U-M employees will — effective May 1, 2026 — have more options available when booking flights for university-related business. While the use of Collegiate Travel Planners, U-M’s designated travel partner, will still be the preferred way to book flights for university-related travel, it will no longer be required. 

If, however, employees elect to book flights outside of CTP, a U-M payment card (PCard or Travel & Hosting Card) must be used for payment. In addition, travelers will now be able to book basic economy fares using the CTP Lightning booking tool.

The added flexibility was announced in an email yesterday to deans, directors, department managers, and members of U-M’s budget administrator groups from U-M’s three executive vice presidents: Robert A. Hewlett III, interim executive vice president and chief financial officer; Laurie K. McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; and David C. Miller, executive vice president for medical affairs.

The adjustments were made after significant engagement with employees across the university, who shared a need for increased flexibility for travel booking and access to more fare options. In addition, these new options allow U-M to maintain its ongoing focus on good stewardship of its financial resources to support the university’s missions of teaching, research, and patient care. 

Even with the new options, booking travel with CTP is still strongly encouraged and continues to offer many benefits to the U-M community, including:

• Access to the best negotiated rates — U-M and CTP discounts are automatically applied when booking business travel with CTP.
• Payment through U-M’s Central Travel Account, with receipt information automatically populating into Emburse Enterprise for straightforward expense reporting.
• 24/7 assistance for travelers through CTP agents, the Lightning booking tool, and the CTM mobile app.
• The ability to easily track and apply unused ticket credits to new bookings or reallocate them to alternate travelers within the university.
• Duty of care for U-M employees while traveling domestically and abroad, which helps ensure their health, safety, and security.
• Travel booking fees through CTP will continue to be centrally funded for FY ’27 and will not appear as individual expenses in Emburse Enterprise.

At the local level, units may continue to require the use of CTP for travel booking at their discretion and there is a one-time exception for booking flights out of pocket, unless it has already been used under the previous policy. More information on applying for a U-M PCard or Travel & Hosting Card is available on the Procurement Services website.

An exception form has been updated to reflect a limited number of extenuating circumstances, including airfare paid via third-party reimbursements.

The U-M Travel Program Team holds regular training and Q&A sessions to help travelers and travel arrangers make the best use of CTP and the Lightning booking platform. Information about these sessions, along with a variety of training materials, can be found on the Travel Program webpage.