1K Status as a US Government Flyer
Nov 10, 2018, 8:47 pm
#31
Join Date: Nov 2014
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Dear OP. I am an employee at an FFRDC so I am subject to many of the same rules (without access to the M class fares.. I some times get them if NSF, NASA or DOE is direct booking for me).
1) Don't abuse it. 1K is not worth getting fired or worse. This is the taxpayers money.
2) some times a bargain buyup comes along. not a checked in buy up (no extra PQM there).
3) The one year I made 1K it was due to two personal trips to Australia... I ended up doing a 1K MR to make up the PQD..
4) I would not do that again. I do better on UGs this year as a gold hitting checked in upgrade offers. GPUs are almost only useful if you can fund inventory to allow it to clear on booking. And given GSA rules (personal days before etc) that's hard to wrangle.. read the threads.
1) Don't abuse it. 1K is not worth getting fired or worse. This is the taxpayers money.
2) some times a bargain buyup comes along. not a checked in buy up (no extra PQM there).
3) The one year I made 1K it was due to two personal trips to Australia... I ended up doing a 1K MR to make up the PQD..
4) I would not do that again. I do better on UGs this year as a gold hitting checked in upgrade offers. GPUs are almost only useful if you can fund inventory to allow it to clear on booking. And given GSA rules (personal days before etc) that's hard to wrangle.. read the threads.
My business travel each year would barely get me to Silver. I made 1K for the first time this year by adding 2 personal trips to Hawaii and personal trips to Thailand and London on top of an abnormal amount of business travel. With what I've seen on this board about RPUs and GPUs and my inability to apply them usefully for flights over an hour, I'd be happy to make Gold for access to G* lounges while traveling internationally and just looking for TOD upgrades.
Nov 11, 2018, 5:46 am
#32
Join Date: Oct 2010
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Really? I don't live in the US - surprises me there isn't a rule in place for international flights greater than a certain length (say 8 hours) requiring J class.
Nov 11, 2018, 7:02 am
#33
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OPM travel regulations permit government travelers to fly in paid premium, e.g. J or F (if no J) when certain conditions are met. However, that is both permissive by the agency and decision unit within the agency as well as the agency's appropriation for travel expenses. Thus, an agency may restrict government-wide rules, but may not expand them. In addition, it must have available funds for the travel.
The specific comment in question is presumably from somebody at an agency which has chosen to restrict government-wide rules. The stories about various US senior officials travelling in paid F relate to the use or misuse of exemptions which are available to agencies with proper documentation. Not really relevant to the discussion here other than to point out that nothing invites scrutiny from an agency's internal auditors or IG faster than seemingly excessive travel costs. Not that one should forgo premium travel, but that one ought to assure that it is properly documented.
Nov 11, 2018, 12:17 pm
#34
Join Date: Mar 2009
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You are partially correct. The post on which you comment is wrong.
OPM travel regulations permit government travelers to fly in paid premium, e.g. J or F (if no J) when certain conditions are met. However, that is both permissive by the agency and decision unit within the agency as well as the agency's appropriation for travel expenses. Thus, an agency may restrict government-wide rules, but may not expand them. In addition, it must have available funds for the travel.
The specific comment in question is presumably from somebody at an agency which has chosen to restrict government-wide rules. The stories about various US senior officials travelling in paid F relate to the use or misuse of exemptions which are available to agencies with proper documentation. Not really relevant to the discussion here other than to point out that nothing invites scrutiny from an agency's internal auditors or IG faster than seemingly excessive travel costs. Not that one should forgo premium travel, but that one ought to assure that it is properly documented.
OPM travel regulations permit government travelers to fly in paid premium, e.g. J or F (if no J) when certain conditions are met. However, that is both permissive by the agency and decision unit within the agency as well as the agency's appropriation for travel expenses. Thus, an agency may restrict government-wide rules, but may not expand them. In addition, it must have available funds for the travel.
