US government flyers fly first class because of “entitlements”
US government officials wasted at least $146 million on business and first-class airline tickets in some cases simply because they felt entitled to it, congressional investigators said.
The report came from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which reviewed more than a dozen agencies. The investigators found that two thirds of premium-class travel by executives or their employees was unauthorized or otherwise unjustified.
The Pentagon and State Department employees were the worst offenders, said the AP in a report it obtained from the GAO
“Many of the cases involved high-ranking senior officials or political appointees who claimed exceptions to federal travel rules by citing old medical records or questionable approval from a subordinate employee,” said the AP.
The higher airfare for traveling in one of the premium classes resulted in expenses often five to 10 times more than what was authorized under government travel rules.
“With the serious fiscal challenges facing the federal government, agencies must maximize their ability to manage and safeguard valuable taxpayers’ dollars,” investigators wrote, suggesting agencies recoup the extra cost from those who abuse travel policies.
Under federal rules, government employees generally must fly coach for both domestic and international travel unless the flight takes 14 hours or longer. A few exceptions apply when the employee receives agency approval based on a medical condition, security concerns, lack of availability of coach seats or when required “because of agency mission.”
Government investigators found that employees openly flouted the rules and agencies did little to check their abuses.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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