Using RAF 'Air Miles' ?? [Archive]

dallas

12th May 2006, 20:26

Applying to join an airline reward scheme is voluntary, however any resultant miles earned on duty flights should be declared so as to enable the MoD to utilise them towards future bookings. That was the letter of the law about 5 years ago.

In reality nobody needs to know what reward schemes you are in, so I think you will find only the most extreme self-flagilists (sp?) declare them as required.

BEagle

12th May 2006, 20:39

You have GOT to be kidding!

Air Miles are a 'perk' awarded to the individual - and you are under no obligation to join any frequent flyer programme in order to use them. They cannot be transferred to anyone other than the person who travelled, in any case. So no, you cannot 'hand them in' - nor can anyone else use them on your behalf.

Join the relevant frequnet flyer programme personally, then send your boarding card in retrospectively and ask for the Miles to be credited to your account. No need to tell anyone.

Does the pathetic cash-strapped MoD have the slightest clue as to how many flights are needed before these 'Miles' are of any use for travel purposes?

Safety_Helmut

12th May 2006, 20:45

Not kidding BEagle, I think dallas is pretty close to the actual situation. I remember reading something some time ago (years) about those who gain rewards such as air miles should not gain advantage over those who don't. Yes, it's b0ll0cks, but you should be well used to that by now.

S_H

FJJP

12th May 2006, 22:59

I thought that MOD had instructed BA that air miles awarded on warrants were to be allocated to MOD air travel for future MOD use...

I seem to remember this reared its ugly head a few years ago?

Two's in

12th May 2006, 23:04

As Dallas says, it changed about 5 years ago, but up until then, any Airmiles you earned on MoD business were supposed to be "donated" to your approriate Transport Command who re-used them for "official" business. All absolute nonsense of course, but some lower grade civvie bods I worked alongside in the secret procurement facility near Bristol used to religiously turn them in. I destroyed the evidence of my wrongdoing by cashing them in for a flight for Mrs TI, worked fine for me. A sense of righteousness must be a terrible burden to bear.

D-IFF_ident

12th May 2006, 23:21

I sat in a briefing recently where we were told that using airmiles garnered from duty flights is fraud. The airmiles should not be collected, but if they are then they should be declared (but to whom I don't know) and their use should be recorded in the 'entertainments' register.

Gwladys

13th May 2006, 08:03

......but surely there's a way of handing them back on JPA??!!
:ugh:

BEagle

13th May 2006, 09:00

D-IFF_ident, no doubt someone deep and blunt came up with that nonsense. Presumably you would also be required to declare any free drinks, in-flight entertainment and similar which you were given on-board as 'entertainment'?

The process of 'handing-back' air miles would be an administrivial embuggerance of indescribable pointlessness and would be a complete waste of everyone's time.

I suppose if petrol stations still gave away Green Shield stamps or free glasses with 4 gallons, you would have to hand those in to Their Bluntnesses if you had to fill an MT vehicle up from a civvy pump.

Here's another one. Let's say that you choose to pay for a meal taken in the course of duty with, for example, a Lufthansa Miles-and-More Visa card rather than faff about with cash. The card gives you 1 mile per €1 spent - would you have to 'hand in' the miles earned to some blunt fool?

Tonkenna

13th May 2006, 09:24

When I did a staff tour many years ago there was a lot of trouble about this as many guys who did a lot of travel were gaining a huge number of airmiles and using them to pay for holiday flights... this was seen as unfair, so they stopped everyone gaining airmiles for service flights.

Tonks

BEagle

13th May 2006, 09:38

What mean minded idiot came up with that nonsense, Tonks? I don't see any reason why those who have to travel frequently shouldn't be allowed to keep their air miles for themselves - reasonable recompense for hanging around at aiports various, queuing up at gates etc. Also, by allowing air miles to build up, you may move up in the frequent flier pecking order - this has the advantage of business lounges, priority re-booking etc.

This is what Lufthansa has to say:

According to the Miles & More Terms & Conditions it is not possible to transfer miles. You may only use your miles to redeem flight awards for family, friends and acquaintances, priority booking etc.

Which doesn't include anonymous blunties.

pzu

13th May 2006, 09:59

Ask your MP what he/she does regarding air miles etc!!!:confused: :ooh: :D

engineer(retard)

13th May 2006, 12:13

Beags

It was a directive issued in the latter half of the 90s. We were supposed to hand over the air miles to admin. I cut up my card rather than comply with that bolleaux.

regards

retard

C130 Techie

13th May 2006, 12:45

Just checked on this recently

Rules are that you CANNOT use air miles earned on duty flights.

