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Flight FAQs

Travel agents contracted by each program book the flights of each ACE participant and provide 24/7 traveler support. All actual ticketing is done via email during the spring. ACE pays for your ticket directly. ACE will not reimburse you if you book your ticket through an online service or another travel agency, and doing so is cause for disenrollment from the program.

On your program application, you will identify the city from which you wish to depart and to which you will return for your ACE program. Please note that ACE only books simple, round-trip tickets for each participant. Before your ticket is booked, your desired origination airport will be re-confirmed.

The “Secure Flight” program of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires that your airline reservation include your first and last name, the spelling of which must match exactly the name listed on the Verifying Identity Document (VID) you will present to board your flight. To eliminate any potential for error in completing this essential part of the reservation process, you will be asked to provide a legible color scan of your passport as part of the application process to ACE.

The dates of your departure and return are determined by the dates set for your program; you may not leave earlier or return later than these fixed dates. All ACE student participants will arrive and depart on the program dates listed on the ACE website. Note that the program dates listed on the program profile reflect the dates you are on-site. For example, if the dates are listed as June 22 – July 16,  you will arrive in-country on June 22 and depart July 16. Depending on your home location, please take into account that you will need to allow for travel time before and after the program.

ACE requires that travel itineraries are prepared solely on the availability of the most economical rates using normally traveled routes, provided that a route does not significantly compromise the effectiveness, purpose and safety of a student’s travel. Carrier brand name recognition, frequent flyer affiliation, the length of waits for connecting flights, desire to coordinate airline itineraries with other travelers, etc., play no role whatsoever in preparing itineraries.

Due to the increased frequency of flight delays and cancellations, ACE has directed that extra layover time be built into international itineraries whenever possible. Additional layover time en route to international gateway airports significantly reduces the chances of not connecting to an international flight that, if missed, may delay you for days.

Once airline tickets are purchased, the flights may not be changed. Changing flights once they are booked will result in the termination of the student’s participation in the ACE program.

No. ACE participants will receive only non-refundable, non-changeable and non-transferable tickets for simple round-trip itineraries. Thus, you will receive a ticket that takes you only from your point of origin to your ACE location and back to your point of origin. For example, if you leave for your program from Durham, NC (RDU Airport), your ACE program ticket will return you to RDU. You may not elect to depart from and arrive back to separate cities/airports.

ACE will attempt to accommodate your airport requests, but reserves the right to purchase a ticket from the nearest metropolitan airport if scheduling and/or costs dictate. You will be responsible for ground transportation to and from that airport.

ACE Participants must fly all segments of their booked ticket. 

No. Because ACE students are able to fly from the airport they choose, students will be coming from many different airports. Flight itineraries are shared with all the students in the program so that you and the rest of the group can see if there are other ACE students on some or all of your flights. Students typically land about the same time at the airport in-country. Program staff will be at the airport to greet students and transport them to the program home base.