FAQ – Academic travel

Aware that there are exceptional cases, the School has set up a Travel Commission, responsible for managing requests for exceptions to the Travel Directives. All requests for exceptions to the travel directives must be sent before booking by e-mail to [email protected]

In accordance with LEX 5.6.2, Article 7, for any destination accessible by train in less than 6 hours, the journey must be made by train. However, travel by air is authorised in economy class in exceptional circumstances if expected disruptions extend the journey beyond 6 hours.

In accordance with the directives of the Swiss Confederation and the EPFL, flights between Swiss airports are not authorised and are therefore not considered as professional expenses reimbursed by the EPFL.

Yes, business class is only authorised for staff and guests if the duration of the flight is six hours or more, as specified in LEX 5.6.2.

The use of boats or cargo ships as an alternative to air travel is not authorized by EPFL.

The balance of interests was as follows:

• Bookings cannot be made via EPFL’s central travel agency, Kuoni Business Travel, so it will be difficult to ensure the School’s due dilligence.
• In addition, this special type of travel requires a specific risk analysis for each request, in order to verify the following points:
  • Provision of specific means of communication (satellite telephone)
  • Assessment of the employee’s state of health to ensure that he or she is fit for the trip.
  • Assessment of ship’s safety and emergency protocols
  • Assessment of the boat’s health and emergency protocols
  • Setting up a specific crisis unit for this crossing

In conclusion, all the above elements taken into account represent a relatively significant work overload compared to the use of other means of transport which do not require this type of analysis.

The EPFL Finance and Accounting Department does not cover the travel costs of family members or spouses (staff and guests), even on an exceptional basis.

If the trip involves air travel or at least one night’s accommodation, a travel request and expense claim must be submitted via the Expense report tool before any booking is made. In the expense reports tab, click on “My travel requests” and then on the small “+” at the bottom of the page.

For any technical assistance concerning the travel request, please contact [email protected]

It is required to have a validated travel request before booking air travel or overnight accommodation.

The Kuoni BT team has been temporarily reinforced to reduce processing times. Currently, the travel agency and EPFL are collaborating on an online booking tool to simplify bookings and reduce processing times. Until the tool is deployed, it may take longer to receive an offer, as Kuoni BT does not have enough staff to manage the high volume of bookings. However, this situation is temporary.

The agency processes files according to departure date, rather than submission date, in order to give priority to emergencies in the face of high demand.

• The travel agency has access to exactly the same rates as those offered by the vast majority of airlines.
• It is necessary to compare prices taking into account the same options (baggage, flexibility, cancellation insurance, etc.) and to check availability, as the prices displayed on the Internet may no longer be available at the time of booking. For some destinations, promotional rates are offered by airlines, but these can only be booked online.

No, all flight bookings must be made through the EPFL travel agency. A meeting can be arranged with the agency to discuss and verify price differences.

No, the travel agency is reserved exclusively for the EPFL community. Guests and external persons can benefit from the agency’s services only if the trip is organised and/or paid for by an EPFL unit.

Yes, an online booking tool will be made available to the EPFL community next spring (2024) and will be the subject of training sessions and further communication.

Kuoni Business Travel (DERTOUR Switzerland AG) can advise you and help you with the necessary formalities, but the traveller will have to apply directly to the airline for reimbursement of costs and compensation for delays, cancellations or other flight irregularities.

The agency will not be able to do this because confidential information is required (the traveller’s private bank account, for example). However, the agency will take care of the total or partial reimbursement of the flight ticket, if necessary.

Having a single point of entry provides an overview of all travel booked for EPFL, thus optimizing management of traveler security and simplifying internal travel-related financial procedures. Booking through the travel agency also enables you to benefit from the Confederation’s negotiated rates.

Yes, the EPFL Travel Commission has already ruled on this matter. However, before booking any filght, a travel request must be made and the agency must be informed of the reason for the exception.

After a transitional year in 2023, anyone travelling on EPFL business will now be required to comply with the directives in force. Cases of non-compliance will be discussed by the VPT/VPF directly with the traveller, and disciplinary measures will be taken in the event of a repeat offence. In the event of difficulties, the EPFL Travel Commission is available to support administrative staff in applying the directives.

OBT is an additional tool for making simple air, hotel and car rental reservations. OBT is configured in accordance with the EPFL Travel Guidelines.

If you have any questions or encounter any difficulties when using OBT, please contact the agency’s online support by e-mail. The agency’s OBT experts deal with these cases very quickly and provide appropriate feedback. The dedicated campus travel agency team is not trained to answer questions about this tool.

• Option 1: Use the application finder in Sesame and manually add the menu by clicking on the small pin.
• Option 2: If this doesn’t work, contact 1234 to have the page reset.

There is no Umbrella Faces link for OBT.

As soon as the travel request (TR) is validated, the traveler or travel arranger can directly complete their profile in OBT.

It is not possible to book externals via OBT, as their SCIPER number and registration number do not give them access to Sesame and therefore to OBT.

