Airfare - Require Purchase of Nonrefundable Tickets
Federal employees should be required to purchase "nonrefundable" tickets whenever they know a destination far enough ahead of time, and the purpose/event is unlikely to change (ie. conferences, internal agency meetings). The amount that most federal travelers pay for airline tickets is disgraceful, when they could have paid half or sometimes a third using a nonrefundable ticket. Even if you have to change your itinerary, ...more »
Federal employees should be required to purchase "nonrefundable" tickets whenever they know a destination far enough ahead of time, and the purpose/event is unlikely to change (ie. conferences, internal agency meetings). The amount that most federal travelers pay for airline tickets is disgraceful, when they could have paid half or sometimes a third using a nonrefundable ticket. Even if you have to change your itinerary, the fee is far less than you would have paid for the standard government fare. Worst part of all -- most federal employees don't even know about nonrefundable tickets (I didn't know for nine years!) and our travel contractors actively discourage you from purchasing them, which has to change. This is easy, low-hanging fruit that will immediately save tens of millions, but agencies/travelers must be informed and then required to do it.
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