Please provide a source for this. You may be correct; however, in my now 12.5 years of service I have never been counseled on this or seen it written in any instructions. Granted I've never looked hard for it, but if you have it please provide a source so we don't provide bad gouge.
This are excerpts from a DOD gifting and ethics piece atwww.dod.mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/resource_library/.../10ecc_gifts.pdf :
Travel on commercial airlines. If the non-Federal source offers the employee a gift of travel on a commercial airline, the employee may accept travel in coach class or in premium class other than first class (e.g., business class). However, the employee may not accept a gift of travel in first class, unless the conditions exist that would authorize the Government to purchase a first class airline seat for the employee. 41 C.F.R. § 304-5.5 and 5.6.
XIII. UPGRADES ON OFFICIAL TRAVEL -- WHEN YOU MAY ACCEPT THEM AS A GIFT.
A. An employee may accept an upgrade to first class (or business class) on official travel in any of the following circumstances.
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1. It is an on-the-spot upgrade that is generally available to the public (or at least to all Federal employees or all military members). Examples include an upgrade to a first class airline seat to remedy overcrowding in coach class, and an upgrade to a larger rental car due to a shortage of smaller cars or for customer relations purposes. See generally, 5 C.F.R. 2635.203(b)(4).
2. The upgrade results from a promotional offer that is realistically available to the general public (or to all Federal employees or all military members). For example: an upgrade to first class that is offered to anyone who opens a frequent flyer account. See generally, 5 C.F.R. 2635.203(b)(4). This includes vouchers or upgrade stickers, which are sometimes provided through the Government contract travel office.
3. The upgrade is offered to anyone who accumulates enough frequent flyer miles to belong to a club or group (such as the Gold Card Club), even if some or all of the miles are from official travel. See XIV (A) below. For example, an employee who flies 50,000 miles or more in a year on an airline can be a member of the airline’s Gold Card Club. If the airline gives all of its Gold Card Club members a free upgrade to first class and the employee earns a membership in the Club as a result of 50,000 miles of official travel, the employee may keep the first class upgrade. The upgrade is the property of the employee, who can do with it whatever he or she wants (e.g., use it for official travel, use it for personal travel, give it to his or her spouse, sell it, or donate it to charity). NDAA FY 2002, P.L. 107- 107, Section 1116.
B. However, no upgrade may be accepted if it is provided on the basis of the employee’s grade or position. 5 C.F.R. 2635.202.
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XIV. UPGRADES ON OFFICIAL TRAVEL -- BUYING THEM WITH YOUR PERSONAL FUNDS OR PERSONAL FREQUENT FLYER MILES.
A. Upgrades with personal funds. Federal employees may use their personal funds to upgrade to first class or business class while on official travel. See note to 41 CFR Sec. 301-10.123 Upgrades with personal frequent flyer miles. Federal employees may use their personal frequent flyer bonuses to upgrade to first class or business class while on official travel. See note 41 CFR Section 301.123, Air Force Instruction 24-101, Passenger Movement, 27 Oct 04, para. 3.30, states in relevant part: “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.” Therefore, if the Air Force member is unable to change into civilian clothes before boarding the aircraft, (s)he should not upgrade.
B. SECARMY Travel Policy (Army Directive 2007-01), Jan. 25, 2007, section 4.C., allows for wear of uniform in this circumstance.