No, OBT does not automatically link a “travel organizer” to a “traveler”. This must be done manually.

The data exchange system between SAP and Kuoni uses 8-digit numbers, without leading zeros.

If you are a travel arranger, you receive all the information about the booking, just like the traveler. Otherwise, the system works on the basis of trust.

The OBT is for consultation and booking purposes only. For changes, cancellations or complex trips requiring exceptions or the addition of externals, please contact Kuoni Business Travel.

For flight and hotel bookings, the EPFL AirPlus card is automatically inserted into the system as the means of payment, without the possibility of selecting other payment options. Staff do not have to pay for the room or breakfast, but must pay for extras (mini-bar, telephone, meals, etc.). Travel and accommodation expenses will be reported in the “Expense Report service” associated with the travel request. However, in very rare cases, some airlines may not accept this card, requiring the use of another credit card.

For car rental reservations with Europcar, an “electronic voucher” will be issued and must be presented at the Europcar counter. With other rental companies, a card must be inserted and payment made on the spot at the rental company. You will need to make an expense claim to be reimbursed on the travel request number listed in the “more information” section.

Yes, it is still possible to book on other sites. Only air tickets must be booked through the agency or OBT.

Yes, you can access the SBB Webshop via your usual channel or via OBT.

Every hotel listed in OBT includes a cancellation option, which may explain the price differences. Otherwise, the tool displays the same rates, as it also aggregates content from several platforms, including Booking, for example.

The online booking tool (OBT), managed by Kuoni BT, offers advantages that come at a cost. These include processing via the Airplus card and integration with our information system, international assistance, and management of changes and cancellations by the travel agency for more optimized solutions, among others. Comparisons with other platforms are therefore not based on an equivalent basis.

In compliance with federal data protection laws, CWT’s traveller profiles will be deleted as soon as CWT ceases to operate on campus, with the exception of current bookings.

It will therefore be necessary to recreate the profiles with Kuoni in accordance with the procedures described on the travel agency’s web page.

It is essential to ensure coherence between the first and last names appearing in the traveler’s passport and those recorded in the HR database. As the data in the HR database is transferred to Umbrella Faces, reservations are made directly with the information transmitted. If this data does not match that in the passenger’s passport, this can lead to problems when booking tickets.

For the moment, there are two possible options: either the traveler requests a modification in the HR database if his first name is incorrect, or, if it is correct in the HR database, he updates it in Umbrella Faces. The middle name, on the other hand, is not currently taken into account in Umbrella Faces, even if it is present in the HR database. An IT development on this subject is currently under discussion.

For the same destination, there may be price differences between a flight from Zurich and one from Geneva via Zurich, but these are not due to airport taxes, which are the same throughout Switzerland.

Price differences may be due in particular to the number of seats remaining and available in the classes requested. It is true that there is regularly more availability on flights departing from Geneva, so the price of the trip will generally be lower.

However, regardless of the price, all flights between Geneva and Zurich airports are forbidden by EPFL and will not be reimbursed, in application with the Swiss Confederation directives.

Miles & more” cannot be used to book air travel.

This is because a traveler’s Miles & more account is a private account. Apart from personal data protection aspects, it is not possible for the central travel agency to distinguish between benefits accrued in a private capacity and benefits accrued in a professional capacity.

Furthermore, the travel agency has no access to booking data via the Miles & more department, which means that it cannot follow up on the booking (cancellations, changes, etc.). Booking information cannot therefore be sent to ISOS international assistance.

No, booking accommodation via Kuoni BT is nevertheless recommended, as from 1 December 2023 preferential rates may be applied by the agency. For further information.

On request, the travel agency can offer apartment-hotel rental.

The travel agency is not authorised to book stays on AirBnB. This is a private-to-private rental, with no guarantees and no point of contact for the agency, so it is not secure.

As the travel agency is only recommended, it is still possible for the EPFL traveller to book a flat via Airbnb. However, he/she takes full responsibility for this rental.

• For hotels, several parameters need to be taken into account, in particular whether the booking is with or without prepayment. When booking hotels with prepayment, the agency uses a specialized supplier for approved travel agencies. Although these rates are generally a little higher, the advantage is that the room is paid for in advance, and the traveler only has to pay for personal expenses (telephone, mini-bar, restaurant, etc.). No additional fees are charged by the agency or supplier; the hotel decides on the prepayment criteria.
• The agency can also make hotel bookings without prepayment, enabling a better rate to be obtained, but payment will then have to be made on the spot by the traveller. As a reminder, there is no obligation to book hotels via Kuoni Business Travel, in accordance with the EPFL Travel Directives.

The purchase of national public transport tickets available on the SBB Webshop and mobile app includes the preferential rate granted by the Confederation. The discount is only applied at the time of invoice, as the prices displayed on the SBB Webshop are public.

Access to the SBB Webshop is managed by an Accred right assigned by the accreditor of the corresponding unit. Before ordering, EPFL staff should check that they are entitled to order train tickets on the Accred EPFL site.

