Office of Financial Management
January 31, 2002
A. Background
On
December 28, 2001, the President signed into law S. 1438, National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002. Section 1116 of this law authorizes
Federal employees to retain promotional items, including frequent flyer miles,
earned on official travel.
Federal
employees may use any frequent flyer benefits for their personal use, or for
upgrading future airline tickets on official travel. This applies to all
frequent flyer benefits earned, including those earned before the National
Defense Authorization Act was passed.
Effective Date: Travelers may use
their frequent flyer miles immediately.
B. Procedures for Redeeming Frequent Flyer
Miles
1. For Personal Travel
Contact
the airline directly, following the procedures that are in place for the particular
Frequent Flyer Program that you are redeeming.
Do
not contact or otherwise involve Omega World Travel (OWT) agents if you are
redeeming frequent flyer miles for personal travel-- as they are not a party to this transaction.
2. For Official Government Travel
A. Redeeming Frequent Flyer Miles to Purchase
a Ticket
If
you are planning to use frequent flyer miles to pay for either a coach class or
premium class airline ticket that will be used for official travel, the
procedures are the same as those for personal travel: contact the airline
directly, and redeem the frequent flyer miles.
B. Redeeming
Frequent Flyer Miles to Upgrade a GSA Contract City-Pair Ticket to a Premium Class
Please
keep in mind that the Federal Travel Regulation requires TMC service providers (i.e., Omega World Travel) to
purchase GSA contract city-pair transportation tickets. The following
procedures should be used if you wish to use Frequent Flyer Miles to upgrade
the basic government airline ticket (YCA fare basis) to a premium class:
1. Make your normal GSA Contract City-Pair
reservation through Omega World Travel. ( YCA fare basis).
2. While you are booking your standard air
reservation, you must advise the OWT travel agent of your intention
to subsequently upgrade the basic ticket.
3. After the standard airline ticket is
issued, you should contact the airline and request the premium class upgrade
using your Frequent Flyer Miles.
It
should be noted that some airlines (i.e., Southwest) maintain only one class of
service, and hence do not offer upgrades.
C.
Consolidation of Frequent Flyer
Accounts
Some
DOI travelers may have multiple Frequent Flyer accounts with a given
airline. If this is the case, you may
need to consolidate the Frequent Flyer Miles into a single account to ensure
that all earned miles can be used. Since Frequent Flyer policies vary by
airline, you should consult with the individual airlines regarding recommended
procedures. For your convenience, a summary of the procedures for major
airlines is attached.
D. Earning
Future Frequent Flyer Miles
To
ensure that you continue to earn Frequent Flyer Miles on future travel, be sure
that your Traveler Profile contains the relevant information for all
Frequent Flyer Programs that you are a member of, and that all other
information contained in your Traveler Profile is accurate and
up-to-date.
The
secure Traveler Profile system can be accessed on the following web
site:
https://profile.owt.net/doi_2001
Note:
the “https” is required and indicates that this is a secure web site and
that your session to update your profile is protected.
E. Federal
Income Tax Consequences
The
Internal Revenue Service will issue Regulations (yet to be published) regarding
the taxability of frequent flyer benefits. These will be communicated to DOI
travelers once they become available.
Airline Policies Governing
the Consolidation
of Multiple Frequent Flyer
Accounts
Traveler must consolidate accounts; both accounts must be in the same name. The traveler should send his/her request for consolidation of accounts to:
Mail Address: American Airlines
Advantage Awards
P.O. Box 619688
Dallas Ft. Worth Airport, TX 75261‑9688
Continental Airlines
Traveler must consolidate accounts; both accounts must be in the same name. Consolidation can be handled via phone.
Phone: 713‑952‑1630
Delta Airlines
Traveler must consolidate accounts; both accounts must be in the same name. Consolidation can be handled via phone, fax or by written request. The traveler should send his/her request for consolidation of accounts to:
Mail Address: Delta Airlines/Dept. 654
Sky Miles Service Center
P.O. Box 20532
Atlanta, GA 30320‑2532
Fax: 404‑773‑1945
Northwest Airlines
Traveler must consolidate accounts; both accounts must be in the same name. Consolidation must be by written request. The traveler should send his/her request for consolidation of accounts to:
Mail Address: Northwest Airlines
World Perks Service Center
601 Oak Street
Chisholm, MN 55719‑1995
United Airlines
Traveler must consolidate accounts. Request must be in writing listing both account numbers and the names on each account must be identical. The traveler should send his/her request for consolidation of accounts to:
Mail Address: United Airlines
Mileage Plus Awards
P.O. Box 28870
Tucson, AR 85726‑8870
US Airways
Traveler must consolidate accounts; both accounts must be in the same name. Consolidation must be by written request mail or fax. The traveler should send his/her request for consolidation of accounts to:
Mail Address: US Airways
Dividend Miles Service Center
P.O. Box 5
Winston Salem, NC 27102
Fax: 336-661-8216