However you CAN collect tier points to enable you to get a gold card and make use of lounges etc.

However Virgin told me that when they book MOD flights that they are supposed to put in a code that prevents air miles being claimed. They also said that if air miles were awarded for such fligth by mistake it was their fault and the miles are yours.. Not sure how this will stand up to beurocratic scrutiny though.

Pontius Navigator

13th May 2006, 14:23

Rules is rules and what has been stated is quite correct.

BA was indeed asked to declare and transfer air miles to SBC. They gave a very firm 2-fingered salute. Remember not all air miles on your account came from Bessie. Imagine trying to sort out Mrs PNs air miles from mine.

The rules we have are actually identical to the USA as well.

They go on to say that you can accept an upgrade. Also you get to keep all denied boarding compensation or delayed meals allowances. If you do keep them or use them then you are not permitted to claim as well.

Clearly if the denied boarding compensation was less than the allowances (unlikely) then you hand over the DBC and claim the allowance.

The reason for BAs stance is simply commercial. If you know you get air miles then you are likely to manouevre your booking in their direction. Oddly only BA went to the places I had to go at the times I wanted to go.

When I had to fly Air France Club - brilliant. Lufthanza - le pits.

Grimweasel

13th May 2006, 14:26

I believe that the same stands for the use of Loyalty cards at petrol stations. If you use an agency card then your are not supposed to top up your Nectar card...

Roadster280

13th May 2006, 14:43

To pick up on a few points (with 450,000 airmiles in the bag...)

To get to Silver tier with BA requires 600 tier points. This gives you lounge access, and more chance of an upgrade. However, a transatlantic return only gives you 120 points, therefore you would need 5 return trips in a membership year to hit this. At the end of the membership year, your balance is zeroed, and you have to requalify. Flying Worl Traveller Plus, Club, or First gives an override on the tier points, 240 points in Club for an "across the pond".

Once you have hit Silver, your membership year is restarted, and tier points balance is zeroed. You then have that year to gain a further 1500 points to make Gold. Obviously that is rather a lot of crossing the pond activity. If you make it, BA treat you very well indeed, because they will have taken a huge amount of income. Personal experience is that once Gold, I was ALWAYS upgraded to Club, and this year, despite only having 585 points (i.e. not even enough to requalify at Silver), I was renewed at Gold. Cabin Service Director, and sometimes the Captain, would come and introduce themselves on every flight, a minor point, but a form of recognition.

As for airmiles, basically one mile flown=1 BA mile. So across the pond and back in Economy gains approx 8-9000 miles. Higher cabins and tier levels gain multipliers, so a Club return as a Gold member would gain approx 36,000 miles. To spend the miles, a transatlantic return is 50,000 miles.

I now live in the US, so I don't fly BA any more, it's Delta. Their scheme is pale shadow of the BA one, BUT, the miles are transferrable, and indeed saleable or donatable.

I've sat next to many a Civil Serpent across the pond on BA, and they all had their Silver cards....

Dan Winterland

13th May 2006, 15:16

If you think that's mean BEagle, try this. In the mid 90's, I suggested that the points we could accumulate on out AMEX cards and which the MOD had disabled could be collected and given to a charity - my choice was the one which flew terminally ill children to Florida so they could go to Disneyland. I had contacted AMEX, they were agreeable to the suggestion - but the RAF said no. They gave extra admin as the reason. Even when I suggested that it could be done as a secondary duty to save the admin costs and volunteered myself , the answer was still no!

Daysleeper

13th May 2006, 15:55

Just a note from civvie street.

In my previous airline all points gained on company travel and by using the company credit card had to be "handed in" twas a disciplinery offence not to. the owner used them to go on holiday every year.

dallas

13th May 2006, 16:03

In my previous airline all points gained on company travel and by using the company credit card had to be "handed in" twas a disciplinery offence not to. the owner used them to go on holiday every year.

Our current owner does the same. They're called the government and all the money they save underfunding the forces pays for their holiday air travel every year and their mortgages. In fact, we even operate some of the flights for them!

D-IFF_ident

13th May 2006, 19:35

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FreedomOfInformation/

To request details of all 'Air Miles' and similar rewards systems received by members of the Air Force Board in the course of official duties, and full disclosure of such reward points and air miles returned to the MOD.

Perhaps?

