The plane lifts off, you settle back in your seat, you start snacking on peanuts--and then you remember: The memo! You need it for your meeting, but it's still sitting on the hotel room night stand.
You could pick up that phone tucked into the back of the seat in front of you and fix the problem with one call, but you work for the government, and those sky-high prices are making the taxpayer's conscience sitting on your shoulder shake its head. But you have to get that memo before the meeting.
Under a new federal discount program from GTE Airfone Service, you don't have to compromise your productivity for penny-pinching. Federal air travelers get up to a 50 percent discount on all calls made over the U.S. or Canada. As long as government travelers collectively use the airfone for at least 75,000 minutes per quarter, no call, no matter how long, will cost the taxpayers more than $7.50.
So with a clear conscience you can call the hotel and ask the concierge to fax the memo to your office.
Travelers must use their American Express travel cards to qualify for the discount. Over-ocean calls are not discounted, while international calls are discounted but have no maximum charge. In addition, the discount varies from 10 percent to 50 percent with the volume of calls the government makes each quarter. The discount during the second quarter of 1998 was at 25 percent, which was based on first quarter usage.
The government will save $500,000 during the contract's first year, GTE Airfone's Steve Cutbirth estimates.
"Beyond the savings and of greater importance is the productivity gain," Cutbirth says. "Government travelers spend millions of hours each year aboard domestic flights. Airfone service gives them a valuable communications option. Many issues can be worked out or resolved with a phone call."
Federal travelers earn the discount when flying on Continental, Delta, Midwest Express, TWA, Reno Air, United, US Airways and US Airways Shuttle.
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