From hangovers and egos to allergies and pets, corporate travelers use humorous and often outrageous excuses to secure an airline upgrade or a larger rental car on the company dime. GetThere, the online business travel technology provider, recently asked travel managers to submit their favorite excuses given by travelers pushing the boundaries of their corporation’s defined travel policies. Corporate travelers using GetThere booked more than 10 million business trips online in 2006.

A West Coast-based travel manager for a manufacturing services provider submitted the top excuse: “I upgraded to First Class because I can’t afford the drinks in Coach.”

With the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) citing travel as corporations’ second highest controllable expense, travel and procurement managers are tasked with implementing policies to keep costs in line. Employees straying from policy increasingly must document their reasons, resulting in some eyebrow-raising justifications.

At NBTA’s annual conference this summer, GetThere kicked off a tongue-in-cheek contest, asking travel managers to share the most outrageous travel excuses heard on a day-to-day basis. Nearly 100 travel managers participated over eight weeks, providing a variety of excuses. Travel managers were encouraged to vote for their favorite excuse at toptravelexcuses.com, resulting in the top ten list provided below.

Top Ten Travel Excuses

The top ten travel excuses submitted by corporate travel managers include:

1. “I upgraded to First Class because I can’t afford the drinks in Coach.”



2. “Do you know who I am? If you did you would not ask me why I travel First Class.”



3. “I had to rent a full size car in order to carry my golf clubs.”



4. “I am allergic to peanuts and that is all they serve in Coach, so I had to upgrade to First where they have almonds.”



5. “I had to stay an extra day because I can`t fly with a hangover.”



6. “My dog is booked in the climate control hold on the flight and I need to sit in First Class so I can hear him bark so I know he`s OK.”



7. “Isn`t Boston on the way to LAX?” (Passenger lives in Las Vegas and wanted extra mileage points.)



8. “I have a doctor`s note that states I have to fly First Class.”



9. “I`m claustrophobic, so I need to fly First Class in order to get off the plane first.”



10. “I accidentally booked a flight to Paris, France instead of Paris, Texas.”

“Since 1995, we’ve helped many corporations with their travel programs, from defining travel policies to the creative rollout of online programs,” said Bev Heinritz, general manager of GetThere. “Even in an era where some companies use online tools to book 90 percent of their travel, employees still find creative and sometimes off-the-wall reasons to justify going outside the rules.”