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DoD launches discount travel website for military, federal workers

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The new American Forces Travel website went live on Tuesday, offering the lowest travel rates for active and retired members of the Armed Forces.

The platform, which also offers the same deals to civilians from the Department of Defense, was a joined effort of the DoD and Priceline, according to Task & Purpose.

According to a press release, “It is a unique and unprecedented travel service: a global collection of exceptional deals, assembled in a single place and available only to the United States military community. American Forces Travel was developed to ensure that when authorized members book personal travel, they will have ready access to the best deals that the global travel industry has to offer.”

The American Forces Travel website offers the “lowest rates on hotels, airfare, car rental, and cruises across more than 70,000 worldwide destinations in privately negotiated deals,” Task & Purpose confirmed.

The website features opportunities for bundled packages for even deeper savings of often hundreds of dollars.

Priceline spokesman Devon Nagle said travelers can save an average of $240 per person, Military.com reported.

Service members on military bases tested the website over the previous three months.

“Until now, leisure travel was typically handled by travel agents on military bases. The DoD chose to create a new online platform that was modern, fast and widely accessible, and to populate the site with the broadest and deepest collection of travel deals as a way to thank the military community for their service,” the press release added.

The American Forces Travel website is set up to produce commission, and proceeds will help Quality of Life programs across military branches.

The DoD partnered with Priceline after a bidding war with online travel giants.

“American Forces Travel was developed for a simple reason. The people who support the United States of America through military service have earned access to the world’s most exclusive travel deals. We were thrilled to be selected by the Department of Defense and have worked closely with them over the past year to bring the site to life,” Brett Keller, Priceline’s CEO said.

He added that the company was thrilled to be selected by the DoD to “bring the site to life.”

Any military and military-affiliated employees that qualify for Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs are able to utilize the discount website.

When opening a website account, the DoD requires a secure verification process used to validate eligibility.

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