State agencies frequently use travel agents and follow state rules in doing so, audit finds

Washington state agencies buy about half of their staff’s air travel through travel agents, and do so following state guidelines, a new performance audit found. 

After identifying significant fees charged to state agencies by travel agents, the Office of the Washington State Auditor conducted the audit to examine the costs and benefits of using travel agents. The audit also reviewed whether agencies were following state requirements in doing so. 

Auditors found the airfares they reviewed generally cost more when booked through travel agents rather than booked directly. State agencies paid about $1.2 million in fees during the period of the audit. However, those fees accounted for a small share – about 3% – of the $37 million state agencies spent on airfare during fiscal years 2021 through 2025.  

For the most part, state agencies followed rules established by the Office of Financial Management and worked with agents authorized by the Department of Enterprise Services, the audit found. State agencies cited good customer service and support for complex travel as benefits of travel agents, noting that it reduced the amount of time their own staff spent booking flights. 

“The public rightly expects state travel to be business-related and reasonably priced,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “Overall, we found the Department of Enterprise Services is managing the travel program effectively today, and no formal audit recommendations are needed.” 

Auditors did note that throughout 2024, 90% of travel agent fees went to agents without required state contracts. This was due to changes DES made to its contract structure in late 2023. The situation was resolved in 2025, however, and agencies paid 98% of fees to properly contracted agents over most of the audit period. 

The full report, including a summary of results, can be found on the State Auditor’s Office website: Evaluating State Agency Use of Travel Agents.

Media inquiries: Director of Communications Kathleen Cooper, Kathleen.Cooper@sao.wa.gov, 564-999-0800.