Fly commercial: You can’t beat the ‘Price’

Waiting to board a flight from O’Hare to Reagan National this past summer, I spotted the mayor of Chicago striding down the concourse. “I hope he’s not flying to D.C.,” I thought to myself.

Nothing personal against hizzoner. But commercial flights already seem precarious these days. Anything can throw off a departure. What if the mayor forces someone out of a seat and a melee ensues?

I had a first class ticket and thought, what if he bumps my seat?

Nothing happened. The ground agents whisked the mayor aboard early. When my turn came, I spotted him sitting primly in a coach aisle seat.

So, yes, highly recognizable public figures can travel commercial peacefully. Many years ago, I sat behind Tipper Gore on TWA and nothing happened then, either. On another flight from Miami to Seattle, I ended up in a cabin filled with famous cast members of a TV show. That went smoothly too. Ditto for a flight during which I sat next to the owner of a professional football team. We sipped those nip-sized Manhattans that have disappeared from the air.

Once as a teenager, I boarded a flight and shook hands with Hubert Humphrey.

So Tom Price couldn’t fly commercial? You wouldn’t expect a former budget committee chairman to rack up $400,000 in charter flights. A GOP budget hawk no less. Politico, which did the tallies, says Price travel on military craft was worth $500,000.

One positive outcome of the Tom Price affair may be a little more transparency. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin’s travel now merits its own web page. Here we learn that since Jan. 20, Shulkin has only flown governmental or commercial. Four of his six trips on federal places were in fact on Air Force One. Once he boarded Air Force Two. And once he flew with First Lady Melania Trump to Toronto for a conference.

Shulkin and his wife flew commercial to Europe in July. It looks as if they mixed in some sightseeing. But the itinerary doesn’t look like a junket. It’s OK to squeeze in vacation between government-funded flights as long as you do the official business.

Shulkin promises to update the travel page within five days of his returning from a trip. The updates will include who else went along (not including security detail members).

Perhaps some counsel somewhere can twist privately funded flights into ethical guidelines. Likely not. At best they look tacky. At worst, sleazy. In fact, shrewd industry players would block the doors of their private planes to a cabinet secretary, especially if they’re best friends.

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