THERE'S NO FREE LUNCH - OR TRIP TO JAPAN

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 14, 1992                   TAG: 9201140051
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium
THERE'S NO FREE LUNCH - OR TRIP TO JAPAN
The business leaders who trekked to Australia and Asia with President Bush charged their hotels and food to their companies, but the taxpayers gave many of the 21 executives free air tickets, Bush administration officials said Monday.
The unusual and controversial decision to bring the executives along included invitations to fly on an Air Force plane as guests of the president.
White House and Commerce Department officials said the free flights involved no significant additional costs to the government. "The aircraft on which they are traveling would be making the trip with or without them," said an administration press release.
The business delegation flew on a Boeing 747 that always accompanies the president on long-distance trips as a back-up plane for Air Force One.
Some of the participants chose to fly commercially or on their own private jets anyway, but those who accepted the government flight saved up to $9,400 each, the cost of a round-trip first-class flight from Washington to Australia.
Nine executives left Washington with Bush and 13 flew back with him from Tokyo after joining the delegation en route, the Commerce Department said.
Robert Maricich, president of American of Martinsville Contract Division and the only Virginia executive on the trip, went on a commercial airliner at his company's expense. He said he understands the government will tally the other costs of his trip, including his return flight on the duplicate Air Force One, and send American a bill.
The executives, who included the heads of Detroit's Big Three auto makers, must reimburse the government for hotels, meals, phone calls and ground transportation, the Commerce Department said. White House spokeswoman Judy Smith said those conditions were determined at the time the invitations were issued to the delegation.
Business writer Sandra Brown Kelly contributed to this story.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB