[Request for Reimbursement for Airline Ticket Unused Due to Cancellation of Annual Leave]

A decision was requested as to whether a National Park Service employee was entitled to reimbursement for the return portion of a personal airline ticket which he did not use due to the cancellation of his annual leave. After the employee reached his vacation destination, he was informed that he would have to interrupt his annual leave to attend a workshop. The employee interrupted his vacation, attended the workshop, and then returned directly to his permanent duty location using a Government Transportation Request. The employee contended that, because of the interruption of his leave, he lost the amount attributable to the return portion of an airline ticket purchased for his vacation because he was unable to use the ticket for his return and could not receive a refund for the unused portion of the ticket. The Park Service denied the request for reimbursement because GAO had concluded that there was no legal basis to reimburse an employee for additional air travel expenses resulting from his disqualification for special rates when official duties required a change of plans. GAO could not agree with the employee that he lost the value of the unused return ticket because his return fare was paid by the Government at no cost to him. GAO has held that agencies have no authority to pay such claims. Accordingly, the request for reimbursement was denied.