Delayed LGA->ORD because of ... "VIP Movements"???
 

Hi! I'm sending this from perhaps my seventh or eighth straight delayed LGA->ORD flight in a row. The reasoning this time was actually quite amusing to me: ORD inbounds being ATC held because of " VIP Movements" related to President Obama being in town yesterday.

Has anyone else experienced that type of delay before.. "VIP Movement"? Is that a luxury foreign dignitaries are afforded? Locking up our airports' ability to engage in regular operations??

Not unusual. I got stuck in ORD once when GWB was visiting. They just shut down the airspace.

Been that way for at least 50 years. Nothing new.

Yes, ground halt at IAD a couple of years ago for westbound aircraft, as Air Force One headed into St Louis. I happened to be listening to Channel 9, and while no-one would say the reason for the ground halt there were a few pilot comments about the "terrible weather in St Louis" on a perfectly clear day... :)

Agree.

I have been dealt with this both in the air, and on the ground for Colorado Springs.

happened to me yesterday flying into ORD. Obama came in for campaign fund raising.

Decently common occurrence at IAD depending on where the President / VP is going out of Andrews or if other dignitaries are in town. Actually was on a flight out of IAD before Sandy and we got halted an extra 45 minutes with the storm bearing down on us b/c of VIP movement (aka Obama heading to a campaign event). Thankfully we were in a 763 and they were committed to getting that plane out to ORD (one of the last out of IAD that night) because it was packed full of crew that they were getting out of IAD.

But we were told the President flew out himself this morning. Makes me wonder why there's an ATC hold at 4PM. This courtesy is extended many other dignitaries as well then?

I know the flight of which you speak; it has a very good on-time record as I recall.

President and VP only I believe

Probably downline impact of the 30 - 60 minute VIP hold when he left around 12 CST. Closing ORD for even that short of a time period is definitely disruptive.

Haha it had a great on-time record. Sadly they've downgauged it to an sCO 757 so not as much fun / ability to get the CPU to BF

I think the First Lady gets it as well if traveling alone. Oddly enough I've never been impacted by VIP traffic at DCA, only at IAD. I also think Karzai and Zardari may have gotten it for the NATO summit in Chicago last year, I know they closed the Kennedy / Edens for those two.

We were in Hawaii when APEC 2011 was happening. Really sucked if you needed to be anywhere in Honolulu, since they would shut down the freeway periodically, without warning, whenever a VIP landed or left. My inlaws happened to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and that was a real mess since Secretary Clinton was staying on property. The President and other world leaders stayed next door at the Hale Koa. You needed to go through a metal detector for coffee at Starbucks. I never saw so many high and tight crew cuts in F on the way home :)

Happened to me in Tampa last fall. As soon as he is close to the airport they stop everything. Then nothing starts back up until his plane is 10 minutes away. Took almost an hour. It was pretty cool getting to see air force 1 take off. It was not cool being stuck in a Saab prop plane for more than twice the 45 minute flight time :).

Happened yesterday when Obama flew in and today when he left for DC.

Sounds like what happens all the time in China.