MPs' duty-free flights - Admin's in the news ...

[serfty]

MPs' duty-free flights | Herald Sun

MPs' duty-free flights
Ben Packham

December 09, 2006 12:00am

SITTING and retired federal MPs are hoarding millions of dollars worth of frequent-flyer points earned at taxpayers' expense.

Just three MPs and two ex-politicians -- the holders of coveted Gold Cards -- have used their frequent-flyer points in the past six months.
They paid for flights worth just $4810. ...

... Frequent-flyer scheme expert Clifford Reichlin said that the $4.6 million worth of domestic flights taken in six months would generate about 2.4 million points.

This would be enough for about 150 return trips to Sydney, or 12 first-class return trips to London.

Mr Reichlin, who founded the website frequent-flyer.com.au, said redeeming frequent-flyer points was not difficult.

"All it takes is a phone call to an airline," he said.

"You can go online and do it. You can get a travel agent to do it.

"Depending on where you want to go, there can be a bit of messing around, but it's not difficult for domestic travel.

"If there are any problems it is usually for international flights."

...

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Congrats on yet another press mention clifford ^

AFAIK you can no longer use a TA to book an award flight.

 

[kyle]

Another reason why the MPs should fly Virgin Blue since all seats are open for redemption.

 

[Mal]

(I'm not aiming this at Clifford, but rather the premise of the article)

I see double standards here.

Sitting MP's are being told to use their Frequent Flyer points because their flights were paid for by their employer.

How is this any different to what happens daily all over Australia with staffers flying around the world/Australia on their employer's dime and stashing the points for themselves?

Double standards to me. Oh, and I think having to use FF points for business travel isn't overly effective too. FF point redemptions are relatively inflexible, Most business paid tickets are flexible. There are cost savings to be made by being able to have your employees where they need to be rather than stuck at the airport because they bought an inflexible ticket and have to wait.

"Gold Card" travel is a little different. I'm not too sure that lifetime free travel should be a benefit of an ex-politician's status, but it is a published and endorsed offer...

I see a media beatup yet again.

(Oh, and Clifford really needs to let the media know that New Qantas American Express Credit Cards is not actually owned by him, and they should be using www.frequentflyer.com.au instead. That's the second or third time I've seen that typo)

 

[JohnK]

I don't see MPs earning FF points on travel as an issue. Surely one of our biggest concerns has to be the amount money spent on unnecessary travel.

I know it is not easy to define unnecessary travel but one example would be retiring MPs conveniently organising junkets a few months before they are due to leave office. Another would be an MP going on a study trip and taking their family with them, all expenses paid, staying in superior first class hotels and spending all the time lying around on a beach.

 

[oz_mark]

I have never really been able to understand why MP's travel gets treated one way and the public service are treated another. If it all comes out of the public purse, surely they should be treated the same way.