CRASH LANDING

NOLA Mayor Says She’ll Pay Back $30K She Blew on First Class Flights

The policy for all New Orleans city employees says they should take the least expensive flight available but the mayor had been jetting across the country sitting up front.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell conceded Tuesday that she’ll repay the city around $30,000 for a series of first-class flights she booked on the taxpayer’s dime. Her announcement came after a city attorney declared she must follow the same regulations as other city employees and book the cheapest option available when flying on city business—or pay back the excess amount. The attorney put Cantrell’s bill at about $30,000 for first-class travel since she was elected mayor in 2018, including a whopping $17,000 for a single flight she took to France in July, WDSU reported. “It is very clear that business was done on behalf of the city of New Orleans, however, I will have to reimburse the city for those business expenses,” she said. Cantrell relented after a week of declaring she wouldn’t pay the money back, insisting it was necessary business expenses.