Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5707; 40 U.S.C. 121(c).

§301-50.1  To whom do the pronouns “I”, “you”, and their variants throughout this part refer?

In this part, the pronouns “I”, “you”, and their variants refer to the employee.

§301-50.2  How must I arrange my travel?

You must arrange your travel as designated by your agency and in accordance with this part.

§301-50.3  Must I use the ETS or TMS to arrange my travel?

Yes, if you are an employee of an agency as defined in §301-1.1 of this chapter, you must use the E-Gov Travel Service when your agency makes it available to you. Until then, you must use your agency’s existing Travel Management Service (TMS) to make your travel arrangements. If you are an employee of the Department of Defense (DoD) or of the Government of the District of Columbia, you must arrange your travel in accordance with your agency’s TMS. Your agency may grant an exception to required use of TMS/ETS under §§301-50.4, 301-73.102, or 301-73.104 of this chapter.

§301-50.4  May I be granted an exception to the required use of TMS or ETS once my agency has fully deployed ETS?

Yes, your agency head or his/her designee may grant an individual case exception to required use of your agency’s current TMS or to required use of ETS once your agency has fully deployed ETS, but only when your travel meets one of the following conditions:

(a)  Such use would result in an unreasonable burden on mission accomplishment (e.g., emergency travel is involved and TMS/ETS is not accessible; you are performing invitational travel; or you have special needs or require disability accommodations under part 301-13 of this chapter).

(b) Such use would compromise a national security interest.

(c) Such use might endanger your life (e.g., you are traveling under the Federal witness protection program, or you are a threatened law enforcement/investigative officer traveling under part 301-13 of this chapter).

§301-50.5  What is my liability if I do not use my agency’s TMS or the E-Gov Travel Service, and an exception has not been approved?

If you do not have an approved exception under §§301-50.4 or 301-73.104 of this chapter, you are responsible for any additional costs resulting from the failure to use the TMS or E-Gov Travel Service, including service fees, cancellation penalties, or other additional costs (e.g., higher airfares, rental car charges, or hotel rates). In addition, your agency may take appropriate disciplinary action.

§301-50.6  What is an “online self-service booking tool?”’

An online self-service booking tool is an Internet based system that permits travelers to make their own reservations for transportation (e.g., air, rail, and car rental) and lodging. ETS and some agency TMS’s incorporate a self service booking tool.

§301-50.7  Should I use the online self-service booking tool once ETS is available within my agency?

Yes, you should use the online self-service booking tool offered by ETS or your agency’s TMS until ETS becomes available to you.

Note to section 301-50.7: Some extenuating circumstances for which you may not be able to use online self-service booking are (1) when you are attending a conference where the conference sponsor has negotiated with one or more lodging facilities to set aside a specific number of rooms for conference attendees and to ensure that a set aside room is available to you, you are required to book lodging directly with the lodging facility, (2) when your travel is to a remote location and it is not possible to book lodging accommodations through the TMS or ETS, or (3) when such travel arrangements are so complex and circumstance will not allow you to book your travel through an online self-service booking tool.

§301-50.8  Are there any limits on travel arrangements I may make?

Yes, there are limits on travel arrangements you may make for common carrier, commercial lodging, and car rental accommodations. Such limitations include, but are not limited to the following:

(a) Common carrier accommodations.

(1) If your agency is a mandatory user of the General Services Administration’s city-pair contracts for air passenger transportation services, you must use the contract carrier, unless you have an approved exception (see §§301-10.106 and 301-10.108 of this chapter);

(2) You may use first-class accommodations only under §§301-10.123, 301-10.162, and 301-10.183 and business-class accommodations only under §301-10.124 of this chapter; and

(3) You must always use a U.S. Flag Air Carrier unless your travel circumstances meet one of the exceptions in §§301-10.131 through 301-10.143 of this chapter.

(b) Lodging accommodations.

(1) You should always stay in a “fire safe” facility. This is a facility that meets the fire safety requirements of the Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 (the Act), as amended (see 5 U.S.C. 5707a).

(2) When selecting a commercial lodging facility, first consideration must be given to the commercial lodging facilities under FedRooms (FedRooms may be found on the Internet at http://www.fedrooms.gov ), all of which meet fire safety requirements, unless one or more of the following conditions exist:

(i) An FedRooms facility is not available at the location you need (e.g., there are no FedRooms facilities within a reasonable proximity of your temporary duty station, or there are no vacancies at the FedRooms facilities at that location). (Your agency’s TMS or E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) must provide you with a list of alternative facilities that meet the fire safety requirements of the Act).

(ii) Your agency has other contractual arrangements with commercial lodging facilities that meet the FEMA fire safety requirements at a lower cost than FedRooms properties.

(iii) Your agency determines on an individual case-by-case basis that it is not practical to use FedRooms facilities to meet mission requirements.

(iv) You are attending a conference with prearranged lodging accommodations and are required to book lodging directly with the lodging facility.

(v) Your travel is OCONUS.

(c) Car rental accommodations.  When authorized to use a rental vehicle under §301-10.450 of this chapter, you must rent a vehicle from a vendor that participates in the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) U.S. Government Car Rental Agreement, unless you are OCONUS and no agreement is in place for your TDY location. SDDC has negotiated rental car agreements that include automatic unlimited mileage, collision damage insurance, and ceiling rates.