Federal airfare rates set for 2000

Federal travelers will continue to save big bucks on airfare next year under contracts awarded this month to 14 airlines.

Government travelers will get an average discount of 70 percent off the full walk-up fares for travel on about 4,300 routes, under the General Services Administration's governmentwide city-pair contracts. The contracts save the government $2 billion a year off standard airfares.

Some government rates are staying the same next year. A one-way ticket from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport will be $53 in 2000, the same as in 1999. Other rates have fluctuated. A ticket from Dallas to Reagan National will rise from $177 in 1999 to $225 in 2000. On the other hand, a ticket from Dallas to Washington's Dulles International Airport will fall from $259 this year to $181 next year.

Discounts are taken from unrestricted coach fares and are typically larger on the routes most frequently traveled by federal employees. Other perks included in the contract are:

• No advanced purchase is required.
• No minimum or maximum length of stay is required.
• Tickets are fully refundable.
• There are no blackout periods.
• Prices are set for the whole year.
• As long as a coach class seat is available, federal travelers can purchase tickets at the government rate.

Some agencies are offering employees additional perks. At the Food and Drug Administration, employees covered by a recently signed collective bargaining agreement with the National Treasury Employees Union are eligible for a special gainsharing program. Employees get to keep 50 percent of the frequent flyer miles they earn while traveling for the government. Usually, employees must use all frequent flyer miles they earn while on official travel for other government travel.

Federal travelers purchased $1.7 billion worth of airfares using government travel charge chards in fiscal 1998. Federal employees put about 50 percent of their travel spending on such charge cards last year. Under a law that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2000, almost all travel costs, including airfare, will have to be paid with the travel charge cards.

Delta Airlines was the leading airline in this year's federal travel awards, winning the government's business on 777 routes. U.S. Airways will provide service on 772 routes, American Airlines on 611, United Airlines on 584, TransWorld Airlines on 346, and Southwest Airlines on 320. Other city-pair airlines include Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, America West, Alaska Airlines, AirTran, Midway Airlines, Midway Express and American Trans Air.

Travel Editor Lauren Taylor contributed to this story.