Frequent Flier on the Runway

Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., sponsored the amendment along with Sen. John Warner, R-Va. In August, Warner introduced S. 1369, a bill to extend the benefit to federal employees. The Defense authorization amendment would also allow military personnel, Foreign Service members, their families and others who travel on official government business to keep their frequent flier miles and other benefits from car rental companies and hotels.

"Soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, prepared to go into harm's way," Lieberman said in a news release. "Letting them take advantage of frequent flier programs-which cost the taxpayer absolutely nothing-is a small gesture, but one that can mean a lot for morale."

The 1994 Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act prohibits federal employees from accepting promotional items they receive while traveling at government expense. Those items included frequent flier miles, upgrades to first-class seats and access to airlines' clubs or facilities.

"The 1994 ban was intended to prevent employees from selectively traveling in order to obtain perks," Lieberman said. "And it encouraged agencies to use frequent flier mileage returned to them by employees to reduce their official travel costs. But the ban has not resulted in significant cost savings and has, in fact, saddled agencies with the additional burden of keeping track of frequent flier mileage."

Several legislators have argued that allowing federal workers to keep their frequent flier miles would help federal retention and recruitment efforts. On July 30, the House passed H.R. 2456, a bill introduced by Reps. Dan Burton, R-Ind., and Connie Morella, R-Md., that would allow federal workers to keep earned miles as long as they were obtained under the same terms as provided to the general public and cost the government no extra money.

"The time has come for us to recognize that the current prohibition on frequent flier benefits is unfair to our federal workforce as well as unnecessary for good government," Lieberman said. "In fact, by making these benefits available to government workers, we will help make federal service more competitive with the private sector."