The specific comment in question is presumably from somebody at an agency which has chosen to restrict government-wide rules. The stories about various US senior officials travelling in paid F relate to the use or misuse of exemptions which are available to agencies with proper documentation. Not really relevant to the discussion here other than to point out that nothing invites scrutiny from an agency's internal auditors or IG faster than seemingly excessive travel costs. Not that one should forgo premium travel, but that one ought to assure that it is properly documented.
I had a boss once who said that if anyone were to ask her for upgrade approval, she’d just management reassign them to a job without travel.
So, yes, there are provisions for business class travel if the travel is over 14 hours and there’s a medical reason for it. However, from a practical perspective, people don’t use these provisions.
Nov 11, 2018, 12:24 pm
#35
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Join Date: Jun 2005
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Hope my experiences didn’t offend you.
I had a boss once who said that if anyone were to ask her for upgrade approval, she’d just management reassign them to a job without travel.
So, yes, there are provisions for business class travel if the travel is over 14 hours and there’s a medical reason for it. However, from a practical perspective, people don’t use these provisions.
Nov 11, 2018, 1:04 pm
#36
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Nov 11, 2018, 1:42 pm
#37
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Not to go far OT, but this is a bad analysis. Value means more than dollars to the taxpayer. An extra day of someone's time is not merely the hourly cost of their salary, but rather the loss of the person's contribution.
For any one employee on any one trip, it does not matter. But, the USG is a large place and if every 14+ hour trip results in an extra day of employee time, that has an impact at agencies where international travel is routine. If someone takes 12 such trips a year, that is 12 days of their value lost. That value is measured by more than salary.
While it's unfashionable to give a nod to government rules, this is one where bigger picture thinkers have thought about the issue and worker bees have not or don't care.
For any one employee on any one trip, it does not matter. But, the USG is a large place and if every 14+ hour trip results in an extra day of employee time, that has an impact at agencies where international travel is routine. If someone takes 12 such trips a year, that is 12 days of their value lost. That value is measured by more than salary.
While it's unfashionable to give a nod to government rules, this is one where bigger picture thinkers have thought about the issue and worker bees have not or don't care.
Nov 11, 2018, 7:32 pm
#38
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
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Mmm ... no, it's NOT bad analysis. The consideration of mission-critical reasons is an out that allows leadership to look at the big picture and the traveler to NOT take the extra day of travel when the situation warrants but IME it's rare that the extra day out of the office will have that much impact. It's far more common IME that someone overestimates their contribution as part of a rationalization to let them travel J or arrange the schedule for their convenience.
I've also seen the other extreme where someone purposely set international meetings to start on a Monday morning and then raised the issue that s/he couldn't be made to travel on a weekend so he'd have to travel on the preceding Wed or Thurs.
I've also seen the other extreme where someone purposely set international meetings to start on a Monday morning and then raised the issue that s/he couldn't be made to travel on a weekend so he'd have to travel on the preceding Wed or Thurs.
Nov 12, 2018, 12:20 am
#39
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Mmm ... no, it's NOT bad analysis. The consideration of mission-critical reasons is an out that allows leadership to look at the big picture and the traveler to NOT take the extra day of travel when the situation warrants but IME it's rare that the extra day out of the office will have that much impact. It's far more common IME that someone overestimates their contribution as part of a rationalization to let them travel J or arrange the schedule for their convenience.
I've also seen the other extreme where someone purposely set international meetings to start on a Monday morning and then raised the issue that s/he couldn't be made to travel on a weekend so he'd have to travel on the preceding Wed or Thurs.
I've also seen the other extreme where someone purposely set international meetings to start on a Monday morning and then raised the issue that s/he couldn't be made to travel on a weekend so he'd have to travel on the preceding Wed or Thurs.
I’ve often joked with colleagues about a perfect retirement part time job - auditing government employee travel, with my only compensation a 10% cut of the value of the travel funds my audit recovers. It would be the easiest job I ever had.
