Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, has banned lawmakers from flying Business Class on flights less than four hours in a new cost-cutting move after parliamentarians managed to drain their travel budget in just five months in 2023.
The Bundestag had previously implored lawmakers to voluntarily fly Economy, but it turns out that when offered the choice, German politicians would nearly always fly Business Class, even on short hops around Germany and across Europe.
However, with no money available to increase the annual travel budget, parliamentary authorities have been forced to issue a directive banning its members from flying Business Class.
Parliamentary President Bärbel Bas informed Bundestag members of the new rules in a leaked memo, saying that the Economy-only travel policy would hopefully reduce travel expenses by as much as 50%.
The Bundestag has, at least, been able to negotiate the use of premium lounges, as well as Fast Track security lanes, which are normally only reserved for Business Class passengers, although lawmakers will have to use their own money to pay for these services.
This is an interesting move by Germany’s Bundestag as, no doubt, many politicians will argue that travelling in Business Class allows them to be more productive, given the fact that it might not be appropriate to work on sensitive documents when surrounded by prying eyes in an Economy seat.
The same could be said about the ability to Fast Track your way through security and into an airport lounge where work calls and correspondence can be handled in relative privacy.
