Is this the Pope's flight?

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Jul 14, 2008 | 7:34 am

#16

milehighclubnz

Join Date: Jan 2008

Location: AKL

Programs: A3, AA, AF, AS, BA, SQ, UA, US, IHG, SPG

Posts: 352

Quote:

Originally Posted by goback

Apparently no airline in the US was willing to fly the Pope back to Rome.

The rumour for his trip to Sydney for World Youth Day is a non-stop flight Rome to Sydney, which at 10,155nm will be something like the very first 747-400 flight of QF from LHR to SYD with only a few people on board.
I had heard QF will be providing both legs for that journey. The return journey will be interesting because of the prevailing winds, though the jetstream should be fairly to the north (in the northern hemisphere) at that time of year.
I very much doubt that CIA will be the departing airport as the runway there would not be long enough for a fully fuel laden widebody, so my bet would be FCO. I'm assuming that QF will use a 747-400ER which has the longest legs in the QF fleet.

As it is Pope is now flying AlItalia to and back from Sydney. Can't he fly AirOne, another Italian carrier? I guess being Pope means sacrifice for the masses

so less will suffer with AlItalia

Jul 14, 2008 | 10:15 am

#17

ConciergeMike

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Apr 2006

Location: Under the Liberty Visual to 27L at PHL. Stranger in a strange land - a Devils fan in Flyers country.

Programs: PWP Le Chancelier des Clefs d'Or || Sarcasm, Anti-Stupidity, Obscure References top tier member.

Posts: 24,061

The Pope uses both FCO and CIA for some kind of equal opportunity thing. Usually out of FCO and back into CIA. The Vatican wants to use both. Why, I forget.

Jul 15, 2008 | 3:08 am

#18

szg

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Nov 2006

Location: SZG, Austria

Programs: LH(OS) HON, IC RA

Posts: 33,193

Quote:

Originally Posted by schwarm

Doesn't the pope traditionally fly on an Alitalia plane from Rome to his international destination and then return to Rome on a plane from the country he visited?

Don't know how I know this.

Yes, normaly it should be.

Jul 15, 2008 | 3:54 am

#19

GUWonder

Suspended

Join Date: Jul 2001

Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory

Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting

Posts: 102,077

Quote:

Originally Posted by schwarm

Doesn't the pope traditionally fly on an Alitalia plane from Rome to his international destination and then return to Rome on a plane from the country he visited?

Don't know how I know this.

Every so often, Alitalia's magazine does an article on its relationship to the Vatican -- that and the TV media have mentioned such things when there's a visit by the Pope.

It's been discussed on FT too.