Summary of the procedure:

1. Request accreditation from the unit’s administrative manager to access the EPFL contract number
2. Link the SwissPass private account to the EPFL contract number
3. Place the order via the Webshop or the SBB mobile app

→ A guide describing the procedure for registering and purchasing via the SBB Webshop is available for those entitled to Accred ‘railticket’. Please request the guide by writing to [email protected].

No, temporary staff are not entitled to reimbursement of their travel costs or to subsidies for national public transport pass. To be eligible for a subsidy, temporary staff must have an EPFL employment contract with an occupation rate of 50% or more, and for a minimum period of 12 months. It may be up to the unit that hires the person on a temporary basis to decide whether or not to provide mobility assistance.

Non-transferable monthly and annual travelcards can be reimbursed according to the schedule below. To do so, contact a sales outlet of a Mobilis partner company.

Yes, the subsidy for the purchase of a 1st class general season ticket is independent of the functional level.

The rental conditions are now available on the following page.

There are several points to consider. Is it a rental car or a private car? A professional or private meal? A location less than or more than 10km from EPFL?

In concrete terms, the general rule regarding the use of private vehicles is that they may only be used in the following cases:

• disability
• Personal health
• Reconciling work and family commitments
• the absence of public transport or incompatibility of routes or schedules
• Matching the School’s policy with the travel conditions of EPFL guests
• the handling of emergencies or cases of force majeure

The use of a private vehicle (and therefore parking) is not reimbursed for

• All private travel
• Journeys between associated campuses and the EPFL
• Business trips that are less than 10km from the official place of work (as mentioned in the employment contract).

Yes, students (Bachelor’s and Master’s) involved in a study project taking place on an associated campus are entitled to full reimbursement of their public transport costs. → See the regulations (PDF, 270 KB)

Only the travelcards mentioned in the regulations may be reimbursed.

Trainees are not entitled to reimbursement or subsidies for their public transport costs from the EPFL. However, it is possible to ask the laboratory concerned if it will consider the matterStudents carrying out a study project (Bachelor’s or Master’s) in an EPFL laboratory outside the Ecublens campus are entitled to full reimbursement of their public transport costs in accordance with the regulations in force.

For any reason other than study projects, travel expenses must be covered by the organising unit, either from the incentive programme fund or directly from the laboratory fund. Only the EPFL Directive on the organisation of responsible student travel (LEX 5.6.3) is binding..

Study trips are organised by associations and paid for by students, and as such are considered private trips. Nevertheless, sections often make a flat-rate financial contribution. It is up to the Section to approve the participation of ex-matriculated students, subject to prior approval by the EPFL Travel Commission.

On the “I’ve found an internship” page, you’ll find information on internships abroad, in particular under the paragraphs “Insurance (health, accident)” and “Internships abroad”. The school section can also help in case of doubt.

As far as local work permits are concerned, the host company generally provides the necessary assistance to interns. Alternatively, EPFL students can call on the services of CIBTvisas to obtain any travel documents required by the destination or transit countries. These services are invoiced by CIBTvisas at EPFL preferential rates and must be paid for directly by the trainee.

Yes, an external lecturer can accompany a student trip.

All academic travel must be financed by an EPFL unit or a third-party fund. It is not permitted to organise and/or pay for a professional trip oneself according to the “no gain no loss” principle.

In this case, please contact your line manager or your HR manager.

Guests may book and purchase their own plane tickets, as recommended by the unit and in accordance with the EPFL Expenses Reimbursement Guidelines, which they can then claim back directly from their institutions.

Requirements:

• A specific process must be used to integrate these people into the Expense Report beneficiaries database. Once these beneficiaries have been created, the process to be followed is similar to that for internal beneficiaries.
• External beneficiaries should only be activated when organising a trip and creating a travel request before purchasing a ticket.
• The use of an external beneficiary for the refund of non-travel expenses is no longer accepted and the invoice will be rejected by the accounting department. The Payment Order A form should be used.

It is only when the unit directly books and finances tickets for externals that it is necessary to go through the EPFL’s central travel agency.

Requests to create an external beneficiary are now submitted via a Finance support request on this portal.

In the event of irregularities occurring during air travel, any complaints should be addressed directly to the airline concerned by the traveler. There are two main reasons for this:

• The first is that the passenger who has directly suffered the damage will be able to explain it more adequately and correctly.
• The second reason is that when the airline pays compensation, it is sent directly to the passenger. Either by means of a discount voucher in his name and sent to his private address, or by the reimbursement of an amount, which will be credited to his personal bank account. This will never be the EPFL bank account.

For these reasons, and for reasons of data protection, it is preferable for this to be done correctly and directly by the injured party.

Yes, any employee traveling abroad on business can contact International SOS, EPFL’s international assistance partner, in case of emergency. Information, telephone number and EPFL membership number, can be found here https://go.epfl.ch/I-SOS-EN .