GSA issues guidance to clear up confusion among federal travelers

The General Services Administration on Friday issued a travel advisory for federal employees and travel managers to clear up the confusion experienced by many federal travelers who were stranded as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York. Flight delays and spotty telephone service caused by the attacks created many questions about government travel rules and regulations during a crisis. According to GSA, many of the questions the stranded travelers raised during the past few weeks are already addressed in the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), which spells out federal travel rules. "We encourage federal agencies to communicate with their travelers about the procedures available in the FTR," GSA instructed. "The FTR is only effective if it is understood." While the agency made no regulatory exceptions as a result of the attacks, it did relax its air travel policy to allow federal workers to use alternate modes of transportation as long as it was approved by their agency and reservations were made through their travel management centers. Now, the stricter rules are back in place and federal employees are again encouraged to travel by air because it is generally quick, economical, safe and reliable. But because of the attacks, agencies may, when authorizing travel plans, take into consideration any concerns employees may have about flying. Federal employees who were stranded because of the attacks will be reimbursed for per diem expenses incurred because they were unable to return to their official duty stations, GSA said. In the future, federal employees with questions about their travel plans should contact their supervisor or travel manager, GSA advised.