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-   -   Pope Francis to Fly AA charter WAS (ADW)-JFK, JFK-PHL, PHL-CIA (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage-pre-consolidation-usair/1711765-pope-francis-fly-aa-charter-adw-jfk-jfk-phl-phl-cia.html)

malexander131 Sep 22, 2015 2:50 pm

Pope Francis to Fly AA charter WAS (ADW)-JFK, JFK-PHL, PHL-CIA
 
Interesting tidbit, an AA 772 will take Pope Francis on his US tour and back to Europe. Wonder how far in advance his upgrade clears? ;)


Of note though, apparently the Pope typically flies Alitalia out and the "national carrier" of the country he's visiting back. Wonder how AA was selected?

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/0...e-papal-plane/

Fanjet Sep 22, 2015 3:21 pm


Originally Posted by malexander131 (Post 25463984)
Interesting tidbit, an AA 772 will take Pope Francis on his US tour and back to Europe. Wonder how far in advance his upgrade clears? ;)


Of note though, apparently the Pope typically flies Alitalia out and the "national carrier" of the country he's visiting back. Wonder how AA was selected?

It's the largest U.S. carrier would be my guess.

Geauxtigers Sep 22, 2015 3:37 pm

*****

wrp96 Sep 22, 2015 3:51 pm


Originally Posted by Geauxtigers (Post 25464178)
Do we know when he is flying these routes? I just booked an award ticket to SYR that goes through PHL on friday...I may want to change that to CLT

He's in DC today through Thursday morning. Thursday evening he flies to NY (Andrews Airforce Base-JFK).

Saturday morning he flies from JFK to PHL.

Sunday evening departure from PHL to FCO.

Full schedule is here

supermintyfresh Sep 22, 2015 4:05 pm


On this trip, Francis will take Alitalia as far as Washington and then American Airlines the rest of the way.

(As a footnote, the dirty little secret of papal travel is that the press corps actually subsidizes the pope’s movements, since the roughly 70 reporters on the plane are asked to pay business class airfare in order to fly in coach. Since the 30 members of the pope’s entourage who fly in business aren’t paying anything, this means the cost of the charter is borne almost entirely by the people in steerage.)
So it seems like other than being a reporter or part of the Pope's entourage, we probably can't get a ticket on that AA flight since it is chartered?

SeeBuyFly Sep 22, 2015 4:09 pm


Originally Posted by supermintyfresh (Post 25464322)
So it seems like other than being a reporter or part of the Pope's entourage, we probably can't get a ticket on that AA flight since it is chartered?

Of course it is chartered.

When the pontiff takes the national carrier of a country on the way back to Rome, however, things are often different. Those carriers rarely get to ferry a pope, so they make a big deal out of it. Often they provide a larger aircraft, so people can spread out, and the food and beverage service is usually first-rate.
How will AA provide first-rate food and beverage service? They don't have any expertise in that area.

FAA1996 Sep 22, 2015 4:16 pm


Originally Posted by malexander131 (Post 25463984)
Interesting tidbit, an AA 772 will take Pope Francis on his US tour and back to Europe. Wonder how far in advance his upgrade clears? ;)


Of note though, apparently the Pope typically flies Alitalia out and the "national carrier" of the country he's visiting back. Wonder how AA was selected?

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/0...e-papal-plane/

This is great, I wonder if he's flying on a plane with F or just J? F would be much more comfortable for the Pope.

Fanjet Sep 22, 2015 4:17 pm


Originally Posted by SeeBuyFly (Post 25464339)
Of course it is chartered.How will AA provide first-rate food and beverage service? They don't have any expertise in that area.

Pope Francis doesn't seem like the type of person where such things are that important to him. I guess we will see whether that is true or not if he starts complaining that there is a paper liner on his meal tray rather than a cloth one.

blakepilot Sep 22, 2015 4:37 pm

I wonder if he'll notice if there isn't a PDB service.

diddy71 Sep 22, 2015 4:43 pm


Originally Posted by blakepilot (Post 25464443)
I wonder if he'll notice if there isn't a PDB service.

He flying commercial or is the aa plane a private charter

sjpmurph01 Sep 22, 2015 5:23 pm


Originally Posted by blakepilot (Post 25464443)
I wonder if he'll notice if there isn't a PDB service.

Well, since he's on some historically LUS routes, and it's before 17OCT, his chance of proper PDB service should be a little higher.

JDiver Sep 22, 2015 7:24 pm


Originally Posted by sjpmurph01 (Post 25464609)
Well, since he's on some historically LUS routes, and it's before 17OCT, his chance of proper PDB service should be a little higher.

Or not, as a LAA 772 will be crewed by LAA crew. :D

I wonder if the Vatican will rely on Ken Chase to select the wine? Will it be genuine Champagne, or Treviso Prosecco? Will they be using proper cloth placemats? Will they restore pistachios to the nut mix? FlyerTalkers want to know! :D

Charter flights, nobody is going to be buying seats on these other than the credentialed press, and they're in for the whole trip.

Fanjet Sep 22, 2015 8:08 pm


Originally Posted by sjpmurph01 (Post 25464609)
Well, since he's on some historically LUS routes, and it's before 17OCT, his chance of proper PDB service should be a little higher.

I can assume that there was probably an FA bidding fight to work this service. And given that, I think the Pope will receive a level of service from the FAs that most of us would envy.

malexander131 Sep 22, 2015 8:11 pm


Originally Posted by malexander131 (Post 25463984)
Interesting tidbit, an AA 772 will take Pope Francis on his US tour and back to Europe. Wonder how far in advance his upgrade clears? ;)


Of note though, apparently the Pope typically flies Alitalia out and the "national carrier" of the country he's visiting back. Wonder how AA was selected?

http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/0...e-papal-plane/


So AA/TWA apparently have a long history of carrying the Pope:

Here is a list of other instances where a pope have traveled via American:

1999: TWA: STL-Rome (Pope John Paul II) – 767-300
1995: TWA: EWR-BWI-Rome (Pope John Paul II) – 767-300
1993: American Airlines: DEN-Rome (Pope John Paul II) – 767-300ER
This aircraft is still in service today. (Flying MIA-FRA this evening.)
1987: TWA: Eleven-day, nine-city tour (Pope John Paul II) – 727 & 747
1979: TWA: Six-day, six-city tour and ADW back to Rome (Pope John Paul II) – 727
1965: TWA: Rome-JFK-Rome (Pope Paul VI) – 707

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...le-in-the-u-s/

Col Ronson Sep 22, 2015 11:29 pm


Originally Posted by Fanjet (Post 25464117)
It's the largest U.S. carrier would be my guess.

it's also called "American Airlines" and its tail livery has a USA flag. Doesn't really get any closer to a flag carrier than that.


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