Health and Human Services Director, Tom Price, doesn’t fly on military jets because those planes are more secure than civilian airliners, but because he enjoys five-star hotels in the sky.
Ready to tuck into a carefully prepared delicacy, the gentleman below attests to life on an Air Force VIP jet!
But the luxury doesn’t come cheap. As Politico reported on Thursday, Mr. Price’s military flights to Europe and Asia this summer cost the taxpayer $500,000.
Still, it’s not hard to see why Price loves his military adventures. According to Boeing, which builds the Air Force’s VIP aircraft fleet, “There is no catering aboard the fleet. In advance of missions, flight attendants prepare the menus and shop for all food themselves. Culinary school is part of the training, said Staff Sgt. Jon Jackson, C-32/40 flight attendant, who never cooked before but now can whip up an impressive meal.”
Impressive is the operative word when it comes to the Air Force stewards responsible for VIP comfort and safety in the air. They are trained in advanced culinary skills and make dedicated efforts to ensure that their VIP guests are well cared for. This would have meant that Price’s staff being contacted before his flights and consulted on what the secretary wanted to eat while he was soaring across the oceans. Indeed, those who served Price are part of the same elite cadre who serve delicacies on Air Force One.
As Tech. Sgt. Jon Johnson, once explained to Fox San Antonio, “It’s amazing travel, wherever you see a congressman, a senator, a secretary of state, a president, there is a flight attendant along with them.”
So if you lack appreciation for taxpayer money, flying with the Air Force offers a very good deal: luxury on the dime of others.
Nevertheless, it would be unfair to blame Price alone. Many other government officials; such as Nancy Pelosi while she was Speaker of the House, and senior military officers use Air Force jets unnecessarily. While they often claim that doing so is necessary for security, I’m not buying it. Apart from the president, vice president, secretaries of state and defense, and intelligence chiefs, there is no standing reason why government officials cannot use cheaper civilian alternatives as a rule.
Except, that is, that cheaper civilian alternatives don’t offer a perfectly cooked filet mignon free of charge.
