Cherrington Global Scholars Travel Benefit Study Abroad Fall 2016 Congratulations on qualifying as a Cherrington Global Scholar! As one of your benefits, the University of Denver will pay for your roundtrip ticket to your program site; however, it is your responsibility to book your flight(s). Please read this information carefully; failure to do so may result in forfeiture of your benefit. We strongly encourage you to book a single ticket, whenever possible, which means using the same airlines or partner airlines to avoid any rebooking issues if your plane is delayed or you miss a flight. You are required to book a round-trip ticket, meaning that you need to book both an outgoing and return flight. If you are not able to fly directly to/from your host city, transportation coverage will also include rail or bus fares to/from your host city to/from your airport arrival city. You will need to submit rail/bus receipts to the Office of International Education in order to be reimbursed (further instructions below). When should I book my ticket? You should plan to book tickets by June 1, 2016, though you must wait until you have been accepted to your program and know your official program dates. If you wait until after June 1 to book your ticket, costs may be higher than the travel limits, and you will be responsible for paying the difference in fares (exceptions are made for students who are not yet accepted to their study abroad program by June 1). Students who will depart in July should plan to book early in May for more availability in flights. Who pays for date changes? You do! If you have any questions about your program dates or final destination, please check with your host program/university or OIE Advisor before confirming your ticket. All students are responsible for verifying the official start and end dates of the term— including orientation and exams—and booking their flight(s) accordingly. Once ticketed, you are responsible for any changes in the flight, even if you did not initially spend up to your travel limit. All tickets have different change fees and procedures. You should understand the policies on all portions of your ticket prior to purchase. Ticket availability at the end of the term can be extremely limited, so plan ahead. For year-long students: If you are a year-long student on an EXCHANGE program, and you used STA to book your flights, then you will have to contact STA Travel at 800.681.1624 or 480.296.0529 to change your ticket sometime before you return. For year-long students (on an EXCHANGE program only, excluding Year-Long Extension or Back-to-Back students), DU will pay up to $400 for changes to move your return flight out after your program end date. Any cost above $400 will be your responsibility, so it is important that you make the change as soon as you are able. If you did not use STA to book your flights, you will need to submit your receipts to the Office of International Education. For all other year-long students including those not on an exchange program, those on back to back programs, and those extending to a year, DU will not pay for any change fees to move your return flight. These change fees are your responsibility and will need to be paid by you at the time of the booking change. What transportation costs are NOT covered? DU does not pay for local transportation expenses such as bus, tram, taxi, or airport pickup; airport transfer; luggage fees; travel insurance; expenses getting to or from the departure airport; or hotels in transit to your location. Any additional costs due to your choice in earlier or later dates, stopovers or location, delayed purchase of the ticket, upgrades, change fees and penalties due to changes in the itinerary made at your discretion, or any extra costs due to non-standard itineraries or desired travel dates, etc., are your responsibility. If you withdraw from the program after booking your ticket, you will be responsible for any non-recoverable costs associated with the purchase of the ticket. Please note that the University of Denver does NOT cover costs associated with travel delays or cancellations. Be sure to have the travel agent explain the policies on all portions of your ticket prior to booking. This is important as tickets have different change fees and procedures and DU does not cover these costs. Also, pay attention to any fees, such as luggage fees, as the international portion of your flight may have different policies than the domestic flights and DU does not cover these fees. How is the CGS travel limit determined? The Office of International Education works with STA Travel to determine an appropriate maximum limit for your airline ticket. The travel limits are calculated considering economical and direct flight(s) for travel departing from Denver and arriving on the day your program housing begins. You do not need to fly out of Denver; however, Denver is used as the departure airport to determine the travel limit. The travel limit is intended to cover the cost of a ticket if you book by June 1. Once ticketed you are responsible for any additional costs associated with changes to the flight, even if you did not initially spend up to the travel limit. How do I book my ticket? Option 1: Book with STA Travel You may choose to book your ticket through our travel agent, STA Travel. STA Travel will bill DU directly for your ticket, up to the maximum travel limit for your program. If you choose a more expensive ticket, you will pay the difference to STA Travel. IMPORTANT: Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Low student fares can sell out for specific dates, so we strongly recommend that you book your flights once you have been accepted and have confirmed program dates. In order to contact an STA agent who is familiar with DU (and Cherrington Global Scholars) you may either use http://b2b.statravel.com/du.html to complete a web form with your travel information and plans or call (800)219- 6308. o An agent will respond and work with you to determine your best option(s). STA business hours are 6am- 7pm Arizona Standard Time, Monday through Saturday. o Please inform STA that you are a DU student. o STA has a list of CGS-eligible students. If your name is not on the list, please contact an OIE Advisor to verify your eligibility. It is your responsibility to book your ticket AFTER you have been accepted by your program. If you book your ticket before that time and are not accepted into your program (for whatever reason), you are responsible for the flight cost. You will be required to pay for any ticket costs that are above the DU travel limit for your program at this time. Students may use any possible route for booking flights within the travel limit however DU will not pay for any side trips once you are in the host city. For example, if your program is in Bangkok, you could book a flight via Singapore, if it is within the travel limit. However, DU would not pay for a flight to and from Bangkok with an extra side flight to Singapore. The STA agent will send you an itinerary by email. It is very important that you respond to this email! o Your flight will not be booked and charged to DU until you respond to STA that you would like to confirm and book the itinerary. A confirmation email will be sent by STA once your ticket has been booked. If you cannot determine for sure that your ticket has been booked, contact STA to verify. If you book your ticket through the STA website or phone number above, you do not need to submit a receipt for your airfare. You only need to submit a receipt if you choose Option 2 (below). The dates we provided for STA are for pricing purpose, and it is your responsibility to check with your program for the exact arrival and departure dates. Note: Some fares will require that you have an International Student ID Card (ISIC). If yours is one of these fares, your agent will tell you during the ticketing process. Once your flight has been booked, you will be sent an email with instructions to upload your picture and request a card be mailed to you. Remember to bring this card with you to the airport as you may be asked for it as verification when checking in for your flight. Option 2: Airfare Travel Credit If you do NOT wish to book through STA Travel, you may arrange and pay for the ticket on your own. Once you have submitted a valid receipt to our office, you will receive a credit for the travel limit for your program or the actual amount of your ticket, Revised 11/23/2016 whichever is less. You must actually pay for a ticket to receive a credit. Tickets secured through a frequent flyer program or other such “free” tickets are not reimbursable. The credit will be applied to your DU account for the term in which you will study abroad. For example, if you study abroad for the fall, the credit will apply towards your fall term tuition and fees. You are not given a check/direct deposit reimbursement. We recommend you to book a round-trip ticket, but if you do book individual itineraries, you are required to send all the itineraries at once, otherwise, you may forfeit this benefit.