I've learned from a "one free peek", but otherwise paywalled article at the Forbes site that the aircraft J D Vance will be flying about during the campaign is a B-738 that was delivered during '02 to now-defunct Air Berlin and now operated by Eastern Airlines - one of those airlines only the Defense Department - and now the Trump-Vance campaign - knows of.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
A DoD airline using the name of Eastern? My now over 50 years past experience with DoD flights was they were operated by airlines you never heard of and hope to never see again, and the planes were rejects from freight service.
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
I hope they removed all the couches from that plane!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
"I guess I lucked" - at least going Westward, Mr. Harris.
My KSUU to VVTS (fuel @ PWAK), July '67, was on Continental - a recognized, and from time to time over its history, before being gobbled up by, "my airline of choice", United, considered well-respected.
My return (Jul '68) was on "one of those airlines known only to the DOD" - Trans Caribbean. Well, I got home safely, and did get to say "I've been to Hawaii" with a fuel stop @ PHNL from 0230 to 0400 HST.
And finally, the legacy carrier was named Eastern Air Lines, Inc, as distinct from "Eastern Air Holdings, LLC".
Posted by irishchieftain (Member # 1473) on :
Newsweek has more background on N917XA, which they say has an all-economy seating arrangement for now.
It’s not the first time Trump used an Eastern aircraft; Mike Pence used a 737 from them back in 2016, which skidded off a wet runway at LGA a week before the election that year.