The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) City Pair Program (CPP) is a valuable resource for federal government travelers seeking cost-effective and flexible air travel options. Established in 1980, the CPP has grown from covering just 11 markets to over 14,000, providing significant savings and benefits for official government travel. This program offers pre-negotiated, discounted airfares on various routes, including popular destinations like comparing flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG, representing ‘pairs’) versus Seattle (SEA).
Understanding the City Pair Program
The City Pair Program is designated as a Best-in-Class procurement by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This designation highlights its effectiveness in delivering value and efficiency to federal agencies. The CPP negotiates with airlines to secure discounted fares specifically for government travelers. These fares come with added benefits beyond just cost savings, making official travel more manageable and budget-friendly. The program’s expansive network ensures coverage for a vast number of city pairs, facilitating travel both domestically and internationally.
Benefits of Utilizing CPP Fares
Choosing CPP fares for government travel unlocks several key advantages:
- Fully Refundable Tickets: CPP tickets are fully refundable, providing flexibility when travel plans change. This eliminates the risk of losing ticket value due to cancellations.
- No Advance Purchase Requirement: Unlike many commercial fares that require booking weeks or months in advance for the best prices, CPP fares do not have this restriction. This is particularly useful for official travel, which can sometimes be planned on short notice.
- No Change Fees or Cancellation Penalties: Changes to travel itineraries are often necessary in government work. CPP fares eliminate the burden of change fees and cancellation penalties, offering significant cost savings and convenience.
- Stable Prices for Budgeting: CPP fares are stable, allowing agencies to accurately budget for travel expenses. This predictability is a major benefit for financial planning within government departments.
- No Blackout Dates: CPP fares are available year-round without blackout dates, ensuring consistent access to discounted fares regardless of the travel season or peak times.
- One-Way Fare Pricing: Fares are priced on a one-way basis, providing flexibility for travelers with multi-destination itineraries. This allows for efficient planning of complex travel schedules.
Finding and Booking City Pair Program Fares
Federal travelers can easily access and book CPP fares through authorized travel management systems. These systems are tailored to government travel processes and ensure compliance with regulations.
- Authorized Travel Management Systems:
- E-Gov Travel Service 2 (E2 Solutions and ConcurGov): Civilian agencies are mandated to use E2 Solutions or ConcurGov for booking travel, including CPP fares.
- Defense Travel System (DTS): The Department of Defense utilizes DTS for all official travel arrangements, including accessing CPP fares.
- Agency Travel Management Company (TMC): Alternatively, travelers can contact their agency’s designated Travel Management Company for assistance with booking CPP fares.
These systems integrate the CPP fare finder, allowing users to search for and compare available fares for their desired routes, such as evaluating options for SFO to Paris or SFO to Seattle.
Understanding CPP Fare Components
It’s important to understand what is included and excluded in CPP fares, particularly when comparing domestic and international routes like SFO to SEA versus SFO to Paris.
Domestic Fares
Domestic CPP fares are comprehensive, including:
- Federal, State, and local taxes
- Airport maintenance fees
- Other administrative fees
However, domestic fares do not include certain passenger-specific fees such as:
- Passenger facility charges (PFCs)
- Segment fees
- Passenger security service fees
International Fares
International CPP fares have a slightly different structure:
- They do not include taxes and fees, which will be added to the final price.
- They do include fuel surcharge fees, which can be a significant component of international airfare.
When booking through the authorized travel systems, the final price, inclusive of applicable taxes and fees (and excluding baggage fees), will be displayed. Travelers can find information on commercial baggage fees on the Airline Information page.
Accessing Contract Award Data
For detailed information on specific city pair routes and awarded fares, federal employees can download the City Pair Contract Awards data.
- Contract Awards CSV Files: GSA provides downloadable CSV files containing detailed contract award information. These files are updated regularly and offer a comprehensive view of available city pairs, airlines, service classes, and fares. For example, the FY25 City Pair Contract Awards [CSV – 2 MB] provides current data. Previous fiscal year awards are also available for review on the Fiscal documents and information page.
These files list origin and destination in alphabetical order. For international routes, city codes (e.g., WAS for Washington) are used. To find fares, users can filter by origin and destination airport or city codes.
Conclusion
The City Pair Program is an indispensable tool for federal government travelers. By offering discounted, flexible, and benefit-rich airfares, the CPP ensures efficient and cost-effective official travel. Whether comparing routes like SFO to Paris or SFO to Seattle, or any of the over 14,000 markets covered, the CPP delivers significant value and streamlines the travel process for federal agencies and their employees. Utilizing CPP fares through authorized booking systems is a mandatory and smart choice for all government-related air travel needs.