Winco

13th May 2006, 20:03

Clearly this is proving to be an imotive subject.
Beagle, I agree with you entirely on every point. The problem as I see it, is whether or not it is illegal. I am sure there have been a number of people CM'd for lesser evils, and as you and I know, common sence does not feature in the RAFs logic or mentality.
I raised the point because I was having a beer with a good friend who is still in the mob the other evening. He was somewhat arrogantly telling me that he is going on holiday to the States, at absolutely NO COST whatsoever to him or his wife. All of the air miles have been collected during his time too and from the states on 'business'.
I say good luck to him, but I am sure there will be many who regard it as a serious breach of rules.
The Winco

MReyn24050

13th May 2006, 21:25

I bet Cherie Blair collects Air Miles on the trips she does with her husband on BA.

Lucifer

13th May 2006, 22:08

Interestingly a German court ruled last week that German companies could force use of miles redemptions for work-related trips.

Obviously not under German law, but the thinking certainly exists in some companies who don't understand the idea of morale...

Load Toad

14th May 2006, 05:38

With all respect - and I am not military at all but this appears to be an anal directive from a desk bound who is jealous that non desk bound people might just earn a perk.

Joining a loyalty club is optional and by the individual. If the 'company' wishes to benefit the company should join the club and collect the points accordingly. However it would then be accused of choosing travel not based on budgetary reasons or schedule but on collection of perks. Which may bias judgement.
If the individual who chose to join a voluntary scheme collected 'perks' whilst following all other rules concerning trip selection then any perk acrual does not bias judgement and is purely a nice privalage. Great if you get it - tuff if you can't; such is life.

If the company wishes to restrict or limit the joining of air mile or reward programmes it would have to apply the same rules to all other programmes and to forward all rewards from all programmes to the MoD; I guess that might be interesting.

When I worked for an international FTSE 100 company with a significant logo this idea was mooted by 'Human Resources' - questions were asked and the idea was quietly dropped.

Pontius Navigator

14th May 2006, 07:28

Load Tool is probably accurate when he talks of AR however before we shout off too loud it is definitely not a light blue or even purple rule but one from the Scottish Ministry and predated even that organisation.

Indeed it is not only air miles (or nectar points) in its sights. Nor is it confined to gifts and freebies a la cherry :) .

It even extends to messes.

Messes are seen as elitist and open to abuse by a select, minority group -AOBs.

Association of Old Bores.

Traditionally, those previous mess members retiring into a base area could be given honourary membership of the mess. There were sound reasons for this. One was the links that they gave between station and local community. However it was not on and Honourary membership went out the window. A new, and more expensive, category was introduced, Retired Member. Same person, same perks, different procedure and greater cost.

Not content with that the treasury then had a hack at the clear and transparent billing process for mess bills with every account itemised - 10p for silver, 50p for retirement gifts and so on. Not good. Now there is just one annonymous sum of money.

So even the social aspects of messes have been subject to interference and a potential tax grab.

BEagle

14th May 2006, 08:06

Presumably if you use your own vehicle for a Duty Journey, you'd be expected to hand in the Air Miles you might have received by paying with an Air Miles-earning credit card?

Say you filled up the car with £45.67 worth of petrol. Enough for 262.98 miles (decent aircrew zoom machine, not some wimp diesel cr@p). But the 'Duty Journey' round trip mileage was only 135.6 miles. So, of the 45 Air Miles, 23 have somehow to be 'handed in'? Do me a favour... Same thing if you pay for a duty hotel bill with your own credit card?

If I'm needed to fly on business, I ask the company to book flights which are suitable. They do so according to their internal travel policies, the cost is normally passed on to the customer. Any Air Miles are mine - but on occasion I've volunteered to use some for travel, so long as they pay the airport taxes. No problemo. Also used them to buy new luggage after mine finally became too battered by baggage handlers - an entirely fair use of Air Miles earned by travelling!

dallas

14th May 2006, 08:58

I bet Cherie Blair collects Air Miles on the trips she does with her husband on BA.

I would imagine you're liable for free upgrades and gold level when your husband regularly charters a 777.

November4

14th May 2006, 10:15

Similar thing with Rail Warrants...

I was issued with a 3 month season ticket as I was commuting to central London for 3 monhts a few years back. The performance of the service was so bad that Great Westernb Trains said they would refund about 20% of the season ticket price. Great thinks me after all it is me that has been inconvinienced and spent more time on over crowded trainins than I needed to.

Put the claim form into GWT and got told the refund will be made back to the card or whatever payment means was used to buy the ticket....... Great!! Back to the rail warrant and not to me.

