SINGAPORE — A U.S. service member who was onboard missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 is still waiting for his travel claim to be approved, nearly 12 weeks after the plane's disappearance in which 239 passengers and flight crew failed to land as scheduled in Beijing, China, or anywhere for that matter.
Despite years of development and millions of dollars spent on the Pentagon's Defense Travel System, it appears no plan was made for travelers who fail to make it to a final destination where they can close out their travel claim. As a result, Staff Sgt. Timothy Wilson will be stuck footing the bill for what is likely to be a costly stay.
"We don't even know what his current lodging rate is," said Patrick Dubois, the civilian in charge of the missing service member's administration office. "He could be anywhere, including the middle of the ocean, and we don't even have a standard rate for that."