San Fernando Valley : Airport Board Chief Says Free Trips Will End
The president of the board overseeing Burbank Airport said Thursday he will put an immediate end to a longstanding policy of providing free first-class air travel to airport commissioners and their spouses during business trips.
Acknowledging that he has flown first-class at the airport’s expense, Carl W. Raggio Jr., president of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, said he now believes it is inappropriate for commissioners to do so.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the times,” Raggio said.
Since 1992, airport commissioners have spent $88,825 on travel that included first-class air fares for commissioners and their spouses, according to public records.
Travel records show that commissioners have sought reimbursement for travel 36 times from 1992 to 1995. There were 21 claims for first-class travel, and 13 for spouses.
The Los Angeles County Grand Jury is reviewing the authority’s travel policies.
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