Originally Posted by bcmatt

The UK Government is not one single entity though - it is lots of different departments and quangos, often each with their own slightly different travel policies!

Your comment re the FCO assume that diplomats all fly BA all the time - far from it! HMA and DHM might insist on flights in Club, but the lower ranks will often have to take cheaper flights with connections rather than automatically get put on direct flights on BA. For example for flights to Moscow in Business the preferred routing staff are encouraged to take is actually on LH.

When I was still in the civil service if a direct flight on BA was was not one of the three cheapest quotes from the TA you had to make a case for ignoring them and insisting on BA (or any other direct flight).

Initially we were not allowed to claim miles on work flights, later this rule seemed to be relaxed so long as you weren't blatantly choosing flights solely to boost your FFP. In other words you could earn miles on flights you had to take, but you could not pick certain carriers purely to improve mileage earning. I never did work out if this was an official relaxation, or just an outbreak of common sense where I worked!