(chicagotribune).As President Barack Obama flies Monday to Chicago for a midday speech on health-care reform, the round trip on Air Force One will run about $236,000, according to government estimates of the operating costs for one of the top symbols, and perks, of the presidency.
But that does not include such expenses as Secret Service protection, motorcades and helicopter transports.
After landing at O'Hare International Airport, Obama is scheduled to spend about 2 1/2 hours here. To avoid snarling traffic on the Kennedy Expressway, he likely will be taken from the airport by helicopter to a location near the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
A Government Accounting Office report in 2000 showed Air Force One cost $54,100 to operate each flight hour, or almost $67,000 in today's dollars.
Obama could shatter that cost with a trip to Hawaii if he decides to go there for his family's annual vacation between Christmas and New Year's. The round-trip cost of a flight from Washington to Honolulu on Air Force One would be roughly $1 million, according to the GAO estimates.
No comments:
Post a Comment