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Old Jul 27, 2010, 11:10 pm
  #101  
zombietooth
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 5,001
Originally Posted by fastair
Hey Zombie, I had some down time, so found this for ya, straight from the FY 2011 final version of the city pair contract:

"B.20 PRICE REDUCTION
If, after award, the Contract carrier offers an unrestricted coach fare available to the general public that is lower than the contract fare, the contract carrier shall provide the lower fare to Government travelers in lieu of the contract fare.
If, after award, the contract carrier offers a commercial fare, other than an unrestricted coach fare, that is lower than the contract fare, the traveler can request, and the contract carrier shall provide, the lower fare in lieu of the contract fare, if the traveler qualifies for the lower fare and space is available at the time of booking. "

" AUDITS BY GSA’S TRANSPORTATION AUDIT DIVISION
1. Contract fares. The Government reserves the right to issue overcharges whenever the lowest fully refundable coach fare charged is greater than the contract fare, provided payment was made through a GTR, contractor-issued travel card, or centrally billed account.
2. The Government reserves the right to issue overcharges whenever the fare charged is greater than any unrestricted lowest fully refundable coach fare offered by the contract carrier to the general public that is lower than the contract fare. In such cases, audits will be limited to the effective date(s) of any such lower fares."

Kinda what I said earlier. Had he qualified (not made a deal) but qualified for a lower fare, he could have used it. That would mean advance purchase, ticketing, booking class, roundtrip if necessary...Even though this language is being quoted for the FY 2011 contract, the same language is/has been standard for years.
Maybe since United was waiving ticketing rules for him, the fare wouldn't qualify as "available to the general public". But if that is the case, it still seems ridiculous to not allow conditional waivers based on unusual circumstances to save the government money, and the flyer, great inconvenience. Also, the connecting flight to the international gateway wasn't UA, it was a foreign carrier with no relationship with the GSA, but it was only $150- and he could have made his originally booked flight home minus his first connecting segment to the gateway.
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