Airline City Pair Program
What is the City Pair Program?
The City Pair Program offers discounted air passenger transportation for federal government travelers. The airfares offered under this program are discounted considerably off comparable commercial fares, saving the federal government and taxpayers billions of dollars annually. In addition, these contracted annual fares enable government agencies to project travel costs and forecast their travel budgets more accurately.
The program has become a highly successful venture for both the federal government and participating airline carriers, growing from 11 airport/city pair markets in 1980 to over 5,000 pairs today.
GSA’s shared services program, of which the Airline City Pair Program is a part, is used by agencies and saves the government more than $5.9 billion a year. For more information on the NEW! FY13 CPP 48 Hour Cancellation requirement, please visit the FAQ [PDF, 322k] document.
What are the benefits to federal agencies?
The City Pair Program provides benefits not available in any commercial program, including:
- No restrictions;
- Last seat availability;
- No change or cancellation fees;
- No blackout periods; and,
- Savings to travelers of up to 73 percent off unrestricted commercial fares.
By encouraging the use of the City Pair Program rates, agencies can ensure compliance with Federal Travel Regulations, which mandate the use of the City Pair Program, and reduce their travel spending, while still meeting their missions.
How can travel managers make it happen?
- Send an email to agency travelers explaining how to select City Pair Program rates in the agency’s E-Gov Travel System; City Pair fares are usually displayed first.
- Monitor the use of City Pair Program rates via the agency’s E-Gov Travel System
- Schedule time with a GSA Center for Travel Management team member to learn more by emailing travel.programs@gsa.gov
