Everything's meant to be booked through Hogg-Robinson these days. When it works it's OK. Not good, not efficient, not easy and not cheap; just OK. Must book at least 2 hours before the trip, so you cannot book a Day Travel Card on the day because that 'started' at 0001 hours on the day (for example). System will allow one to book First Class, but all sorts of red lights go off and I am pretty sure the Command Accounts Team are personally alerted. As others have said, being seen to travel in First is a recipe for a knuckle rapping, even if it's possibly cheaper because chances are there are cheaper versions of your ticket that will put you in Standard Class
The result of this approach is that people leave it until late and then get the most flexible ticket possible, which can cost more than a cheaper type of First Class ticket booked well in advance.
So what? Well, if I am sitting in 1st with plenty of space, a working power supply, a DII Laptop and free Wi-Fi, I am going to work. In standard, I don't even take the laptop for fear of some knobber looking over my shoulder and taking a photo of something which is OS (Restricted as was), and this appearing in the Daily Mail or some such. As it is, if the RAF CS doesn't feel my time is worth £30 an hour, then I will take my own entertainment and watch NCIS. I can get 3 episodes in during a trip to Abbey Wood.
Price of everything, value of nothing.
By the way, the rules have changed about internal flying, though it wouldn't surprise me if some Travel (Prevention) Cells keep the changes to themselves for fear of people realising that they aren't actually needed any more.
Last edited by SirToppamHat; 18th Oct 2016 at 19:55.