This fiscal year, federal travelers' plane tickets will cost an average of 69 percent less than unrestricted coach fare tickets when feds fly on designated city-pair routes. But due to heavy air traffic, some city-pairs didn't fare as well.
Each year, under the city-pair program, the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Service awards contracts for air transportation for travelers on official government travel. The contracts are awarded competitively based on the best overall value to the government. The best value decision is based on considerations of the type, distribution and number of flights, the average flight time and the offered price.
Federal fliers will have almost 5,000 routes to choose from in fiscal 2001. Discounted rates federal employees will enjoy include $40 one-way from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Washington (down from $43 in 2000); $52 one-way from Chicago's O'Hare to Washington; and $70 one-way from Boston Logan to Washington.
Prices in certain markets, however, were significantly up due to maximum airline capacity this year, GSA reported. Among them, a one-way flight from Orlando to Washington is up $51 this year, from $172 to $223. But greater competition in other spot markets drove prices down. Rates between Albany, N.Y. and Washington Dulles, for example, dropped $74, from $239 to $165.
In 95 percent of the cases where non-stop flights were offered, GSA awarded the contract to the nonstop carrier. But prices were driven up so much in certain hot spot areas, including Houston, Newark and Cleveland, that fewer nonstop flights will be offered this year.
The tickets also don't require advance purchase and have no minimum or maximum stay requirements, travel time limits, charges for cancellations or blackout periods. The terms of the agreements are so favorable to travelers that airlines refuse to extend the rates to government contractors.
The following airlines were awarded city-pair contracts: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, America Trans Air, America West, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Midway Airlines, Midway Express, Northwest Airlines, Reno Air, Southwest Airlines, TransWorld Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways.
To see this year's city-pair rates, check out GovExec.com's Travel Center.