Refund = refund your boss?
 

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Now we need 270 posts about the ethics of your boss's decision. @:-)

One of the oldest and most twisted games in the book for business travel by air was done by those flying for government work. A number of diplomats, for example, would swap their flexible or premium cabin tickets for lower cost air travel and pocket the difference/refund for their own personal use/enrichment.

At the same time, some of their governmental employers would throw a hissy fit if government contractors would get creative to save the government money by getting even a little bit creative to drive down the costs.

Ok I LOLd. Well, not so much my boss's decision but company policy. In my case, I will have, assuming this is an IRROP, gotten a choice. Fly in J/F or fly in Y with $. I can accept either. Why? I've never asked, but presumably it's because I have to "suffer" in Y, so as a result I get comped for it. I also don't HAVE to suffer in Y and can accept J/F on a later flight.

I realize this is slightly off topic, but very very few employers that I know of, outside of government, allow for J/F travel. IBM is lowest fare. Google is dependent on route. MS is Y only. Oracle, last I checked is highest Y, as an example, and these are the highly profitable companies.

Governments aren't all that generous in providing premium cabin travel to government employees. For most government employees in the world, it's just economy class travel.

The only potential lingering ethical issue *might* be between you and the IRS, assuming you're in the U.S. If the compensation came to you as a result of reticketing into a Y fare bucket, that cash you kept *could* be reportable income. IANAL, but this is what the NBA referees got in trouble for. It wasn't the NBA commish who cared so much as it was the IRS.

I say it's an ethical issue because in practice, the IRS is never going to know about one random IROP. The NBA refs had a system...they were doing it intentionally and frequently. But if you were to *ask* the IRS, I think they'd say it's taxable income... (Again, IAtotallyNAL.)

If the ticket was flown as-is with a Y seat assignment and some sort of downgrade kit (vouchers or miles or whatever), then it's a nonissue.

True. In Canada, you would be correct, except for members of parliament of senators, who get to fly J. (we don't have F in any of our national airlines)

A reticket into Y = we would not get the fare difference (I fly almost exclusively on Air Canada domestically)

I know our Swedish division, as an example, have to pay taxes on even frequent flier miles, but no, I live in Canada and we do not have to pay for what you suggest. -IRROP comp. (based on what HR has told me) I am not sure at all about US taxation laws.

I can't be alone in thinking that this entire two-way argument hasn't contributed anything to this thread.

I'm pretty sure that depends on the employee's position. MS may be Y but I suspect Bill Gates was not flying Y to China.

Some CEOs make a point to fly Y. Not sure if Gates was one or not...

Maybe from Chicago to Des Moines

At least now this would be much harder for most US gov employees to get away with, with the mandated use (with some exceptions) of the corporate travel card where the refunds would usually have to be credited back to. Though people still get busted for abusing the travel card in other ways so I guess there will always be someone doing something.

Gates flew in Y, so did Ballmer. (until MS became huge, but in the 2000s, they flew Y)

This statement is incorrect. I have multiple friends who work at all of the companies I mentioned, some are directors, heck even Area presidents fly Y.

I think Facebook is J for flights 8h+.