Federal travelers forced to deal with flight delays

Federal employees that fall victim to the unprecedented wave of airline flight cancellations this summer should turn to their agency's travel management center before booking on another airline, according to the travel gurus at the General Services Administration (GSA).

The friendly skies have turned downright hostile for passengers nationwide this summer. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, flight delays were up 16.5 percent in June compared to the same period last year. Numbers for July, due out shortly, are expected to match or exceed this level.

This week, United Airlines, facing a slowdown by its pilots' union, announced it would cancel 3 percent of its scheduled flights through October. The two sides have been at odds since contract negotiations in April failed to yield a new labor agreement.

So what should federal travelers do if their flights are cancelled?

"We can't stress enough that federal employees in this situation should work closely with their travel management center," said Jeff Koses, deputy director of GSA's Service Acquisition Center. "But there is clearly an exception to the city-pair requirement if they cannot get to their destination in time to accomplish the purpose of their travel."

Each year, GSA issues 4,800 contracts with airlines for federal travel between pairs of cities. Once GSA has selected an airline to provide service between a pair of cities, employees must use that carrier when traveling between the cities, unless one of a few strict criteria is met.

The arrangement pays major dividends for the government. Beyond the $2 billion a year saved off advertised rates, the contract's "last seat" provision guarantees federal travelers any available coach seat, up to takeoff. Tickets are also fully refundable and there are no blackout periods.

United, the world's largest airline, accounts for approximately 600 of the 4800 routes listed through GSA's services acquisition center, including 29 of the 88 destinations from metropolitan Washington's three airports.