Nov 12, 2018, 1:10 am
#40
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We deal with that by only allowing leave days up to the number of business days of travel. Our policy on recovery days seems to be extra generous though - it's apparently on all trips, not just flights over a certain length. I've taken a couple personal days on short trips (like LA to the bay area, where it's normally same day return) where I tried to not get reimbursed and they reimbursed the days anyway.
Nov 12, 2018, 6:39 am
#41
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This. When I took over at one unit, I had one employee who would attend a 4 hour meeting halfway around the world and the take 4 days of leave, essentially getting the taxpayer to fund his vacation. He soon lateraled to another unit, and is still up to his same tricks. I found another employee habitually setting up witness interviews in another country on a Friday, giving him a free weekend with his girlfriend who lived there. We finally caught him canning the interview altogether, and yes, he moved on when we cracked down.
I’ve often joked with colleagues about a perfect retirement part time job - auditing government employee travel, with my only compensation a 10% cut of the value of the travel funds my audit recovers. It would be the easiest job I ever had.
1. The employee who conducts witness interviews out of town on a Friday so he can spend the weekend with his GF is doing nothing wrong and is to be commended for improving his work-life balance at no cost to the taxpayer (presuming that Friday interviews are just as good as Thursday interviews and don't cost more). I could care less where someone spends off-duty hours.
2. The employee who traveled and then cancelled or never scheduled the interview was engaged in fraud and the fact that he "moved on" rather than being terminated or otherwise disciplined, if not referred for prosecution, is waste or abuse in and of itself on the part of the supervisors who knew of it and swept it under the rug.. That is where the IG can be most useful, not simply dinging individual government travelers because their taxi receipt ink is smudged.
As to "recovery" days and the like, this suggests over-staffing when it is a routine practice. If you can afford to have someone out of the office taking extra time off, perhaps it is better to cut the staffing and step up the class of travel a bit.
Nov 12, 2018, 7:22 am
#42
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2. The employee who traveled and then cancelled or never scheduled the interview was engaged in fraud and the fact that he "moved on" rather than being terminated or otherwise disciplined, if not referred for prosecution, is waste or abuse in and of itself on the part of the supervisors who knew of it and swept it under the rug.. That is where the IG can be most useful, not simply dinging individual government travelers because their taxi receipt ink is smudged.
I think it's charming how you think the IG has real power.
Nov 12, 2018, 8:44 pm
#43
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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This. When I took over at one unit, I had one employee who would attend a 4 hour meeting halfway around the world and the take 4 days of leave, essentially getting the taxpayer to fund his vacation. He soon lateraled to another unit, and is still up to his same tricks. I found another employee habitually setting up witness interviews in another country on a Friday, giving him a free weekend with his girlfriend who lived there. We finally caught him canning the interview altogether, and yes, he moved on when we cracked down.
Nov 12, 2018, 8:45 pm
#44
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Washington, DC
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1. The employee who conducts witness interviews out of town on a Friday so he can spend the weekend with his GF is doing nothing wrong and is to be commended for improving his work-life balance at no cost to the taxpayer (presuming that Friday interviews are just as good as Thursday interviews and don't cost more). I could care less where someone spends off-duty hours.
Nov 12, 2018, 11:19 pm
#45
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Topic Reminder
This thread has gone away off topic. The OP asked, " How do I achieve 1K status as a government flyer? ". While some discussion of government travel rules is to be expected, the recent discussions how to ask for paid premium travel and on mixing leisure and government has gotten far off the OP's query and are not UA related.
Let's return discussing how government travelers gain 1K on UA.
WineCountryUA
UA coModerator
This thread has gone away off topic. The OP asked, " How do I achieve 1K status as a government flyer? ". While some discussion of government travel rules is to be expected, the recent discussions how to ask for paid premium travel and on mixing leisure and government has gotten far off the OP's query and are not UA related.
Let's return discussing how government travelers gain 1K on UA.
WineCountryUA
UA coModerator