State: $544,000 In Unused Airplane Tickets

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Louisiana Inspector General's Office says state agencies spent more than $500,000 on unused airplane tickets over 2 ½ years.

A report released Friday says 112 state agencies bought 1,190 airplane tickets that expired because they weren't used within one year of their purchase.

NOLA.com ' The Times-Picayune reports that Louisiana State University and other universities accounted for the most money in unused tickets. It says $123,000 worth of tickets bought by LSU expired during that period. LSU athletics had the second-largest amount: $43,000.

LSU says its unused airfare was 2 percent of its $7.7 million total.

The Advocate notes that a 2010 report found that from 2006 through 2010, state agencies let $230,000 in airline tickets expire.