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Nov 6, 2008 10:12 am US/Central
DFW Restricts Travel After CBS 11 Stories
Reporting
Jack Fink
DFW AIRPORT (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
DFW Airport is tightening restrictions on its travel policy for executives and board members.
Although the airport's Board of Directors discussed the new restrictions at Thursday's meeting, board members did not vote on the new policy. But after the meeting, airport CEO Jeff Fegan told CBS 11 News that he would implement the more restrictive policies immediately.
Thursday's decision comes after a series of
CBS 11 investigative reports that found airport CEO
Jeff Fegan and some other airport executives and
board members spent
tens of thousands of dollars on first class plane tickets and pricey, exclusive hotels overseas.
Most board members support the new policy. But during a board committee meeting earlier this week, member Forrest Smith expressed his displeasure. He asked whether his recent 14-hour flight to Asia in first class would be allowed under the new policy. It would not. "I'd say it sucks," Smith said. "I've never flown first class except this one time and it beats anything else, I can tell you that. It's a rough flight."
Today Smith said he has changed his mind and now supports the airport's new travel policy.
Among the new rules for DFW executives and board members traveling on airport business:
--All airline tickets for travel within the contiguous United States must be economy class. International flights up to seven hours in length must also be with economy class tickets. International flights lasting more than seven hours may be in business class.
--The airport will also no longer pay for upgraded airline tickets, which it has done in the past.
--Hotel bookings must be in the least-expensive standard-rate room available.
After the CBS 11 stories, both the mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth, Tom Leppert and Mike Moncrief, respectively,
called for a special board committee to conduct an audit on the airport's travel policies and compensation packages for airport managers and executives.
The airport is also creating a compensation committee to review how much it pays executives and other administrators. For now, officials are recommending phasing out car allowances for most employees and longevity pay for veteran employees.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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