§ 301-15.27 - Use of noncontract carriers for listed city/airport pairs.

(a) Heads of agencies are authorized to approve the use of noncontract carriers for city/airport pairs listed in the FTD when their use is justified under the conditions specified in paragraph (b) of this section. This authority may be delegated provided appropriate guidelines in the form of regulations or other written instructions are furnished the designee. Redelegations of authority shall be limited. Delegation and redelegation of authority shall be held to as high an administrative level as practicable to ensure adequate consideration and review of the circumstances requiring the use of noncontract carriers. Justification for the use of noncontract carriers will be authorized on individual travel orders (if known before travel begins) or approved on vouchers (if not known before travel begins).

(b) Use of noncontract carriers for city/airport pairs listed in the FTD is justified when:

(1) Seating space or the scheduled service of the awardee is not available in time to accomplish the purpose of the travel, or the scheduled service would require the traveler to incur overnight lodging expense;

(2) The awardee's schedule for the travel involved is inconsistent with the Government's policy of scheduling travel to the maximum extent practicable during normal working hours; or

(3) Based on a cost comparison (see paragraph (c) of this section),

(i) A restricted or unrestricted coach fare available to the general public is lower than the contract fare or other fare offered by the awardee, all other cost factors being equal; or

(ii) Use of a noncontract coach fare available to the general public would, when added to such factors as ground transportation, lost productive time, allowable overtime, and additional overnight lodging expense, result in lower costs to the Government than the costs that would accrue if comparable cost factors were added to the contract fare.

(c) When making cost comparisons,

(1) Discount fares such as YDG, MDG, or other fares restricted to Government employees may not be used.

(2) Promotional/restricted fares offered by noncontract carriers to the general public may be used provided:

(i) The traveler can meet all qualifying restrictions associated with such fares, and

(ii) The service provided by the noncontract carrier is equal to or better than that of an awardee with respect to en route trip times.

(3) Agencies should take into account any penalty fee a carrier may impose when reservations for promotional/restricted fares are canceled or changed.

(d) The traveler and/or the traveler's agency, at the time reservations are made or travel is performed (whichever occurs first), shall demonstrate that the awardee did not offer the same fare cited in the cost comparison. Justification for using the noncontract carrier shall be shown on the travel authorization or travel voucher, as provided in paragraph (a) of this section.