Or you could have a discount on the next season ticket you bought.

Roadster280

14th May 2006, 12:44

Just a thought on MOD air fares.

They may not attract airmiles at all. Some tickets for sale to Joe public are "deeply discounted", and attract either 25%, or 50% of air miles. I would have thought that the MOD would have negotiated a supplier agreement along the lines of "we aren't interested in air miles, just make it as cheap as possible".

That does seem to be the corporate thinking.

I'd have thought an FOI application to reveal the airmiles collection of say 3* and above would see a change in the boards of all three services. Same for the Cabinet, no doubt.

D-IFF_ident

15th May 2006, 01:28

Has anybody seen any regulations in writing?

I'll take a look around, now, where did I put my QRs......

Pontius Navigator

15th May 2006, 06:45

D-IFF, look in the cupboard marked DCI/DIN or do a search on the intranet. It is probably in the instructions on hospitality books. It does not refer to air miles, if I remember correctly as that is a particular scheme. More likely it will refer to frequent flyer rewards or the like.

Now in addition to the FOI query on 3*, why not an FOI query to the Government - "How much official air travel in each department is funded by staff donation of frequent flyer rewards?"

Jackinoko do you know any journos who might pick that one up?:}

PompeySailor

15th May 2006, 06:51

Sorry to piss on the bonfires of freedom, but this is from DIN02-085 (31 May 2006). All generated from an RN Warrant Officer who used to run the Travel Cell in London. He attached his Air Miles card to every single trip, and was charged with fraud. He had over 6 million air miles on his account when he was caught....

h. Complimentary vouchers. Crown servants travelling by air on government business, paid for from public funds, must not make private use of frequent flyer bonuses that arise as a result of that expenditure
e.g. Air Miles, two-for-one or companion tickets, or equivalent schemes. They may, however, collect such bonuses to enable them to use the associated benefits (e.g. priority booking, special lounges) in respect of
official travel. The receipt of any benefits accruing from official travel must be recorded in Hospitality Books (see paras 12 - 14) which should be annotated to show that the bonuses have been notified to the Budget
manager, against the possibility that they may be used at a later date for official purposes. In the case of gifts or benefits given for using particular modes of transport, it is important that the mode of transport should be
chosen in accordance with Departmental guidelines on economy, and that a decision to travel in a particular way should not be taken in order to qualify for such gifts.

rafloo

15th May 2006, 09:22

What if someone (no names etc) were to refuel a pussers tilley with fuel and claim tescos club points..? is that legal?

BEagle

15th May 2006, 09:28

Another bent RN CPO ('warrant officer'??) screwing things for the rest of the armed services? Just like the food fraud scandal of the late 60s or early 70s....

airborne_artist

15th May 2006, 09:29

So I'd better hand in all those glasses I used to collect from Shell garages when I POLd the Sqn 4 tonners. I took three in one day and ended up with enough glassware to host a decent cocktail party.

PompeySailor

15th May 2006, 09:42

Another bent RN CPO ('warrant officer'??) screwing things for the rest of the armed services? Just like the food fraud scandal of the late 60s or early 70s....

CPO is Chief Petty Officer.
Warrant Officer is, erm, Warrant Officer - used to be called Fleet Chiefs before we gave in and came into line with the junior services.

Ignore Warrant Officer 2 as far as the RN is concerned. It's just a name change to massage the egos and pension plans of senior Chief Petty Officers.....

PompeySailor

15th May 2006, 09:44

What if someone (no names etc) were to refuel a pussers tilley with fuel and claim tescos club points..? is that legal?

Totally and utterly illegal and could never be condoned. It's better to spend Club Card points online, they are worth more that way....allegedly.

BEagle

15th May 2006, 10:17

Thanks for the clarification regarding the RN Warrant Officers. I'm surprised that the RN lost the more colourful terms of rate and succumbed in such a way.

But I suppose now that the 'Fleet' is so small, there is no need for Fleet Chiefs?

WhiteOvies

15th May 2006, 10:44

Beags "Do me a favour... Same thing if you pay for a duty hotel bill with your own credit card?"

Unfortunately now I am in Blunty purgatory (DLO - yes, it's ALL my fault:{ ) it is policy that all hotels are paid for on our own credit cards and then claimed back. In all my previous posts I have had a 'company' card but am not allowed one now I could actually do with it. It never crossed my mind that the points I accrued from meetings should be tx'd back to HMG. Also the repayment is so slow you end up paying interest on duty payments.:* Maybe it will be better with JPA:rolleyes:

South Bound

15th May 2006, 10:51

Was fortunate enough to travel Virgin comfy class once (before the fun stopped) and someone actually told me that I wasn't entitled to use the free (ie included, at no expense to tax payer!) collection service and that I should have used MT!

