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Reserve Duty Travel

Authority: JFTR Chapter Seven (U7150)

Forward: The DOD uses a reserve force at certain times. These personnel are recalled to active duty for a specified period of time and will serve at specific locations. SatoTravel provides travel services to these personnel in the same manner as we do for active duty military personnel. Reserve forces will receive travel orders authorizing travel from a specific point to a specific point for a certain number of days. Reservists will only have, for our purposes, Emergency Leave or TDY orders.

A. Validate Order Content

  1. Member’s Name and Rank
  2. Social Security Number
  3. Origin
  4. Destination
  5. Proceed Date (Only if a travel order is for a new mission.)
  6. Accounting citation
  7. Order is not expired. (TDY orders are valid from the date of issue and only for the number of days as listed on the orders. See section on expired TDY orders below.)
  8. Ensure that a complete set of orders are provided.
  9. Verify that orders have been signed and approved.

FOP (Form Of Payment): If the order does not direct a form of payment, or if travelers would like to use a form of payment other than what is directed in the order (i.e. IBA directed however would like to use CBA), ticketing can be provided however advise the member that the orders may have to be amended before a voucher can be filed.

Special Orders: In the future, members may provide "special orders" in an email format. These email orders must contain the same information as identified in "a - f" above in order for travel to be provided.

Variations Authorized

If the TDY travel orders specify that variations are authorized, indicated by a check mark in the small box next to "variations authorized" (block 11 on DD1610), the member will be allowed to vary his itinerary based on duty requirements. If variations authorized is checked, the traveler can select a destination that is not entered on the travel orders.

  • The traveler may vary his travel itinerary at any time. prior to departure, after departure or at anytime during his travel.
  • The variations authorization cannot be used to allow travel to a leisure destination.
  • The variations authorization does not allow a member to upgrade their class of service to business or first class.

Expired Order

  • Emergency Leave: Orders are valid from the date of issue and only for the number of days as listed on the order.
  • TDY: If a set of TDY orders allowed a maximum duty length of 120 days (this would be listed on the orders as "approximate length of duty"), once 120 days had past from the "proceed on date", these orders would no longer be valid. The member would require an extension or amendment to the TDY orders to authorize travel. Refer the member to the SACOR for assistance.

B. Communicate Entitlements

Emergency Leave Entitlement

  • The reservist must provide SatoTravel with a travel order AND an emergency leave order in order to obtain government sponsored travel to their point of origin in the United States.
  • The Reservists is entitled to travel from the TDY station to their stateside base, or the place in which they were called to active duty.
  • Travel from the TDY duty station to the commercial airport servicing the TDY duty station is authorized by common carrier. Common carrier is defined as rail, bus or private auto.
  • The Reservists is entitled travel to the actual emergency leave destination provided the cost of travel does not exceed the cost of travel to the members authorized stateside duty station.

      Example: A member is TDY from Fort Hood to Kosovo. The member has an emergency in Tampa FL. The entitlement is to Fort Hood, however, if the cost of travel is cheaper to Tampa, the member is authorized travel to Tampa.

  • If they can only produce emergency travel orders then you process them just as you would any military emergency leave traveler.

Emergency Leave Entitled Travel Options

A stop-over in route is authorized as long as there are no additional costs to the government. Stop-over privilege will be determined by the rules of the airline being used.

TDY Entitlement

  • The member is entitled to Government paid travel from his/her current place of assignment to a specified TDY destination(s) and return to his/her place of assignment.

  • The member is required to travel along the most direct route. A direct route is defined as any route that does not require the government to pay additional per diem costs or additional transportation costs.

  • Travel from the TDY duty station to the commercial airport servicing the TDY duty station is authorized by common carrier. Common carrier is defined as rail, bus or private auto.

  • Government fares can never be used to procure leisure travel in connection with TDY travel.

      Example: Member is TDY in Landstuhl Germany. He has leave authorized in Amsterdam Netherlands. He wants to return to his US duty station from Amsterdam instead of Landstuhl. This is not possible. Although there may be a government fare available from Amsterdam to his US station that is cheaper than from Landstuhl, we cannot apply that fare since he is in Amsterdam for leisure reasons AND (point 1) he can only be routed directly to/from the TDY station.

  • Travel to Asia (PACIFIC Regions) must be via the United States. Routing other than via the United States, would require an signed exception form.
TDY Entitled Travel Options
  • When traveling on TDY orders, the member is authorized a stop-over in route as long as there is no additional costs to the government. Stop-over privilege will be determined by the rules of the airline being used.

  • The member may elect to purchase his own transportation and file for reimbursement.
    • They must use SatoTravel.
    • Refer the member to the government finance officials for reimbursement information.

