AIFS Travel

Flight arrangements
Students must indicate on the application their intention either to take an AIFS flight or to provide their own transportation to and from the program and pay the “land only” fee listed. Students changing from an AIFS flight to their own transportation prior to 75 days before departure pay a $100 change fee; less than 75 days prior to departure students are subject to a $200 penalty. Students who initially intended to provide their own transportation to and from the program may apply for a seat on AIFS flights subject to the following terms: 1) prior to 75 days before departure provided space is available; a $100 change fee is charged and 2) within 75 days before departure provided space is available; subject to a $200 penalty. Students changing from one departure city to another prior to 75 days before departure pay a $100 change fee for each change; within 75 days of departure students are subject to a $200 penalty in addition to any application fare differential provided space is available. For changes to return flights, refer to Alternate return dates and cities.

Students are sent their final itinerary approximately two weeks before departure. Students on extended personal travel before the start of the program should contact the Stamford office for itinerary information.

Due to TSA regulations students wishing to travel on an AIFS flight must be sure to give their full name exactly as it appears on their passport. If students give an incomplete or incorrect name on their application, they will be responsible for any financial penalties incurred or flight tickets cancelled.

Airline tickets
If you have opted for the Optional AIFS Flight Package, where permitted by the airline, you will be issued with an electronic ticket. Once confirmed, details of your flight information will be available to you on the AIFS website at www.aifsabroad.com/login. You can check here at any time to get your flight information, but should make a final check just prior to your departure. A detailed itinerary will be mailed to your home address approximately two weeks prior to departure. Your airline ticket will also be mailed to you at this time, providing all fees have been paid and your medical form has been received. If you will not be at your home address at this time, notify AIFS in writing of your new address. Tickets are shipped via UPS and require a signature upon receipt (they cannot be sent to a P.O. Box number).

AIFS is able to arrange alternate return flights for students wishing to extend their stay or leave from a different European city. Please note that students must leave from and return to the same U.S. city.

Alternate Return Date
For return dates other than the scheduled program return date(s), an additional fee of $100 must be submitted with the application. The alternate return date option does not apply to the Russia program.

Alternate Return City - Before airline tickets are issued, students may choose to return from an alternate return city for an additional cost between $125 and $275.
Alternate return city selections must be marked on the application and cannot be made after tickets are issued. The alternate return city option does not apply to the Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Russia or South Africa programs. Students wishing to change both their return city and date, must pay the $100 return date fee plus the relevant return city fee from the chart below.

If you choose to return from				Fee
London				$125
Amsterdam Glasgow Shannon	Brussels Manchester	Edinburgh Munich	Frankfurt Paris	$155
Barcelona Copenhagen Lisbon Milan Rome Vienna	Basel Geneva Madrid Nice Stockholm Warsaw	Berlin Hamburg Malaga Pisa Stuttgart Zurich	Budapest Helsinki Marseille Prague Venice	$205
Athens	Istanbul			$275

Rules:
Alternate return date and city change requests are available only for applicants who meet application and payment deadlines. Once an application is received, any subsequent changes to return flight selections are subject to a $100 administrative fee for each change made prior to 75 days before departure. Changes within 75 days of departure are subject to an administrative fee of $200 for each change.

All change requests must be submitted in writing by mail or fax with the student's signature or by email. Once tickets have been issued, it may be possible to change your return flight date, subject to airline availability. Please visit the AIFS website for further instructions after arrival on campus.

Dual Campus Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements from the first to the second campus. These students can purchase a round trip flight with AIFS arriving at the first campus and departing from the second. Additional alternate city/ date fee applies.

Airport Transfers
Transfers to and from campus are included for students who have booked their flights with AIFS, but only on the arrival/departure dates from the local airport as indicated in the program specific chapters.

Transfer from the arrival airport to campus is not included for students who miss their AIFS flight on the scheduled departure date and arrive at a different airport and/or on a different date other than the scheduled arrival date and arrival city (including rescheduled flights booked through AIFS). Students who miss their AIFS flight must arrange their own transportation from the arrival airport to campus and incur all consequent costs. This includes, but is not limited to, students who miss an AIFS flight due to illness or due to a delay in receiving a student visa. Airport transfers are also not included for students who arrange their own transportation.

Tickets are subject to availability and are not endorsable to another airline. There are no refunds for any unused portion of a ticket. All tickets are subject to prevailing airline and government rules. Students choosing a flight requiring an overnight connection assume extra costs, if incurred.

Housing on campus is not provided outside the actual program dates and students opting to travel independently before or after the program must make their own accommodation arrangements during these periods. However, housing is provided on campus for those not participating in optional weekend excursions that operate during the academic program. AIFS residences/offices do not have storage facilities for luggage during independent travel times. Your AIFS Protection Plus insurance plan covers you for up to one month during your period of independent travel.

For those who prefer a prearranged itinerary during independent travel time, AIFS organizes inexpensive study tours. Some campuses also offer optional weekend excursions. The cost of these tours is not included in summer school fees. The deadline for optional tour enrollment is April 15, regardless of the date of application. If you apply late and are on a wait list, you will not be able to enroll in optional tours after April 15 unless AIFS can confirm availability.

AIFS tours allow free time for individual sightseeing and organized visits to points of interest by bus, train or air. A multilingual tour manager accompanies each group. Details for optional study tours appear in each chapter. Tours are organized by the College Division staff of travel experts. Optional tours are subject to a minimum enrollment of 10 unless otherwise stated in the program chapter. If not achieved, AIFS reserves the right to cancel the tour. Additional outings may be organized during the program and students who wish to participate in such activities should budget an extra $150- $250. Once paid for in the U.S. the fee for optional excursions is non-refundable.

Passports

You must obtain your own passport. We urge you to apply for (or renew) your passport as soon as you have decided to take part in the program. Some countries require passports be valid for six to seven months beyond the end of the program (18 months for Russia). To apply for or renew a passport you must:

• obtain an application from a passport office, state or federal court with naturalization jurisdiction or local post office and supply requested information.
• submit proof of citizenship (birth certificate with raised seal), proof of identity (driver’s license or similar document) and two identical passport-size photos (2” x 2”) and pay the fee.

Applications can take more than 3 weeks to process. Apply early for your program and immediately afterward for a passport.

Please consult the following website for more detailed information: http://travel.state.gov/passport.

Visas

AIFS handles arrangements for group visas as required for Russia. Information on visa requirements for other program sites will be detailed in pre-departure information and can be found on-line.

A passport number and expiration date is needed for each visa application, so it is essential students have valid passports well in advance and meet enrollment deadlines. Visas for an entire group may be delayed if a student does not obtain a passport by the date AIFS specifies for certain programs.

Travelers not allowed to board at an airport because they do not have the correct or sufficient travel documents must assume all consequences. Failure to meet deadlines or obtain a visa does not constitute grounds for deviation from the standard refund policy.

Passports are required of everyone traveling outside the U.S. on AIFS programs. Non-U.S. citizens may be required to obtain visas to enter certain countries. For more information, check with the Washington, DC embassy for each country you will visit. Non-U.S. citizens are responsible for securing visas needed and must allow several weeks—or months—for this process.