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LCD-78-240 1 (1978-08-04)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaxwb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: DOCUIENT RISUME 0';019 - [B22072251 rTest Involving Shipment of Unaccompanied Baggage as Spcce Avail'ble Mail on Commercial Airlizes]. LCD-78-240; B-133025. Auqust 4, 1978. 3 pp. Report to Sen. Warren G. Magnuson, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations; by Elmer B. Staats, Ccmptrcller General. Iisue Area: Facilities and Material Management: Federal Transportation of Th. .ngs (704). Contact: Logistics and Communications Div. Budget Fumction: National Defense;: Department of Defense - Ailitary (except procurement 9 contractb) (051). Organization Concerned: Department at Def'nse. Congressional Relevance: House Committee en Armed Services; Senate Committee on Armed Services. Sena WarreL G. fagnuson. Authority: S. Rept. 94-446. In 1976, the Senate Appropriaticna Committee stated its belief that more than $40 million could be sawed annually if the regulations governing the shipment of service membersi unaccompai.ied baggage were amended to r )quire that such baggage be shipped as space-available mail via ie U.S. Postal Service. This shipping method seenmd feasible sn,: nrcels of personal belongings as well as official material kaave been mailed by parcel post since World War II. The Committee asked the Department of Defense (DOD) to make a test to deterrine the feasibility and cost effectiveness o- using space-available mail to move unaccompanied baggage. DOD conducted a 1-year test, completad on June 15, 1978, of unacccmpanied baggage shipments from California, Texas, and North Carolina to Okinawa, Japan. During the first 9 months of the tept, 1,587 baggage shipments totaling about 375,000 pounds mere made frcm the three States to Okinawa. only 31 shipments, slightly over 3,100 pouads, moved under the test concept. With only 2% cf the shipments and 1% of the weight moving under the test program, a meaningful evaluation of the test was impossible. The only questicn answered by the test was the acceptakility of the program. The service memberse overwhelming selection of the conventional method indicated that they rejected the test concept in its present form. The lack of interest can be attributed to the fact that service members have little incentive to use the space-available method. If the Committee manta DOD to ret.est the concept, incentives should be included. (RRS)