  • Leisure in conjunction with official travel (LICWO) can be incorporated into a TDY traveler’s entitlements as a round trip itinerary, paid by the customer, from either:
    • TDY destination
    • Authorized stop-over point

Mode of Travel for Emergency Leave

  1. Emergency leave travel is for air transportation only. Land transportation cannot be paid from emergency leave funds.

  2. All travelers are required to use American Flag air carriers.
    • If American Flag carriers exists, but no seats are available, use of Foreign flag airlift requires an approved and signed exception form.
    • If no American Flag carrier exists for the route, and a Foreign Flag is used, an approved and signed exception form is required.
    • If travel orders "Direct" or "Authorize" the use of foreign flag air travel, SatoTravel is still required to gain the approval of the SACOR/ITO.

Mode of Travel for TDY

  1. The traveler is entitled to commercial travel following the guidelines set by the General Services Administration (GSA).
    GSA Guidelines for commercial travel using
    Government Fares
  2. All travelers are required to use American Flag air carriers.
    • If American Flag carriers exists, but no seats are available, use of Foreign flag airlift requires an approved and signed exception form.
    • If no American Flag carrier exists for the route, and a Foreign Flag is used, an approved and signed exception form is required.
    • If travel orders "Direct" or "Authorize" the use of foreign flag air travel, SatoTravel is still required to gain the approval of the SACOR/ITO.

Proceed date / Availability Date

No availability date requirements for Emergency Leave or return TDY.

If the Reservists has a TDY order for a new assignment, the proceed date is from three (3) days before to three (3) days after the proceed date listed on the orders. Seven (7) days total.

Premium Class Travel

It is DOD policy that economy class travel accommodations be used for all official travel unless higher class accommodations are properly approved. When booking a travel request keep in mind, direct air service does not have to be used. Circuitous travel can be provided if economy seating is available even if the circuitous routing is more expensive than the direct route using a COW/CRT fare.

COW/CRT fares may not be used as they are considered, by USAREUR, to be business class fares. For some routes you have the ability to override the business class fare for a unrestricted coach fare (YOW/YRT). Check with your Branch Manager for CRS entries and further instruction if required. If overriding is not possible proper approval for business class travel must be obtained. If a circuitous routing is used to avoid the use of a business class fare, the following sentence must appear on the invoice:

"Circuitous routing used to ensure an economy fare, as direct route required the use of a business class fare."

  • Approval

    In all cases appropriate approval authorities are at the General Officer (GO) level. Obtaining approval is the direct responsibility of the Authorizing Official (AO) which is also the person/agency responsible for publication of travel orders.

    Approved orders must contain the following.

    • Name of the approving General Officer.
    • The travel points the approval is being provided for.
    • The specific paragraph reference in the JTR or JFTR and reason/justification used.
    • Name and contact information of the person responsible for preparing and executing the approval request.

    To view a sample copy of a TDY travel order (DD1610), with an appropriate approval authority contained in block 16, click here.  

  • IBA
    If a customer pays with his IBA (Government Travel Card), approval is not necessary as long as the traveler is aware that the following sentence will appear on his invoice.
    "Notice: if a business class fare was purchased, you are advised that appropriate approval for this class of service has to be properly approved or you may not be reimbursed for the travel performed."

  • Round Trip Ticketing
    The issuing of a round trip ticket for one way travel as a means to obtain economy fares has been determined to be an illegal business practice. USAREUR transportation personnel have also agreed that it should not be done. SatoTravel Associates will not indulge in this practice.

  • Statements of non availability
    SatoTravel does not provide statements of non availability for economy fares. Travelers who have performed travel at personal expense, and bought tickets from other than a contract travel office, will have to discuss reimbursement with a government representative.

Excess Baggage

Orders must authorize excess baggage in order for the traveler to be reimbursed. Excess baggage cannot be charged to the CBA without SACOR / ITO approval (exception form). The member is expected required to pay for excess baggage and claim reimbursement.

Pet Travel

Cost of pet travel is at the traveler’s personal expense.The contract carrier can not be waived if there is no pet space available or the contract carrier cannot accommodate the pet.

C. Communicate Exception Options

If a customer requests an exception to their travel entitlement refer them to the SACOR / ITO for approval (exception form). SatoTravel will gladly ticket any travel request that has been approved with an authorized and signed exception form. This does not apply to Premium Class Travel. Refer to Premium Class Travel for approval authorities.
Exception Form

"SatoTravel is a government contractor. We are obligated by contract to follow the rules of the JFTR."
last update September 29, 2005