Congressmen Perk Along With Frequent-Flier Miles : Regulations: Some perceive the accumulation in air travel from O.C. to Washington as a special privilege.

It doesn’t have the scandalous whiff of rubber checks. It doesn’t have congressional watchdogs baying with outrage. It’s not even against the rules. But to some, the millions of frequent-flier miles piled up by airborne congressmen--including those from Orange County--still carry the faint odor of special privilege.

Even though rules allow congressmen to use the bonuses for personal use, some of their aides still exhibit angst about the issue--given the current perk-avoidance mentality on Capitol Hill.

The House Committee on Administration issued a new regulation in September that “encourages” members to use travel awards earned on official trips for subsequent official business “wherever practicable.”

Before the modification, members had to use the mileage benefits for official trips only, leading some staffers to marvel at the new sky-size loophole.

“There are probably some major abuses going on,” said one veteran House chief of staff who did not want to be quoted by name, “and probably some guys who are playing it straight. But that’s the way this place works--it likes a lot of gray area.”

California members, whose district commute is obviously one of the longest, can easily rack up some significant flight points.

A check of Orange County congressmen shows that Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside), who represents South County, has the biggest balance of frequent flier miles--about 540,000. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) reports a balance of 314,000, while Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) has 307,000.

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), who will end his 12-year congressional career in January, has just 5,000 miles in the bank, largely because he quickly uses up the miles to upgrade his coach seat to first class when traveling on official business, an aide said.

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) said he was unable to provide figures on his frequent-flier mileage.

The House regulation contrasts with the travel rules of the Senate and the executive branch.

Executive branch employees are urged to join the mileage clubs but are required to turn in miles awarded for business trips, according to Larry Tucker, a spokesman for the General Services Administration.

The various federal agencies devise their own methods for tracking the miles, Tucker said, and in some cases rely on the honor system.

The Senate also takes a firmer stand. The frequent-flier miles are regarded as Senate property and not convertible to personal use, except for “separating” members, who can buy the mileage at the going government rate, said Christopher D. Shunk, senior auditor of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

“If the accrued mileage is the result of official travel, then it’s a benefit,” Shunk said.

The mileage credits are also commonly used to upgrade to higher service classes.

“It would be best, government-wide, for each agency to negotiate with the airlines a means of plowing the frequent-flier miles back into fare discounts,” said Cox, the Newport Beach congressman.

He said he uses his mileage only on rare occasions, to upgrade to first class on official transcontinental flights when he has a lot of work to do.

“In my case, the frequent-flier miles go begging,” Cox said. “Even though upgrading is at no expense to the taxpayer, I get the sense that when constituents walk on board and see members of Congress in first class, they think: ‘If he or she were paying with personal funds, they’d be back here with the rest of us.’ ”

Dornan said he too rarely uses frequent flier miles, mainly because his schedule almost never permits advance bookings. And he said he never uses his mileage to upgrade his seat.

Dannemeyer, on the other hand, insists on flying first class, said his press secretary, Paul Mero.

“Whatever frequent-flier miles he gets, he uses to upgrade his (official) flights,” Mero said. “There are a couple of things he demands and won’t compromise on, he flies so much.”

Rohrabacher said he also uses the mileage to upgrade his seat or to buy tickets for official travel when he has sufficient advance notice. “I only use frequent-flier miles for official business,” he said.

Spokesmen for Packard and Dornan said their bosses also follow that policy.

Some critics, such as City Councilman Paul M. Christiansen of Laguna Niguel, say membership in the mileage clubs is a clear conflict of interest, particularly for members who vote on airline industry issues. Packard and Cox both are members of the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation Administration.

“If you have 550,000 frequent-flier miles, it’s like getting 550,000 dollar bills,” Christiansen said. “It’s just like Nancy Reagan’s gowns. Aren’t these gifts?”

At the time that the House Administration Committee sent out the new travel regulation--just before the House Bank contretemps--committee members took pains to deflect suggestions that the new rule was a new perk.

Reps. Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield) and Charlie Rose (D-N.C.), leaders of the House Administration Committee, argued that the money-saving travel bonuses were going to waste because of complicated requirements for advance booking.

Thomas, who has accumulated more than 2 million frequent-flier miles, said last fall that the rule change was not made “because our jobs are hard” but to treat House members like many private business travelers, including employees of The Times, who may keep their travel awards.

Does the House travel rule flirt with special consideration?

“It’s not high on the list of problems facing Congress,” said Mike McCauley of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, a Washington watchdog group. “But we would urge the miles be pooled for Congress as a whole and used only for legitimate trips.”

When American Airlines started the first such program in 1981, the marketing scheme was an immediate hit, spawning similar programs throughout the industry. Once the public got a taste for the free flights and service upgrades, there was no turning back.

“They were never intended to last,” said Marty Heiers, a spokesman for American Airlines. “But they turned out to be the most powerful loyalty-building tool we’ve ever had.”

Some airlines allow separate accounts for personal and business miles, but many congressmen have just one account, into which flows a mixture of personal, business and campaign miles.

Keeping track of the various types of miles can be a “nightmare,” said David Coggin, Packard’s chief of staff, “but we try.”

“When I got here in 1988, the total was in the 700,000 range,” he said, “and we’ve made a concerted effort to use them up.”

High Mileage

Members of Orange County’s congressional delegation have earned some impressive frequent-flier mileage totals. Led by Ron Packard, whose 43rd District includes the southern tip of the county, four of the five representatives have banked more than a million miles--or enough to fly around the world almost 50 times.

Member of Congress Mileage on Tap Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) 540,000 Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) 314,000 Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) 307,000 William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) 5,000 Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) Not available

Source: Individual members of Congress