Excess baggage fees on official travel covered on voucher with receipt Published Sept. 9, 2008 KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- Airlines are scrambling to make up the money lost due to high fuel prices, and one of the ways is with baggage fees. Some airlines waive the fees for servicemembers and some do not. A servicemember traveling on official business, including deployments, can still receive full reimbursement for authorized baggage and excess baggage fees. A fact sheet from the Defense Department's Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee explains: "Excess Accompanied Baggage is accompanied baggage in excess of the weight, size or number of pieces carried free by a transportation carrier. If your orders authorize/approve the cost of excess accompanied baggage on a temporary duty assignment or other authorized travel, you may be reimbursed. Excess accompanied baggage charges are allowed only when authorized/approved. A command may opt to limit how much will be paid for (e.g., 3-day trip and 5 suitcases seems a little much), but if the first bag has a charge, the command may pay it." Servicemembers can claim the fees on the travel voucher if the member is authorized on the travel orders and a receipt is included. The U.S. General Services Administration Web site also has a baggage allowance fact sheet at www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType= GSA _BASIC&contentId=19374&noc=T.