrangements for more than 20 students on the same flight.

Review restrictions

If your travel is funded by a research cost object, check Kuali Coeus (if you have access) or with Research Administration Services (RAS) in the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) for any specific travel restrictions established by the sponsor. See Travel Terms by Sponsor for specifics on individual federal agencies. Contact your RAS representative if you have any questions.

Note that federal funding carries requirements and restrictions for air travel:

  • You must travel on U.S. flag carrier airlines to the maximum extent possible if your trip is supported by federal funds. This may include code sharing—an arrangement between airlines through which a U.S. carrier leases space on a plane owned by a foreign carrier.
  • You cannot charge business class or first class fares to federally sponsored research projects unless the sponsor specifically approves it and you document it in your travel expense report.
  • We strongly discourage travel on non-commercial aircraft for Institute business. If you are contemplating travel on aircraft you own, operate, rent, or charter, you must obtain prior permission from the MIT Office of Insurance.

You’ll find further guidance on allowable reimbursement of direct and indirect airfare costs in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21 or OMB’s Uniform Guidance section 200:474.

Purchase in advance and use preferred air carriers

Reserve your air travel as soon as possible—at least 14 days in advance if possible—to obtain advance purchase discounts on coach fares.

When you use MIT’s preferred air carriers, you can take advantage of negotiated fares and discounts. If you use other carriers, you must maximize savings for the Institute. In either case, book the lowest available coach fare. To get MIT’s preferred rates, contact The Travel Collaborative, MIT's Preferred Travel Agency or book your flights on Concur, MIT's online travel booking and expense reporting tool. See details in Step #5 below.

Document lowest fares

Select the lowest-price coach flight available to ensure maximum reimbursement (note that MIT will not reimburse you for airfare, hotel, rental cars, or any other travel purchased with frequent flyer miles). Do not use frequent flyer or other rewards memberships as criteria for selecting an airline that is not the lowest price available from an MIT-preferred airline.

You may fly business class (or first class if business class isn't offered) if the trip meets any one of the conditions below.

  • Your scheduled in-air flying time of a one-way direct or non-stop flight exceeds six hours.
  • Your scheduled in-air flying time of a flight with multiple legs totals more than six hours from origin to destination.
  • For roundtrip travel, one of the above requirements must apply to at least one way of travel in order to fly business class in both directions. For example, business class is allowed for a roundtrip Boston-Los Angeles flight even if only one way exceeds six hours.

If you travel in a class other than coach, you must provide a comparable itinerary showing the lowest available coach rate at the time of booking.

If you must travel business class as the result of a medical condition, you must submit proper documentation to MIT Human Resources. See details at Human Resources Accommodations for Disabled Employees.

Book through Concur or a preferred travel agency

Concur is MIT’s online travel booking and expense reporting tool. Concur makes it easy to find the lowest available fares, track and report itineraries and expenses, and sign up for automatic travel alerts.

If you want to work directly with the MIT preferred travel agency that is connected to MIT's Concur tool, call The Travel Collaborative (TTC) at 617-497-7400 for assistance. Call toll-free from North America, 1-844-445-3330; from all other locations, call 1-207-805-3340.

If you are using a departmental MIT Travel Card, you must book with The Travel Collaborative (TTC) and ensure that the ticket is issued in the name of the traveler (not the name on the Travel Card).

When you reserve your flight using Concur, The Travel Collaborative will automatically issue you an electronic ticket. Be sure to bring a printed copy of your ticket information along with appropriate personal identification (driver’s license, passport, visa as required) when you travel.

If you use The Travel Collaborative remember this agency is resource to you in an emergency, or if you have to make changes or need other help during your trip. In addition to helping you with mid-trip changes, this MIT preferred travel agent will advocate on your behalf with hotels, airlines, and car rental agencies.

Check federal polices

Note that world events can result in changing policies for carry-ons and safety considerations specific to airports or destinations.

You should check the Department of Homeland Security for updates. Your airline may also post travel alerts.