Obama and Air Force One: It's good to have a 747
President Obama will spend Monday night flying across the Pacific and United States after his latest vacation, 11 days in Hawaii. It will be his first trip of 2011 aboard Air Force One.
Last year Obama flew in Air Force One 172 times, almost every other day.
White House officials have been telling reporters in recent days that the Democrat doesn't intend to hang around the White House quite so much in 2011.
They explain he wants to get out more around the country because, as everyone knows, that midterm election shellacking on Nov. 2 had nothing to do with his healthcare bill, over-spending or other policies, and everything to do with Obama's not adequately explaining himself to his countrymen and women.
And with only 673 days remaining in the neverending presidential campaign, the incumbent's travel pace will not likely slacken.
At an Air Force-estimated cost of $181,757 per flight hour (not to mention the additional travel costs of Marine One, Secret Service, logistics and local police overtime), that's a lot of frequent flier dollars going into the president's carbon footprint.
We are privy to some of these numbers thanks to CBS' Mark Knoller, a bearded national treasure trove of presidential stats. According to Knoller's copious notes, during the last year Obama made 65 domestic trips over 104 days and six trips to eight countries over 22 days. Not counting six vacation trips over 32 days.
He took 196 helicopter trips, signed 203 pieces of legislation and squeezed in 29 rounds of left-handed golf.
Obama last year gave 491 speeches, remarks or statements. That's more talking than goes on in some entire families, at least from fatherly mouths.
In fact, even including the 24 days of 2010 that we never saw the 44th president in public, Obama's speaking works out to about one official utterance every 11 waking hours. Aides indicate the Real Good Talker deems we need more.
As the president so often says, "Please be seated."
-- Andrew Malcolm
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Photos: Getty Images (pool); Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press (Obama waving from Air Force One); Kevin Lamarque / Reuters (Obama waving from Air Force One); Jim Young / Reuters (Obama waving from Air Force One); Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images (Obama waving from Air Force One); Jim R. Bounds / Associated Press (Obama waving from Air Force One); Michael Conroy / Associated Press (Obama waving from Air Force One); Tatan Syuflana / Associated Press (Obama about to wave from Air Force One).
If you don't think that the President should act as a head of state by visiting other countries and speaking to people then what do you feel his duties are?
Posted by: Jacob | January 03, 2011 at 03:20 PM
As others have previously commented, Obama appears to be more comfortable in the role of constitutional monarch, which involves meeting and greeting instead of governing.
What are similar travel stats for other Presidents?
Posted by: Gringo | January 03, 2011 at 04:28 PM
So if his flights were only an hour in duration, it would have cost taxpayers 31 million for Air Force One for his trips last year. But of course the trips to Europe, the West Coast, Hawaii, and India run 5-30 hours. So if one guesses an average of four hours per trip, the taxpayer funded 120 million of travel for President Obama and his family.
How many hours on each trip were spent speaking to Democrats versus any American who wanted to hear him? How many speaking events were free to the public who financed his travel with taxes? All presidents using Air Force 1 to travel to political events, including and especially campaign fundraisers, should be charged the going rate for renting the aircraft and the bill sent to their campaign funds. It is time to set a cap on non-official use of the aircraft. Any use other than state visits and one vacation a year should be paid for by the POTUS or his political party. No more charging taxpayers for travel to events only the politcally connected and wealthy get to attend. The president needs to be given a more austere budget pronto.
Posted by: Pam K | January 03, 2011 at 04:35 PM
All these pols abuse the privilege, the hypocrisy constantly amazes. That huge carbon footprint!
Posted by: Dean the Dream | January 03, 2011 at 04:38 PM
Maybe somebody at the EPA should look into this. Ha Ha
Posted by: Michael Kennedy | January 03, 2011 at 04:54 PM
Do we have a comparison with the travel time of Bush? We have the comparison with regard to golf and the expensiveness of the two presidents' vacations. Such info would be illuminating.
Posted by: GFFM | January 03, 2011 at 04:56 PM
Those TSA screenings must have been awful. Is Mr. Obama losing weight? He's always been slim but he doesn't look healthy.
