Professor Christina Slade , Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University , spent £42,000 in a year on luxury flights across the world , it has been revealed . A £300,000-a-year university vice-chancellor spent £42,000 in a year on luxury flights across the world , it has been revealed . Professor Christina Slade , vice-chancellor of Bath Spa University , used her expense account to fly business class in order to 'drum up interest ' around the globe . She is of a number of well-paid university Vice-Chancellors who used expenses accounts for luxury travel . Her expenses were revealed in a study by the University and College Union ( UCU ) , which has criticised the 'murky world ' of university pay . UCU asked every university in the country to reveal how much their top staff were paid and how much they claimed in expenses in 2013-14 . The top paid Vice-Chancellor is Neil Gorman , of Nottingham Trent University , who raked in a staggering £623,000 including bonuses . Prof Slade said that her travel bill is essential for drumming up interest among foreign students and that travelling business class is 'the norm for Vice-Chancellors ' . The travel bill is on top of her £299,000-a-year salary , which rose 16 per cent last year . UCU spokesman Nick Varney said : 'It 's a chaotic state of affairs where some vice chancellors spend thousands on travel or enjoy large pay rises . 'This lifts the lid on the inconsistent and arbitrary nature of senior pay and perks in our universities and shines a light on the murky world of the shadowy remuneration committees who sign off these deals . 'We need a far more transparent system that allows for proper scrutiny of the spending at the top and the rationale behind pay rises . ' Figures obtained from 150 institutions under the Freedom of Information Act show the average overall salary package for university heads in 2013/14 was £260,290 . A total of 18 vice-chancellors saw their pay rise by more than 10 per cent , the lecturers ’ union calculated . A spokesperson for Bath Spa University said Prof Slade had gone abroad to recruit international students after falling numbers put courses and jobs at risk . 'The increase in international students has replaced the student numbers removed in the wake of an earlier decision on fees . 'There have been no staff redundancies as a result of downsizing at Bath Spa University , making it unique in its part of the sector . 'Without the international students , redundancies would have been necessary . Prof Slade , vice-chancellor of Bath Spa University , used her expense account to fly business class in order to 'drum up interest ' around the globe.She is of a number of well-paid university Vice-Chancellors who used expenses account for luxury travel . 'This international development has involved an enormous amount of travel , often at short notice and generally long haul . 'Business class is the norm for V-Cs . Professor Slade has not travelled first class . ' UCU asked 155 UK universities and colleges a series of questions about vice-chancellors ’ pay packages , including benefits and pensions , as well as money spent on air fares , hotel accommodation and personal expenses , for the year ending July 31 last year . Around 16 per cent- 24 institutions - did not respond or cited exemptions and did not release the requested information . The findings show that the average overall salary package for university heads in 2013/14 was £260,290 based on data from 150 institutions . The average expenditure on flights for university leaders , with information from 128 universities , was £9,705.75 . The most was spent by the London School of Economics and Political Science ( LSE ) , which paid out £59,811.14 on flights for director Professor Craig Calhoun . Overall just over two-thirds of air fares were for first or business class , UCU said , according to data from 114 universities . The average spend on hotel accommodation during 2013/14 was £3,202.05 , based on data from 122 institutions . The most was spent by Glasgow Caledonian University for Professor Pamela Gillies at £27,271.13 . The average received by vice-chancellors in personal expenses was £3,112.61 , according to information gathered from 125 universities . The highest amount - £33,526 - was given to Professor Gavin Henderson of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama .
Professor Christina Slade , is Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University . The £299,000-a-year boss used expense account to fly the world in luxury . Travel bill is on top of her £300,000-a-year salary , which rose 16 per cent .