After receiving a request from your agency, your aviation program's responsibilities in justifying the use of a Government aircraft to transport passengers are to your travel approving authority:

(a) Cost estimates to assist in determining whether or not use of a Government aircraft to carry passengers is justified. See OMB Circular A-126 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb) for more information on justifying travel on Government aircraft. See also FTR §§301-10.260 through 301-10.266, and 301-70.800 through 301-70.808, and 301-70.910 (41 CFR 301-10.260 through 301-10.266, 301-70.800 through 301-70.808, and 301-70.910) for guidance on estimating the cost of using a Government aircraft. The cost of using a Government aircraft is—

(1) The variable cost of using a Federal aircraft;

(2) The amount your agency will be charged by a CAS provider; or

(3) The variable cost of using an aircraft owned by another agency as reported by the owning agency; and

(b) Information to assist in the analysis of alternatives to travel on Government aircraft. The information must include the following:

(1) If no follow-on trip is scheduled, all time required to position the aircraft to begin the trip and to return the aircraft to its normal base of operations;

(2) If a follow-on trip requires repositioning, the cost for the repositioning should be charged to the associated follow-on trip;

(3) If an aircraft supports a multi-leg trip (a series of flights scheduled sequentially), the use of the aircraft for the total trip may be justified by comparing the total variable cost of the entire trip to the commercial aircraft cost (including charter) for all legs of the trip; and

(4) The use of foreign aircraft as CAS is authorized when the agency has determined that an equivalent level of safety exists as compared to U.S. operations of a like kind. The safety of passengers shall be the overriding consideration for the selection of travel mode when comparing foreign sources of scheduled commercial airlines and CAS.