The records obtained by the Natural Resources Commissioner of the Mena Lands, John Boyle, and his special assistant, Rena Miller, flew to the business class to the United Arab Emirates and stayed in a luxurious five -star hotel as part of a Official trip with Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaaska) in January.
Dunleavy brought a delegation of a dozen state officials to the United Arab Emirates last month to attend the World Future Energy Summit and promote state investment opportunities.
The cost of both tickets was $ 17,583. Miller’s ticket cost $ 9,996. Boyle’s costs $ 7,586.
The tickets included first -class trips from Anchorage to Seattle in Alaska Airlines, Seattle Executive Class to Doha, Qatar in Qatar Airways and first class from Doha to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in Qatar Airways. The return flights were identical. They left on January 7 and returned on January 18.
Qatar Airways is constantly classified at the top of the best executive class airlines in the world.
You can see your itineraries here:
Boyle itinerary
Miller itinerary
A council that Boyle and Miller flew the executive class caused the request for records to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). A source in the office of Governor Dunleavy told the land mine that, apart from Dunleavy, all other members of the delegation had traveled in the economic class.
The Alaska Administrative Manual prohibits the first and executive class trips and requires an exemption for such a trip to be paid or reimbursed by the State.
The emails show that Rachel Bylsma, the gabinet deputy director of Governor Dunleavy, approved the trip for Boyle and Miller on December 13. Bylsma did not approve the first class trips and executive class.
In September 2023, Bylsma sent a memorandum that established new travel guidelines in an attempt to reduce the trips of the executive branch.
Look at this recent memorandum, sent to @Govdunleavycabinet. They are really taking energetic measures on the trip. The sources report that some commissioners, namely, the Income Commissioner, Adam Crum, have really fought with their trip. It seems that the party is over! #AKLEG pic.twitter.com/mydmdaqsnd
– Alaska’s terrestrial mine (@alaaskalandmine) September 27, 2023
Just after Bylsma sent his email by approving the trip for Boyle and Miller, Ashley Spielman, executive secretary of DNR, sent an email to Andrew Jensen on the trip. Jensen serves as a Dunleavy policy advisor and coordinates the trip. The emails show that Jense, as part of the progress team, was in the United Arab Emirates from January 4 to 17.
Five days later, on December 18, Spielman sent two emails to Janice Mason, the programmer of the Governor Dunleavy, describing reserve problems with the outgoing flight. First class tickets and round trip class were bought later that morning.
A memorandum of January 8 by Spielman explains why travel exemption was issued. Even if there were only first commercial tickets available on the outgoing flight, to get on time, it is not clear why the return flight included first class trips and executive class. The Alaska Airlines website allows a person to reserve the first class and the executive class in one way and the economy in the other way.
According to the memorandum, “the original itinerary of 1/7-1/17/2025 was exhausted before the staff could end, and a secondary emergency itinerary was selected that includes business trips for 1/7-1/18/18/ 2025 to guarantee its presence and support was possible due to the limited availability of remaining travel options. This trip is approved and allowed under AAM 60,210 with the accompaniment of this memorandum and clarification provided in it ”.
The records show that Boyle and Miller stayed in the Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi and the Ritz Carlton Dubai. Both five -star hotels were listed in an email of December 12 by Andrew Jensen as “where the delegation will stay.”
The total cost for its hotel rooms was 21,564 AED (United Arab of the Arab Emirates Dirham), which is approximately $ 5,871. That, combined with the air rate, totals $ 23,400 for your trip.
