New Orleans Mayor Agrees to Pay City Back for $30,000 Spent on First-Class Flights

Frank FangOctober 6, 2022

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has changed her stance and agreed to reimburse the city for nearly $30,000 that she spent on first-class flights.

Cantrell, a Democrat, had refused to repay the city, saying that her luxury flights on trips to France and Switzerland were for legitimate city businesses. She initially claimed that the flight upgrades were necessary to protect herself from COVID-19 and that she had some travel safety concerns as a black woman.

New Orlean’s top legal officer, City Attorney Donesia Turner, issued a memorandum on Sept. 27, stating clearly that Cantrell is an employee of the city and therefore she needs to follow the city’s travel policies.

“Employees are required to purchase the lowest airfare available,” states the city policy (pdf) cited in Turner’s memo. “Employees who choose an upgrade from coach, economy or business class flights are solely responsible for the difference.”

Following Turner’s ruling, Gilbert Montano, the city’s chief administrative officer, said he would enforce the travel policy and have Cantrell pay for her flight upgrades.

Cantrell

On Oct. 4, at a groundbreaking for a new YWCA facility, Cantrell told reporters that she will repay the costs, though she did not give a timeline on when the payment would be made.

“Based on the policy review, however, I will have to reimburse,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “So I’m moving forward to do that.”

The mayor reiterated that the flight upgrades were for her health and well-being, noting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cantrell traveled to Europe over the summer, signing sister-city agreements with Ascona, Switerzland, and Juan-les-Pins, France. Her first-class trip to France cost nearly $18,000, and she spent about $9,800 on business and first-class flights to Switerzland.

New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno, who had previously threatened to dock Cantrell’s salary over her first-class