Board of Contract Appeals

                 General Services Administration

                      Washington, D.C. 20405







                    _________________________



                           May 13, 2002

                    _________________________





                         GSBCA 15675-TRAV





                In the Matter of ANNA MARIA ABRIGO





     Anna Maria Abrigo, Orange Park, FL, Claimant.



     Charles N. Stockwell, Vendor Pay Branch, Defense Finance and Accounting Service,

Denver, CO, appearing for Defense Finance and Accounting Service.



WILLIAMS, Board Judge.



     A civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DoD) who purchases an airline

ticket for official travel commercially rather than from a military commercial travel office

(CTO) is entitled to reimbursement up to the amount of a ticket available through the CTO.



                            Background



     Claimant, Anna Maria Abrigo, a physician with the Department of the Air Force,

attended a medical conference between April 20 and April 27, 2001, in San Francisco,

California.  Claimant is requesting reimbursement for transportation expenses for procuring

her own travel from Robins Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia, to San Francisco.  Robins AFB

has a commercial travel office (CTO) which offers a contract air carrier ticket between

Robins AFB and San Francisco for a roundtrip air fare of $520.  Dr. Abrigo purchased a

roundtrip ticket for $422, going outside the CTO.  Dr. Abrigo made her travel reservations

prior to her receipt of travel orders to ensure that she arrived at the conference in time to

attend a basic curriculum segment which was mandatory for her proficiency in occupational

medicine.  Claimant's travel orders were issued on April 12, 2001, and her departure date was

April 19.



     Although claimant's air fare was lower than that available through the CTO, the

agency denied reimbursement in any amount because Dr. Abrigo did not purchase her ticket

through the CTO.



                            Discussion



     The agency bases its refusal to reimburse claimant for these tickets upon section

C2207-A.1 (Feb. 1, 2001) of the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) of DoD.  Pursuant to this

section as it read when claimant traveled, employees were required to make travel

arrangements using a CTO, an in-house travel office, or a General Services Administration

travel management center.  This provision contained some exceptions to the general rule, but

none applied here.  [Foot # 1 ]  As a civilian employee of DoD, Dr. Abrigo is subject to the

JTR.



     

****************** Footnote Begin **********

[Foot # 1 ]       This regulation was subsequently changed to express a preference for using

a CTO and to permit reimbursement for tickets purchased commercially up to the amount of

a ticket purchased through the CTO.

****************** Footnote End ************



 As the Board has consistently noted, the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), which also

applies to civilian DoD employees, provides the guidance that we need to resolve a claim

such as that brought here.  D. Gregory Arnold, GSBCA 15692-TRAV (Jan. 18, 2002);

Richard C. Mutzman, GSBCA 15533-TRAV, 01-2 BCA   31,538.  The FTR does not make

an employee liable for the entire cost of an airline ticket if he or she purchases the ticket from

an unauthorized travel agent or travel management center.  Instead, the FTR limits the

employee's liability to "any additional costs" that result.  41 CFR 301-50.2 (2000).  The

employee, therefore, is entitled to reimbursement but not beyond what would have been paid

had the ticket been purchased pursuant to regulation.  Vivian E. Nichols,

GSBCA 15493-TRAV, 01-1 BCA   31,366; Doris N. Lee, GSBCA 15451-TRAV, 01-1 BCA 

 31,279.



     Because there are no additional costs associated with the ticket purchased by

Dr. Abrigo, she should be reimbursed the entire amount paid for the ticket.  Mutzman;

Manuel F. Casiano, GSBCA 15304-TRAV, 00-2 BCA   31,004.









                              ___________________________________

                              MARY ELLEN COSTER WILLIAMS

                              Board Judge