The president, his staff and the press pool fly on Air Force One, a newly outfitted 747, which costs $26,000 an hour to operate. An identical backup plane usually follows Air Force One on long trips.
A C-5A or C-141 cargo plane, with an hourly operating cost of $9,000, hauls bulletproof limousines, Secret Service “war wagons” and a White House communications car. A Marine helicopter and an identical decoy chopper are used to fly in and out of large cities.
The White House promises a full accounting of its travel budget for House hearings next month. One Hill source estimates the cost of air travel alone at $60 million a year.