Ballast

15th May 2006, 12:03

Of course, everyone (civvie or mil) who earns and uses air miles gained on business tickets informs the tax man that they have earned a benefit...... don't you??? ;)

Smudger552

15th May 2006, 15:35

Fortunately NATO are rather more enlightened! In a previous life I did a great deal of air travel during a posting at a Stat HQ. Gathered bazillions of Air Miles (Delta unfortunately!) but at least we could use them as we wished!:ok:

FJJP

15th May 2006, 15:55

In Green Shield stamps days, tank regiments convoying from Germany to Wales used to collect the stamps on the way out and back. Can you imaging the volume of stamps given filling up tank transporters and trucks for that distance? Used to have an empty 4-tonner just to load up with stamps. Eventually came to an agreement with Green Shield to get accredited with stamps onto the Regimental account on production of duplicate receipts.

Boys rooms in barracks in Germany were well equipped, I hear.

Scud-U-Like

15th May 2006, 16:33

BEagle

15th May 2006, 16:38

Don't forget to declare 'free' Happy Hour foodin the 'Hospitality Book' if you stay at the Holiday Inn and have been paid for an evening meal allowance.......ah, spotted that one - I guess under crapped actuals it wouldn't apply these days..:rolleyes:

Same with the 'free' soap, shampoo, shower cap, choccies.....where does this stupidity stop?

D-IFF_ident

15th May 2006, 17:11

Thanks, Pompey - except it was 31 May 2005 not 2006 (it expires 31 May 2006)...
I was about to post it in toto, except the opening line suggests it must not be communicated to anyone outside HM Service without authority.
However, the jist of it can be read here:
http://www.ams.mod.uk/ams/content/docs/toolkit/buttons/modind/gfi2.htm
Interestingly enough; your spouse and offspring must also not collect air miles or similar rewards if they travel with you on official business.
I can only suggest that to cya, every time you are offered air miles on duty journeys/ rewards points for filling the sqn tea bar/ green shield stamps/ a free cuppa from the naafi wagon etc etc - you should "report the incident at once to your Head of Establishment or Division or Commanding Officer, who should take the appropriate action, consulting Command/Civil Secretariat staff, as necessary."

PompeySailor

15th May 2006, 20:18

A couple of years ago, my boss found out most members of our flight were using rewards cards from a hotel chain we frequently used for duty accommodation. The points accrued on these cards could (eventually) be redeemed for free nights (or, more realistically, 'night').

The boss (who must have been in a particularly vindictive mood) checked with legal services, who said the points should either be used to subsidise duty accommodation or (get this) the holder could keep the points until they left the Service and then redeem them for their personal benefit.

Fine. Rules is rules, but they ought to apply across the board. What about those airships who blatantly abuse their corporate Amex cards? I heard of one who paid for excess baggage with his RAF Amex, which he wasn't entitled to do. But who was going to argue?

To digress slightly, another airship was due to attend, at no personal cost to himself, a very posh annual charity bash, where it was customary for his appointment to cough up £100 cash for the charity. He did everything he could to find a service fund to claim the cash from.

I suggest we simply follow our leaders (though I'd stop short of the charity ploy).

Roolz, as they say, is roolz. You should really report him, and you can do it anonymously to avoid preferential treatment later in the game. Try searching MODWEB, or Defence Intranet, for "fraud reporting" - you should get loads of hits.

The higher they get, they tighter they get unfortunately, even to the extent of not wanting to pay £2 for a railcard (before they eroded our ToS and made it more viable to get a civilian railcard). I have seen claims submitted for pennies when it was probably less financially efficient for the clerk to process it than it was for the bloke to receive the money.

November4

15th May 2006, 20:29

PompeySailor

15th May 2006, 20:47

Mid 90's on a penisula south of Spain.

Had a RPO working with us who did the bookings for a Very Senior Naval officer. He was instructed to quote the VSNO personal Air Miles account. Despite warnings from the RPO that using the air miles for personal flights was against the rules.

(Regulating Petty Officer - a naval policeman. good move that - doing something dodgy and asking a cop to do it for you)

Unknown to the VSNO the RPO was keeping a record of the air miles claimed and informed him that unless they were used for duty trips then he would report the matter to the OC Cops (RN).

