To maintain consistency in our travel booking process, we want to remind you of the requirements regarding medical exceptions for business travel.

All UCLA faculty, staff, students, and their guest travelers who request air travel in a premium cabin (e.g., business class or premium economy) for medical reasons must provide supporting documentation at least 14 days prior to booking travel with the UC Travel Center.  

Before submitting a medical exception request, departments should use the following checklist to confirm all required information has been included: 

• Valid Medical Note: a signed letter from a licensed healthcare provider 

• Requested Cabin: business class or premium economy 

• Travel Duration: the minimum number of flight hours required to accommodate the traveler’s condition (e.g., if the trip is going to be five or more hours) 

• Confidentiality: the traveler’s medical diagnosis should be redacted or not included  

• Travel Guests: the business purpose, travel dates, and destination of guests traveling with the UCLA traveler (if applicable) 

• Department Approval: the request must be co-signed by the department’s CAO or CFO 

• Document Retention: the CAO or CFO must retain the original medical note 

Requests must be submitted to the Medical Note for Travel Exception upload folder at least 14 days prior to booking travel with the UC Travel Center. This will allow for sufficient time to review and approve the request.  

Upon approval, the medical exemption will be valid for one year from the date of issuance, and travel must take place within this one-year time frame.  

Adhering to these requirements will ensure that travelers with medical conditions can receive the necessary medical accommodations while traveling on University business. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the UC Travel Center.  

Thank you, 

Diana Rapista 
Manager, UC Travel Center