When employees of the Department of State travel, what class of travel are they entitled to?

Question

I saw in the news that government agencies spent over $100 million in premium class travel. So are State department employees entitled to travel in business and first class?

And don't the higher ranked officers such as the undersecretaries and the secretary of state always travel in first class?

The article I read in the paper said that the deputy director of the FDIC traveled in premium class. If you are a deputy director, I would think that it is a pretty high rank, so shouldn't he or she be entitled to travel in premium class?

Answer 1

High Ranking officials are entitled to the upper classes and the lowest ranked-employee would most likely be in the economy class. Rank has its privilege.

Answer 2

The straight dope: International travel over 14 hours (ONLY on the way to and from an assignment -- i.e. twice in 3 or 4 years) gets business class. Anything less is coach. Period. And, no training flights qualify, no R&R flights qualify, and some Medevac flights do NOT qualify for business class.

I saw the same report -- while I'm glad fraud and waste are being pointed out (all by the muckety-mucks!), it also leaves a flase impression that contributes to the whole "diplomatic work is a privileged, striped-pants, cushy life." Which it most definitely is not.

Answer 3

Absolutely .....possible , but it depends on the scale of the company and the travel conditions offerred within the travel
package...if it is official or personal etc.,

Not all company offer prenium class to their deputy director.

I all depends.....case by case....

Answer 4

The peons travel in whatever class they can afford.