DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Ottce of he Secretary Washington, 0.C. 20201 Tor Ned Holland SiC Assistant Secretary for Administration Ellen Murray Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources Mark Childress ‘Acting General Counsel From: Laura Petrou Chief of Staff Emily Barson Director of Scheduling and Advance Subject: Request for Approval of Use of Charter Aircraft Date: May 21, 2010 This memorandum is to request approval for Secretary Sebelius and accompanying staff to travel on a charter aircraft leased by the Department. : Background On Thursday, June 3, 2010, Secretary Sebelius will be in La Crosse, WI for a seniors forum on health reform and a visit to Gundersen Lutheran Health System. On Friday moming, June 4, 2010, the Secretary is scheduled to speak at the Detroit Regional Chamber Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, ‘There is no commercial air service to Mackinac Island. It is accessible only by ferry or by charter aircraft. Pumose Secretary Sebelius will use the trip to La Crosse, WI to hold a seniors forum, where she will meet with seniors on health reform implementation and how to counter attempts at fraud. This message will be amplified by the participation of Congressmen Kind and Walz and the Governor of Wisconsin, She will also visit Gundersen Lutheran, a multi-state health system and HHS, ‘grantee, to tour the facility and meet with system executives. ‘The Detroit Regional Chamber Policy Conference is a high-profile gathering of 1,500 of Michigan’s business and community leaders and bipartisan public officials from all levels of government to discuss and work on the issues and challenges facing Michigan’s business ‘community. Secretary Sebelius will be discussing a number of issues under HHS jurisdiction, technology. {including health reform implementation and health informatiFrom Mackinac Island, the Secretary will travel to Detroit, Michigan for a seniors health reform ‘event with Congressman Dingell. ‘The schedule of events for LaCrosse, Mackinac Island, and Detroit is outlined below. Thursday, J 10 1:00-2:00 pra SENIORS FORUM LaCrosse, WI Participants: Sccretary Sebelius Rep. Kind Gov. Doyle 2:15-2:45 pm MEETING WITH GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN HEALTH SYSTEM EXECUTIVES 2:45-3:15 pm ‘TOUR OF GUNDERSEN LUTHERAN HEALTH SYSTEM 3:40-6:00 pm EN CHARTER FLIGHT FROM LA CROSSE, WI TO MACKINAC ISLAND, MI Time Change: +1 hour RON ‘Mackinac Island Friday. June 4.2010 8:20-8:45 am DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER BREAKFAST RECEPTION WITH VIPs 8:45-9:30 am KEYNOTE DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER POLICY CONFERENCE Panicipants: Secretary Sebelius ‘Congressman Dingell Governor Granholm 10:30 am- 12:00 pm EN CHARTER FLIGHT TO DETROIT, MI 12:30- 1:30pm SENIORS FORUM WITH CONGRESSMAN DINGELL Dearbom, MI Upon the conclusion of the Detroit s DC by commercial air travel. forum, Secretary Sebelius will retum to Washington,Legal Standard Title 41 CER. Parts 101-37, 300-3, 301-10, and 301-70 contains approval requirements for authorized travel on Government aircraft (Government aircraft include contracted, leased or other charter aircraft). Pursuant to 41 C.F.R 301-10.261 (a)(1), Government aircraft may be used in cases where no scheduled commercial aitline service is reasonably available to fulfill the travel requirement. Pursuant to 41 C.F.R 301-10.261 (a)(2), Government aircraft may be used in cases where the cost of using a Government aircraft is less than the cost of the city-pair fare for scheduled commercial airline service or the cost of the lowest available full coach fare if a city- pair fare is not available. (The cost of non-productive or lost work time while in travel status and ‘certain other costs should be considered when comparing the cost of using a Government aircraft in liew of scheduled commercial airline service.) The Chief of Staff and the Director of Scheduling and Advance hereby certify that the agency travel requirements identified in this memo for the travel segments from LaCrosse, WIt0 Mackinac Island, MI to Detroit, MI cannot be accomplished through the use of regularly scheduled commercial airline flights, and no reasonable altemative is available, thus requiring the use of charter aircraft. Additionally, the cost of the charter aircraft is lower than the cost of commercial travel on this route for the Secretary and her accompanying staff. ‘Travel Manifest LaCrosse, WI to Mackinac Island, MI Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Security detail agents (2) Jessica Santillo, Public Affairs staff Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Security detail agent (1) Congressman Dingell Debbie Dingell (at personal expense) Proposed Charter Travel Itinerary Thursday, June 3 Desired Departure time from LaCrosse, WI: 3:40 PM (CST) Desired Arrival time to Mackinac Island, MI: 6:00 PM (EST) Friday, June 4 Desired Departure time from Mackinac Island, MI: 10:30 AM Desired Arrival time to Detroit, MI: 12:00 PMAccording to Omega Travel, there is no commercial air service into Mackinac Island. The closest airport is Pellston, MI, which is accessible to Mackinac Island only by ferry. The commercial options outlined below are the closest to the Secretary's schedule, but duc to the flight schedules, travel by commercial air would preclude the Secretary from attending all her events as scheduled. COMMERCIAL TRAVEL, June 3, 2010 = La Crosse, WI to Mackinac, MI (4 travelers) 473 miles 2:45P - Departing La Crosse 3:45P - Artiving Chicago 4:45P - Departing Chicago T.00P - Arriving Detroit 7:50P - Departing Detroit 8:55P - Arriving Pellston $610 per person (Estimated airfare) $24 per person (Ferry fare) ‘$634 total per person travel cost June 4, 2010 ~ Pellston Airport to Detroit, MI (3-4 travelers) 298 miles 3:20P - Departing Peliston 4:45P - Arriving Detroit (Sold out) $269 per person (Estimated airfare) $24 per person (Ferry fare) '$293 total per person travel cost ‘Total commercial travel costs for 4 travelers from LaCrosse, WI to Mackinac Island and 3 travelers from Mackinac Island to Detroit, MI would be $3415 CHARTER TRAVEL La Crosse, WI - Mackinac Island - $1670 ‘Mackinac, MI - Detroit - $1668 Total charter travel costs from LaCrosse, WI to Mackinac Island and Mackinac Island to Detroit, MI would be $3338. With Congressman Dingell’s wife covering the cost of her travel on the second leg of the trip (S417), this total drops to $2921. Recommendation For the reasons outlined above, the agency’s bona fide travel requirement in this case is that the Secretary travel to the above-referenced locations to attend scheduled events to further the mission of the Department. ‘The requirements of the Federal Travel Regulation are satisfied here because: 1) no commercial flights are reasonably available to the Secretary to complete her travel in the time allotted, and 2) the cost of charter travel is lower than the cost of the ‘commercial travel on the same route,Our office requests ASA approval for all travelers, as well as OGC approval for Senior Federal ‘Travelers on the attached forms. Concurrence from the ASFR is also requested. See Attachments,