Posted by: Watson | January 03, 2011 at 05:00 PM
So many golf courses, so little time.
Posted by: malclave | January 03, 2011 at 05:08 PM
Wasn't Valerie Jarret spinning the other day about how Obama has been stuck in the White House furiously working for us all and was eager to escape to the heartland to "re-connect" with Americans this year?
Posted by: SamIam | January 03, 2011 at 08:07 PM
This is the Hope & Change that America voted for.
$181K/hour, yes he can!
Posted by: BoBo | January 03, 2011 at 08:21 PM
I fear we are better off when he is NOT working. Travel on!!
Posted by: Marty | January 03, 2011 at 09:42 PM
*** THANK YOU FOR THESE INSIGHTS - and then some! *** Some one[s] among The White House Press Corps and some creative - then highly enterprising journalists -- with both an ear and eye toward things Washington, have FINALLY "broken the Golden Padlock" on stats for AF One use, support and 'its carbon footprints'! To quote the song title - "OH, HAPPY DAY ..."! ;-) *** AND THE "first draft of history" rolls on before our very eyes in 'The Times of El-Lay'! ** MOZELTOVs!!! Indeed! - 30 -
Posted by: DAVE PHILLIPS | January 04, 2011 at 03:51 AM
He likes walking on and off the plane. Makes him think he's the Mac.
Posted by: bandit | January 04, 2011 at 04:18 AM
In order to get a more accurate estimate of costs for flying you have to add the time for the decoy aircraft as well as the time that the Air Force C5 Galaxy that transport Marine One and the motorcade.
Posted by: J. Norman | January 04, 2011 at 08:14 AM
Hot Air: Obamateurism of the Day
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/01/04/obamateurism-of-the-day-421/
Posted by: StewartIII | January 04, 2011 at 09:22 AM
No matter who the president is, his/her travel expenses will be enormous. Some form of entourage is necessary, as is the expensive security measures. BUT. It would be useful to compare his travel time and travel purposes with that of other presidents. Until we have a comparison, we're just complaining.
@ Pam K: One vacation a year? Heck, even I take more than that.
Posted by: jeanie | January 04, 2011 at 10:26 AM
What a jackhole.
He vacations for 11 days in Hawaii over Christmas with HIS family thereby depriving hundreds of staff, military and police of being able to spend Christmas with their families.
Posted by: Max Entropy | January 04, 2011 at 12:42 PM
I am listening to a Presidential news conference, in which "He" is speaking about cutting spending in several areas, which will affect everyone in these United States.
Whatever happened to "Lead by Example"???
I resent the millions of dollars he spends jet-setting around the globe when that money would be better spent by funding Social Security benefits for those of us who NEEDED each little cost of living raise that he took away from us.
Posted by: Tom L. | February 15, 2011 at 08:52 AM
With Bush taking the most vacation days of any president in history, how is this relevant without comparing where he's going and why? I don't really understand the purpose of this article and I would like to. How many trips have other presidents taken and how much did it cost (please consider inflation)?
Posted by: Taylor | February 16, 2011 at 12:19 PM
his pay should be cut by 50% with no benefits!!
same with all gov. workers,
Posted by: Casey Wagner | April 09, 2011 at 09:57 AM
how many miles does president Obama fly each year?
what is the cost per mile. thank you.
(AM responds: According to the Air Force, Air Force One costs $181,000 an hour to operate.)
Posted by: Dennis Clapp | May 13, 2011 at 12:21 PM
Can we bill him for the Fraudluent Use of his time or non-use as it may be.
Posted by: Ronald J. Rogne | June 08, 2011 at 01:22 PM
What a Waste. I Hope That the United States survives Mr. O bamma.
Posted by: Ronald J. Rogne | June 08, 2011 at 01:24 PM
G. W. Bush managed 209 flights a year for 8 years.
That is according to an article carried in another news source, dated February 11, 2009, and titled "Air Force One Pilot Calls It Quits"
Posted by: Splats | June 08, 2011 at 10:10 PM