U.S. General Services Administration
Auto Cancellation Rule FAQs
The City Pair Program (CPP) contract’s auto cancellation rule gives airlines the discretion to cancel:
- All YCA and _CA reservations that are not ticketed 48 hours prior to departure.
- All Business Class fares (_CB) and Premium Economy fares (_CP) that are not ticketed 7 days prior to departure.
Agencies must ensure that all trip authorizations are approved and ticketed at least three business days prior to departure. Agencies should also consult with their Travel Management Center (TMC) and ETS Contractors to identify any reports or notifications that can aid in identifying unapproved authorizations and notify travelers of any impending cancellations.
If a traveler's reservation is cancelled and the traveler still intends to travel, please allow time to issue a ticket before heading to the airport.
If your reservation is cancelled as a result of the auto cancellation rule and you still need to travel, you should work with your authorizing official to re-establish your reservation. This may include calling the TMC directly, which can result in increased fees to your agency. Please consult your agency's policy for booking last minute.travel.
If the airline cancels your flight as a result of the auto cancellation rule, the car and hotel reservations will not be automatically cancelled by the airline (since these are not their reservations). If you are no longer traveling, you will need to cancel the hotel and car separately to avoid “no show” fees.
Inclusion of the auto cancellation rule reduced the risk of price increases from airlines. It also allows all travelers, including federal travelers, to use the seats that are made available after a cancellation for last minute travel.
No, not all CPP contract carriers participate in the auto cancellations rule.
Airlines require reservations booked within 72 hours of departure to be ticketed within six (6) hours of travel departure.
Yes. The 7 day auto cancellation applies to _CB and _CP international fares while the 48 hour auto cancellation applies to other international flights.
DG fares are not part of the contract.
It depends. If the original reservation included a _CA CPP fare that is no longer available due to capacity restrictions (i.e., _CA fare), the original fare may not be available during rebooking. The new reservation may be made at a different fare (YCA), which could be higher than the original booked fare. Depending on agency policy, the new booking may require additional approval on the travel authorization.
Important Note: If you are rebooking within 48 hours prior to departure, most airlines require ticketing within six (6) hours prior to departure. Make sure your approving official is aware of the changes to your travel.
Most TMC services contracts require the TMC to notify the traveler of schedule changes or similar changes to arrangements. Please check with your agency's travel office for a more detailed answer regarding how your agency's TMC will address this notification. Always check your travel authorization to make sure your approving official has approved it, especially if you are traveling within the next 72 hours.
Groups of 10 or more are non-mandatory users of the City Pair Program. If the travel arranger for the group elects to use CPP fares for the travel, these new rules would apply as described here.