Do the discounted fares that US government workers fly on earn miles? Can they get UGs if they have status?

yes and yes

Out of curiosity, what kind of deals does Uncle Sam get?

One's I thought you are not allowed to use for personal travel.

Some DoJ or maybe it was SEC lawyer had mentioned that in 2000 that the USAir shuttle fare they got was like 28 dollars each way or something ridiculous like that.

It's a long story, but basically the government puts "city pairs" out for bid to the various airlines, and the winning bid (lowest price for flights between the two cities) gets the contract.

For flights not a part of "city pair" contracts, the government usually has a deal with the airlines to get an unrestricted ticket at somewhat less than usual "Y" rates.

And yes, this is for official travel only, not for personal travel.

The fares tend to be higher than a restricted economy ticket, but quite a bargain when compared with non-restricted tickets, which is what they are. My husband usually (the fares are not constant) pays about $500 for a gov fare SFO-DCA.

As for the contracts, most carriers match whatever the contract is so government employees can pretty much fly on whichever carrier they desire.

These fares cannot be used for personal travel and must be purchased with a government credit card (they have a specific sequence of starting numbers). That's audited pretty closely. My husband once gave his personal card by mistake and the reservationist accepted it. A day later he got a phone call that his ticket was being canceled because it wasn't paid for with a government card. They reissued the ticket on the government card and weeks later we were refunded for the other one.

It's a relatively recent change that allows federal employees to keep their miles.

For those really interested in the fares that Uncle Sam pays you can view them using this tool. http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/citypairs/search/ The previous poster was correct, the government fare tickets must be purchase with the government travel card. Not all city pairs have a government contract but most of those that do have very reasonable fares considering the fares have no restrictions.



Jay, aka 1095

It was on or around 1 Oct 01 when this came into effect. Further, if a government employee gets "bumped" from a flight, he or she may collect the compensation for their own personal use. Prior to the change, any compensation provided by the airline had to be turned in to the government.

Also keep in mind, however, that the use of contracted flights from certain gateways are used if available. For instance, a family being transferred from the US to Japan will use commercial air to get to Seattle, at which time they'll board a "Patriot Express" flight (World Airways, I believe) which will take them to Asia. No mileage accrued here, unfortunately (with the exception of the domestic leg).

The bill was passed Dec. 13, 2001 as part of the 2002 Defense Authorization Bill. Seemed like something The Truth Commission would want to get right.

Wow, the government DCA-LGA shuttle fare has jumped. It was 34.00 one way last year and is now 59.00. Still that is cheaper than the 202.00 Y fare.

Prior to the change in late 2001, government employees could earn miles, but could only use them to upgrade to business (not first class) or use them for other government flights -- some agencies have "gainsharing" programs where if you save the government money, you can get an "award" generally equal to 50% of the savings. For a couple of years before 2001, the Comptroller General (among others) was lobbying to remove the restrictions because of a desire to make government employment more attractive. Prior to the change, a few government employees were actually disciplined for using miles for vacation trips.

Not only disciplined. The Comptroller General reports show some employees had to repay the government, at full-fare rates, for personal flights they took using miles accrued on official flights.

Interesting page. Thanks.
Are these prices for OW or RT?

The fares shown are for one way flights.



Jay, aka 1095

they still require govenrment employees- no matter the level to book Y so as not to give the impression they are wasting taxpayer dollars. Even US ambassadors and heads of agencies mostly fly Y no matter the flight time - while junior officers from other countries are basking in C. It gives the impression we are cheap.