Officials’ Use of AF Jets Costs $150 Million, GAO Says : Perks: No one tries to determine whether the trips by the White House, Cabinet officers or Congress members are justified, a study finds.

The Air Force provides free plane travel for top White House officials, Cabinet officers and members of Congress on a no-questions-asked basis 900 times a year at an annual cost to taxpayers of $150 million, the General Accounting Office said Thursday.

The study of the use of the 89th Air Wing showed that no attempt is made to determine whether the trips are justified or whether less costly commercial flights are available. The GAO called for tighter controls to restrict the practice.

“In most cases, the use of the 89th Wing aircraft is considerably more expensive than commercial aircraft for similar trips,” the GAO report said. At times, it said, it may cost 10 times as much to take a military jet as it would to fly a dozen people from Washington to Los Angeles by commercial flights.

The rules for traveling on the VIP flights are so broad and vague that they are virtually meaningless, the GAO concluded. It recommended strict accountability for the trips, saying that such flights should be made only in exceptional cases and that each justification should be documented.

In a related development, Vice President Dan Quayle was asked about reports that he and White House Chief of Staff Samuel K. Skinner took at least four such VIP flights, primarily to play golf.

“We complied with all of the rules and regulations,” Quayle said, quickly changing the subject to charge that the Democratic leadership in Congress is the real problem and that questions about his air travel are merely a “diversionary tactic.”

The GAO study was made public by Rep. Frank Horton (R-N.Y.) as House investigators questioned White House officials about the size of President Bush’s staff and the nature of executive branch perquisites.

In a hearing before a House Post Office and Civil Service subcommittee, which authorizes funding for the White House staff, the perks battle between Congress and the White House wore on.

Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), said the Executive Office of the President, in response to a subcommittee request, had provided only skimpy information on the number of employees on the presidential staff and their duties.

Although Congress wants to give Bush flexibility in hiring, Moran said, it did not intend to approve employment of five florists, five chefs and five calligraphers at the Executive Mansion.

“We did not intend for there to be a staff of 34 National Park Service gardeners, horticulturists and other laborers to maintain the 18 acres of the White House, which includes a putting green, swimming pool, bowling alley and other luxuries of modern life,” Moran said.

Phil Larsen, director of the personnel management division of the Office of Administration at the White House, testified that the President’s 394-person staff is the smallest at the White House in almost four decades.

The GAO report on air travel also indicated that the executive branch is the chief beneficiary of the 89th Air Wing flights.

About 42% of its trips were taken by the President or White House aides, the report said. Defense Department officials accounted for 39% of the flights and members of Congress, often traveling overseas in large delegations, were aboard 16% of the time.

Besides the cost of fuel for the planes, taxpayers are paying for a 1,600-person crew of military and civilian employees who maintain and repair the 22 VIP aircraft.

“Most travelers use the 89th Air Wing’s aircraft without considering cost,” the GAO concluded.

Two of the 89th’s planes--jumbo jets known as VC-125As--are reserved for the President’s use and cost about $25,000 an hour each to operate.

When the President travels by air, he is also accompanied by a cargo plane carrying his limousine, a Secret Service car known as the “war wagon” and communications gear. By one estimate, including the cost of flying advance teams to make arrangements, the cost for air travel alone for the President’s recent trip to Japan exceeded $1.4 million.

Times staff writer Paul Houston contributed to this story.