I agreeto Idea Allow Travelers to Purchase Flight Tickets on Thier Own
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Allow Travelers to Purchase Flight Tickets on Thier Own

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Yes

Many many thousands of dollars on my remote campus alone could be saved per year if travelers were allowed to purchase their own airfare and be reimbursed after travel by presenting a receipt for the cost. Tickets normally may be purchased privately for at least half of the cost of the least expensive available govt. ticket. Under current travel regs, we must purchase fully refundable higher fare tickets, unless a nonrefundable fare is AT LEAST 40% cost savings over the full fare price. If the savings is 40% or more, the tickets must be purchased within 24 hrs or the reservation is canceled. In some cases, as in the situation of a continuing resolution, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to get a lower fare ticket.

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Submitted by Community Member 2 years ago

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Comments (10)

  1. Community Member

    This is already available at DoD. First, purchase your own ticket (at your own risk if the trip is cancelled). Then use the option for "Personally Procured Tickets" in DTS when preparing your travel authorization. Save all receipts including checked in luggage receipts to file with your travel voucher after the trip.

    2 years ago
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  2. Community Member

    Unfortunately, it is not available for NIH travelers. If it were, a Travel Management Center with all their additional costs and fees would not be required, which would be an additional savings on top of the lower costs for airfare. The last group of travel orders I prepared, we could have saved well over $10,000 in airfare costs if we were able to purchase tickets personally. It is a huge huge waste of funds.

    2 years ago
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  3. Community Member

    Forcing the traveler to bear all the risk if the trip is cancelled is extremely counterproductive. If this is to be the case, the traveler must ALSO get all the reward if the trip is not cancelled -- that is, receive the difference between the Government fare and the ticketed fare. I would propose a limited-liability system, where the traveler faces a maximum penalty of $50 but is eligible for an award of 50% of the savings up up to $100.

    2 years ago
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  4. Community Member

    I agree with the comment above where some form of a savings award is offered to the traveler to offset the risk of a cancelled trip.

    2 years ago
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  5. Community Member

    I agree, great suggestion.

    2 years ago
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  6. Community Member

    Employees can be given a list of the Gov't approved carriers. Once they know this they can go directly to that carrier and do their own booking - thus showing a substantial savings than using the Gov'ts approved Agent

    2 years ago
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  7. Community Member

    Employees should not benefit from Tax Payers dollars, so I do not agree with a bonus from savings. It is our duty, as civil servants to be prudent with tax payer money.

    If anything - Why pay employees for personal and/or business phone calls when it does not cost them anything? If a blackberry or iPhone is supplied, they can make all govt and personal calls with no increase in cost to the government, but yet their voucher/expense report claims repayment.

    Rental cars are another expense - each employee should not get there own vechile, but should be required to fly at the same time as coworkers and car-pool.

    Managers should also make sure they are only sending necessary personel only, and not half the office.

    2 years ago
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  8. Community Member

    being forced to choose from govt. approved (govt. contracted) carriers is one of the reasons we pay incredibly high fares.

    2 years ago
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  9. Community Member

    Stop traveling all together!

    2 years ago
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  10. Community Member

    I agree! Or, at the very least, restrict it to a very bare minimum. 100% of administrative personnel travel is to receive "training", with each trip costing us a minimum of $2000. The training is available online, and if it isn't it could easily be made available there. It is ridiculous and wasteful to spend thousands on travel when we have the technology to train these people at their desks

    2 years ago
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