Inadvertent Use of Travel Agents

An agency requested an exemption from restrictions against the use of travel agents to procure official Government travel for an employee and another traveler whose travel was to be paid by the agency. The agency stated that both travelers responsible for procuring the passenger transportation services from the travel agents were unaware of the requirement restricting the use of travel agencies, and that equity and fairness dictated that an exemption should be authorized because the Government received the benefit of the transportation. It has been held that a Government employee, unaware of the general prohibition against the use of travel agents, who inadvertently purchases transportation with personal funds from a travel agent, may be paid for travel costs which would have been properly chargeable had the requested service been obtained by the traveler directly from the carrier. Therefore, payment of the travel voucher in this case was authorized.