(Foreign Service, Civil Service, and Locally Employed Staff)
a. Each traveler, regardless of age, is entitled to occupy a seat on an airplane.
b. The policies and business practices of the airline(s) operating and/or marketing a
particular flight determine whether a seat selection is available and, if they are
available, whether a fee applies must be paid to obtain a seat.
c. Inability to obtain a seat selection or assignment, either for "free" or upon payment of
a fee, does not confer an exception to the mandatory use of contract carriers (14 FAM
543), the provisions of the Fly America Act (14 FAM 583), or the requirement to
authorize travel on the carrier offering the lowest fare that is consistent with all travel
regulations.
d. Except as specified in subparagraphs d(1) through d(3) of this section, travelers are
eligible for reimbursement of charges to obtain an economy class seat selection in an
amount not to exceed $300 (each way) between any two authorized duty locations
(i.e., origin and destination pairs), as indicated on a travel authorization. When a
traveler qualifies for and is authorized a rest stop, the rest stop location is not
considered a separate duty location for the purposes of this provision:
(1) If a bureau/post has a written policy stating that it wishes to limit this benefit, a
traveler’s authorizing official may cap reimbursement at a lower amount for a
particular instance of travel. In such cases, the authorizing official must specify,
in advance of travel, the amount authorized for reimbursement between each
duty location and should offer the traveler an explanation for the reduction;
(2) Seat selection fees are not reimbursable for any segment(s) of travel:
(a) Conducted in an indirect manner; or
(b) For which a traveler has cost-constructed to use accommodation in business
or first class; or
(c) For which a traveler has been authorized business class or first-class
accommodations; and
(3) The "value" of a seat selection fee cannot be applied towards the cost of obtaining
a ticket in an other-than-coach class of service or be considered as part of any
cost-construct calculation.
e. Payment of a seat selection fee must be made directly to the airline by the traveler.
TMCs are not authorized to pay for seat selection fees, either by charging them
directly to the U.S. Government or by facilitating payment on behalf of the traveler.
f. Receipts are required for reimbursement of seat selection fees, regardless of amount.
g. For the purposes of determining eligibility for reimbursement, a seat selection in any
cabin except business class or first class will be considered an economy class seat
selection. Travelers may purchase any seating product, including those that offer
increased seat width, additional legroom (formerly referred to as “extended economy
seating”), or which are bundled/packaged with enhanced onboard or on-ground
service, as long as the seating product is not business class or first class. For
example, whether an airline calls a seating product Economy Plus, Premium Economy,
or Preferred Seats has no bearing on eligibility for reimbursement as long as the seats
are not business or first-class seats.
h. Travelers, not the TMC or airline, are responsible for making accurate determinations
regarding whether a particular airline product is eligible for reimbursement as an