Request for Reimbursement of Travel Costs

An authorized certifying officer for the Chicago Operations Office of the Department of Energy requested a decision as to whether two employees may be reimbursed travel costs incurred for portions of their business travel from New York to London and return. The contractor responsible for booking transportation for DOE employees booked their flight on the Concorde. When the employees arrived at the airport and discovered that they were to be responsible for the difference in the fare for the Concorde and regular economy fare, they changed their reservations to a later flight on another foreign air carrier. There was an American flight scheduled for the same time. One employee returned on the foreign air carrier as scheduled. The second employee delayed his return trip for personal reasons, and he flew home on an American flight. GAO held that each individual was responsible for that portion of their flights made on foreign air carriers since the Fly America Act dictates that American flights must be used when available. However, if the contract with the contractor responsible for setting the original flight contains a provision holding it accountable for errors, the liability for the travel costs may be shifted to that contractor.