Effective October 9, 2008, Handbook F-15, Travel and Relocation, is revised with the following updates concerning the fees and charges permitted for excess baggage.
Handbook F-15, Travel and Relocation
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8 While You’re Traveling
8-1 Allowable Expenses
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8-1.5 Excess Baggage
[Revise the text in 8-1.5 to read as follows:]
Any baggage — either your personal baggage or Postal Service™ property necessary for your trip — that exceeds the weight or size carried free by transportation companies is classified as “excess.” Before you travel, be sure to weigh your personal baggage and check the airline’s website for its latest policies.
The Postal Service will pay for one (1) personal checked bag. If your manager approves taking a second personal bag or packing your one bag overweight as necessary, the Postal Service will reimburse you for the second checked bag fee or for the single overweight bag fee. Choose the less-expensive option when planning your travel. For some airlines, checking two non-excess bags will be cheaper than checking a single overweight bag. For other airlines, the reverse will apply. Fees for more than two checked personal bags are discouraged and will only be reimbursed with pre-approval from your manager for the expense.
The Postal Service will pay baggage fees for Postal Service property you carry for business.
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8-2 Documenting Your Expenses
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8-2.2 When Claiming Per Diem
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8-2.2.5 Documenting Excess Baggage
[Revise the text in 8-2.2.5 to read as follows:]
Baggage fees are charged when you check in for your flight — either online, at a kiosk, or at the ticket counter. If you have an individually billed travel credit card, you may use it for your baggage fee.
If you do not have an individually billed travel credit card, pay the baggage fee with your personal credit card or cash, and claim reimbursement in eTravel. Bargaining employees who plan to check a bag may include baggage fees as part of their total travel advance requisition using PS Form 1011, Travel Advance Request and Itinerary Schedule. Only in emergency circumstances will a bargaining employee be allowed a cash advance for baggage fees at their local retail unit. For example, travel for a last-minute opening in training would qualify as an emergency.
You must have a receipt showing the baggage weight and the points between which the baggage was moved if the excess baggage cost exceeds $50, unless you paid with your individually billed travel credit card, and you added the expense into your expense report from the Company Card page of the eTravel system.
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If you have additional questions about this policy update, refer to the GSA’s Airline CityPairs site at http://apps.fas.gsa.gov/citypairs/search/. Click Baggage Allowance to view the fees assessed by airlines for checked bags and overweight checked bags.
We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed edition of Handbook F-15 and into the next update of the online version accessible on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
— Corporate Accounting,
Controller, 10-9-08
