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The preferred form of payment is the government travel charge card or centrally-billed account.
The contract carrier also agrees to accept payment through Government Transportation Requests (GTRs). GTRs may be used to pay for international air travel and other travel related expenses. For domestic air travel, GTRs may be used only under special circumstances, such as emergencies.
Yes, mandatory users of the City Pair Program are required to use the contract carrier unless a specific exception applies. See the FTR 301-10.111 for exceptions. Choosing not to use the contract carrier because of personal preference, frequent flyer clubs, etc. is a violation of policy.
There is an exception to the mandatory use requirement that allows you to take advantage of a lower fare offered by non-contract carriers, if the fare is also offered to the general public and, if used, will result in a lower total trip cost to the government. However, if you use this exception you must abide by the restrictions that typically go along with lower commercial fares. Restrictions on discounted commercial fares usually include: no refunds, additional change or cancellation fees, minimum or maximum stay requirements or extended calendar blackout periods.
Even though nonstop service is heavily favored, it is not always available or the best value. Some of the reasons that connect service is awarded are as follows:
1. A minimum service standard is set for each airline city pair and may include, as an example, minimum number of flights per day/week, nonstop vs. connecting service, connecting time limitations, circuity, and timeband limitations.
No, you can only use contract fares for authorized official travel. If personal travel is taken in conjunction with official government travel, the contract fares cannot be used for that portion of the trip. See FTR 301-10.8 for your liability when you travel by an indirect route for personal convenience.
Generally, no. If there is already a contract fare from the origin to the end destination awarded, other contract fares may not be combined to circumvent the award already made.
However, if there is no contract fare for the route (again, origin to final destination), other contract fares may be combined. In fact, if there is no contract fare, a combination of contract fares and/or any other available fare may be used so that the price results in the lowest cost alternative to the government and meets your travel needs.
If a contract carrier does exist in the market, as long as the combined fares are booked in the GDS, auto-priced (fared), and ticketed appropriately under the contract carriers rules for travel, a combination of contract fares (on the contract carrier) and/or any other available fare(s) may be used so that the price results in the lowest cost alternative to the government and meets your travel needs.
As defined in the CPP contract, Last Seat Availability means as long as there is coach class inventory available to sell on the plane, the government traveler can purchase it. No reference to a specific Seat Assignment (Seat Choice) is implied.
Reach out to your agency’s travel manager or your supervisor to determine next steps required to book a commercial fare.
Reach out to your agency’s travel manager or your supervisor to determine what airports you are authorized to use.
No, contractors are not authorized to use contract city pair fares, per FTR 301-10.111(note 3). The purchase of contract fare tickets on behalf of contractors is a misuse of the CPP.
In addition, invitational travel orders and the agency’s Centrally Billed Account (CBA) should not be issued or used to allow contractors access/use of contract City Pair fares. The numbering sequence on the government charge card indicates official government employee travel. If a contractor’s commercial fare is put on a CBA, the CBA identifies the traveler as eligible for City Pair contract fares.
To attend Inactive Duty Training (IDT), reservists can use the City Pair fares. In order to use City Pair fares, reservists must have a GSA SmartPay® Travel Card issued by their commanding officer. Once the official government travel card has been received, reservists must contact the Commercial Travel Office (CTO) at their base or duty station to make travel reservations.
Groups of 10 or more passengers traveling together on the same day, on the same flight, for the same mission, requiring group integrity and identified as a group by the travel management service upon booking are not mandatory users of the contract City Pair fares. For group travel, agencies are expected to obtain air passenger transportation service that is practical and cost effective to the Government.
Such groups can choose the carrier that best meets their travel needs. You will follow that carrier’s commercial group booking, reservation, ticketing, and cancellation policies.
Current policy states that DoD organizations must not make duplicate military and commercial air transportation reservations to move DoD group travelers (defined for this purpose as 10 or more seats). For additional questions concerning this issue, please contact Headquarters Air Mobility Command Policy Branch, HQ AMC/A4CTC, DSN 779-4951, or Commercial 618-229-4591.
All seating assignments will follow the contract carrier’s seating policy for the chosen ticket class. If there aren’t any no-additional charge seats available for assignment at the time of the confirmed reservation (because for example, all seats have been pre-distributed or carriers only board groups at the time of departure), then you will receive your seat assignment at the airport ticket counter or gate, in accordance with the contract carrier’s commercial practices. When contract carriers do not offer seat assignments prior to boarding, you are not required to pay additional money for a ticket that includes a seat assignment in order to board the flight.
Seat assignments are at the discretion of the carriers. Some airlines do not make seat selection available. Some may allow for a selection at check-in which is usually available 24 hours prior to flight departure for most flights. For the best seat selection, check-in as soon as possible, add seating preference to your profile, and sign up for Frequent Flyer programs.
Yes. You may upgrade to other than coach-class accommodations at your personal expense, including through redemption of frequent flyer benefits. Upgraded/preferred coach seating is also generally a traveler’s personal choice and therefore is at the traveler’s personal expense. However, your agency’s travel authorization approving official may reimburse the additional seat choice fee if it is in accordance with internal agency policy.
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Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories and possessions are set by the Department of Defense.
Rates for foreign countries are set by the Department of State.
Rates are available between 10/1/2022 and 09/30/2025.
The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.
Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.
Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."
Per diem localities with county definitions shall include"all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."
When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.
U.S. General Services Administration