Officials must identify the reason a fare is selected when booking official domestic and international air travel, whether through the Online Booking Tool (OBT) or Travel Management Company consultant.
Officials must identify the reason a fare is selected using the Best Value Fare (BVF) booking codes as set out below. Where the lowest priced fare is not selected, officials must clearly document the reasons and provide it to the traveller’s delegate/s for approval.
Code 1 – Cheapest fare
Select when the lowest available fare meets all operational and business requirements.
Code 2 – Routing and timing
Use where the cheapest fare does not meet required routing or travel times.
Code 3 – Accompany travellers
Use where travel with others is required.
Code 4 – Medical or accessibility
Use where specific needs cannot be met by the cheapest available fare.
Code 5 – Personal responsibilities
Use where the cheapest fare creates an unacceptable personal impact.
Code 6 – Requirement to change
Use where selecting a more flexible fare provides better value for money.
How to apply
- Select the appropriate code when booking.
- Record a clear reason for the selected fare.
- Ensure the delegate can understand and assess the decision.
BVF Booking Codes
Booking code 1: Cheapest fare
Description
The lowest priced fare available within the time window for the required itinerary.
The set time on either side of the planned departure time that the booking system uses to identify all reasonably comparable flights for fare evaluation. The time window is one hour before and half an hour after the planned departure time for all domestic travel and 12 hours before and 12 hours after planned departure time for international travel.
Guidance
All air travel must be at the cheapest fare in economy class, unless there is an entitlement to travel in a different class. In these circumstances, officials are still required to obtain the BVF within the entitlement.
When booking online the cheapest fare available will be shown to the traveller in the OBT by a green tick indicator.
Booking code 2: Routing and timing
Description
The cheapest fare does not meet the practical business requirements, in relation to fight duration, departure or arrival time and or the proposed route.
Guidance
Business requirements could include:
- most direct route, saving on time
- stopover destination/connection did not meet operational requirements – such as, due to travel advice (for example from DFAT) or entity internal policy
- flight arrival or departure time is more suitable for business need – for example, the cheapest fare involves indirect routing (for example, Canberra-Adelaide via Melbourne) arriving after a scheduled 10am meeting, while a higher cost fare arrives before the scheduled meeting at 9am
- flight times sit within the bandwidth which may require additional travel allowance payments under entity entitlements, resulting in a higher total cost for the trip.
Booking code 3: Operational requirement to accompany other travellers
Description
The cheapest fare did not allow the traveller to meet an operational requirement to accompany other travellers.
When considering if there is an operational requirement to accompany other travellers where the cheapest fare would be on another flight, travellers should consider the benefits to the Commonwealth for accompanying other travellers while in the air.
Booking code 4: Medical or accessibility requirement
Description
The traveller has a medical or accessibility requirement that cannot be met by the cheapest fare.
Guidance
Delegates must be satisfied there is a requirement for this code.
Booking code 5: Personal responsibilities
Description
The cheapest fare when undertaking travel would create an unacceptable impact on personal responsibilities, for example family and cultural responsibilities.
Guidance
This code may apply if the traveller has personal and family commitments that may be impacted by the traveller being away for the purposes of work.
For domestic travel, where travellers are able to select flights within narrow windows of time to suit their travel requirements, it is less likely that personal responsibilities are unable to be met when selecting the cheapest fare.
Booking code 6: Requirement to change
Description
The cheapest fare was not the most flexible.
Guidance
When travel plans are uncertain and a flight may need to be changed or cancelled, selecting a flexible fare may offer better value for money by reducing change fees, avoiding ticket forfeiture, or preventing tickets from being placed into credit.
Travel bookers must consider semi-flexible fare options as an alternative to fully flexible fares.
