Summary

Pursuant to a 1978 Defense Audit Service report on the closing of some Military Airlift Command (MAC) passenger terminals, GAO reviewed the move of MAC chartered international flights from MAC passenger terminals to commercial airports.

GAO found that: (1) the savings expected by moving MAC international flights to commercial airports have not materialized; and (2) the move cost the Department of Defense (DOD) an estimated $1.5 million more because MAC continued to operate military passenger terminals simultaneously with its commercial terminal operations. The Air Force maintained that the military terminals were needed for readiness purposes; therefore, GAO reviewed whether it would be more cost-effective to close the commercial terminals and return charter flights to military terminals. GAO found that: (1) operating from both commercial and military facilities has resulted in additional operating costs; and (2) either military terminal operations or commercial operations should be scaled down, depending on DOD needs.