VSNO didn't repsond but just as he was going to report it to OC Cops (RN), OC Cops (RN) was being charged and courts martialled himself......:eek:

They are not above abusing the system. Like wanting to buy a new car and using their budget to test drive all the potential models as hire cars...or buddying up with a PT Officer to arrange their own "exped" skiiing which wasn't open to anyone else but was paid for from unit funds. Still, we always managed to raid the padres funds to balance the books, they never understood finance as long as they got a week at Amport House!

Take a look at some of the recent CMs involving VSNOs who thought they were above being caught out. NA Paris springs to mind with fraudulent claims, misappropriation of government stores, etc. And as a 4-ring Captain, he was hardly short of a few quid, let's be honest. Greed gets them in the end. That or stupidity - bet he didn't think that he'd be getting a big ankle tag as part of his leaving present!

Blacksheep

16th May 2006, 03:00

In the airline business we travel on what's called Interline Discount and earn no air miles. For the large local British garrison, the MOD has an arrangement where they buy full fare economy tickets and officers are upgraded to business class at check-in - subject to load. A nice little perk for you chaps. But we don't give frequent flyer miles to anyone other than individuals who sign up for the scheme, and you can only earn air miles on regular tickets. Specials don't qualify.

In the case of aviation manufacturers and equipment vendors that visit us on business, I know that most of them accumulate air-miles and use them when purchasing tickets for company travel. Their contracts of employment usually preclude them using air-miles acquired on company business for personal travel and doing so would leave them open to dismissal and legal action for fraud.

D-IFF_ident

16th May 2006, 07:05

The USAF regs, from AFI 24-101:

http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/pubfiles/af/24/afi24-101/afi24-101.pdf

3.30. Frequent Flyer Program Benefits. Government travelers on official business at government expense that are frequent flyer program members may keep points or miles, upgrades, or access to carrier clubs or facilities for personal use. The promotional material must be obtained under the same terms as those offered to the general public and must be at no cost to the government. Air Force personnel when using their frequent flyer miles to upgrade to business or first class shall not wear a uniform or allow a
rank or grade to be associated with an upgrade.

Pontius Navigator

16th May 2006, 07:41

D-IFF, that is very illiminating and a reverse on a new item I read in a US military paper a good 10-15 years ago. What it actually does is address reality in a pragmatic way. The bit about uniform being particularly clear.

Trouble is, if you report in uniform and are upgraded what do you do? Have a stand up row and insist on ejecting some other poor sod who is trying to travel cattle class?:}

BEagle

16th May 2006, 10:25

What an obviously sensible approach from the US Military! No admin cost, no pi$$ing people off - just a simple "If you receive air miles, they're all yours. Just don't try to use your uniform to gain pecunary advantage!"

If someone in uniform is upgraded, then it seems to me that, as long as the upgrade wasn't obtained as a direct consequence of being in uniform, then no problem.

Compare to the turgid UK 'rules' - and discuss!

PompeySailor

16th May 2006, 10:36

Eminently more sensible approach from the USAF, but unfortunately it's HMR&C that are crapping on this one as a "benefits in kind" problem, and from the propriety people in central Government who believe that the poor bookings clerks may be swayed by the promise of adding their own Air Miles card to every booking they make.

However, one of the recommendations for getting upgrades on flights from someone I know is to wear uniform!

PompeySailor

16th May 2006, 11:43

I prefer this approach from MPs - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-2182122,00.html

Just don't declare anything until a national newspaper investigates you, then claim you haven't done anything illegal, get your friends to cover your tracks, and carry on as you were....

D-IFF_ident

16th May 2006, 14:35

I spoke to an USAF O-5 today, who told me that they used to have the same rules as us. But changed them in the late 1990's, because the more restrictive rules were unworkable and demotivating.

I'll see if I can't find the RAAF regs later...

The Swinging Monkey

16th May 2006, 14:42

Can't see what all the fuss is about! What should it matter? If some poor chap has had to endure hours of sitting in a Jumbo or whatever and crossed the oceans enough times to earn air miles to take a holiday, then good luck to him - I think he deserves it!!
The problem is of course, the spineless little civil servant who will find a tiny clause in some obscure little document that says otherwise, and Mr Plod says 'sorry, that's illegal Sir, and you're nicked'
I tend to agree that other people have kissed their carreer(and pension) goodbye for a far less serious offence.
Winco, good luck to your mate, but I should tell him that the fun police will be watching out for him!!

Kind regards to all
TSM