Fly America Act Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find airline designator codes?

The International Air Transport Association website provides a user-friendly search tool to determine the country of origin for an air carrier.

In researching available flights, it was discovered that booking a flight on a foreign air carrier was substantially less than booking a flight on a U.S. Air Carrier. The principal investigator wants to save the grant money for other research-related purposes. Is this an allowable exception to the Fly America Act?

No, the Fly America Act specifically states that cost cannot be considered as a factor.

A principal investigator has already purchased a ticket to a foreign destination. The receipt has portions of the flight that are U.S. flag air carriers and portions that are non-U.S. flag air carriers. Can the portions booked on the U.S. flag air carriers be charged to the grant?

It depends on who issued the ticket or if there is a flight-specific codeshare in place. If a U.S. flag air carrier issued the ticket (printed on U.S. air carrier ticket/boarding pass/receipt), then the expense will, in most cases, be eligible for reimbursement. If the ticket is issued by a foreign air carrier (printed on foreign ticket/boarding pass/receipt), the ticket is not eligible for reimbursement on a federal award, even if there are portions of the flight that have a U.S. air carrier flight designator code as these would have been booked the wrong way through the codeshare process.

A principal investigator traveled to a foreign destination. The flights within the U.S. were on U.S. air carriers with tickets issued by the U.S. air carrier, and the flights to and/or within the foreign countries were on foreign carriers with tickets issued by the foreign carrier. Can the domestic flights be charged to the grant?

Yes, the domestic portions issued on tickets from U.S. Air Carriers can be charged to the federal grant; however, the tickets issued by the foreign carriers may not be charged unless there were no U.S. Flag air carriers available to that destination. U.S. flag air carriers must be used to the furthest point possible, and an individual may only switch to the foreign carrier for the portion where there is no U.S. flag air carrier available.

A principal investigator has a conference in Paris and then will travel to London for a collaborator meeting at a subgrantee institution. The flights between Paris and London were booked on British Airways. Can this be reimbursed from the federal grant?

No, even when the traveler is in a foreign country and is traveling from one foreign location to another, U.S. air carriers would still need to be utilized, if available.

Can airfare be booked using a travel website such as Expedia, Travelocity, LowestFares.com, etc. or a travel agent?

The best way to book the flight is through the University's designated travel agent. When booking travel, a principal investigator should inform the university’s travel agent that travel must be booked on a U.S. flag air carriers and adhere to all Fly America Act requirements. A principal investigator may also book directly through a U.S. flag air carrier and/or their website (e.g., united.com or delta.com).