[Claim for Commercial Air Travel Costs]

A finance and accounting officer asked GAO to determine whether an Army officer may be reimbursed the cost of commercial aircraft travel used for emergency leave. Although the officer had orders authorizing his travel on military aircraft, he was prevented from boarding because his orders were incorrectly issued. GAO held that the enabling regulation created only an eligibility for military air transportation in kind and not an entitlement to reimbursement for air transportation in general. Therefore, there is no authority to allow the claim for the cost of a commercial carrier. Accordingly, the voucher may not be paid.