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Tuesday, February 1, 2000

Pan Am's top choice for high-flying presidential hopefuls

By Christine Gillette,
Portsmouth Herald Staff Writer

PORTSMOUTH - When George W. Bush and John McCain hit the campaign trail after today's New Hampshire presidential primary, they'll be doing it aboard Pan American Airways.

McCain is scheduled to fly out of New Hampshire later this week to a destination yet to be announced aboard a Pan Am Boeing 727, and Bush will likely fly Pan Am beginning later this month to campaign appearances around the country, possibly up until the general election in November.

The Bush deal, which is still being ironed out by Pease-based Pan Am, calls for the candidate to fly in a specially configured 727 with a crew of about 10, including pilots, flight attendants, and two mechanics, according to Dan Fortnam, the airline's marketing director.

"It's giving us some good business, giving us some quality exposure," Fortnam said. "(It's) a good year to be in New Hampshire. Even after the primary, we're going to have a pretty strong impact."

Although the particulars are still being negotiated, the 727 Bush will likely fly on is already being reconfigured to create a first-class cabin with 15 special seats, a three-person sofa, three worktables, and telephones, Fortnam said. The other cabin will have about 100 seats and carry campaign workers and press, Fortnam said.

"It will be more comfortable up front and probably less so in the back," he said.

The aircraft, currently called the Clipper Deschappelles, will also be temporarily renamed by Bush as a clipper of his choice during the campaign.

The contract being negotiated with the campaign by Pan Am isn't set to continue all the way to November, but Fortnam is hopeful it would be extended if Bush gets the GOP nomination.

"If we all do our part and they're happy with it, we expect it will run for the rest of the campaign," Fortnam said.

The Bush campaign will pay about $6,000 an hour when the plane is in flight, Fortnam said. That cost is typical for Pan Am charters, whether for candidates or Spring Break trips, he said. The more the plane flies for a charter customer, the more it costs.

Flexibility will be the key for Pan Am in dealing with charters to candidates.

"You really don't know the schedules," Fortnam said. "They give you 48 hours lead time."

To date, Pan Am has previously chartered planes to Bill Bradley's campaign and to McCain, who has hired a Pan Am charter to fly him out of New Hampshire at the end of the week.

Typically, charters come to the airline through brokers, who let the airline know about available jobs, Fortnam said. From there, the airline will bid on them if an aircraft is available. In the case of the Bush charter, Fortnam said Pan Am was contacted by a broker and the campaign organization.

The Pan Am hangar was also used over the weekend to house Air Force 2 for Vice President Al Gore in New Hampshire campaigning for the Democratic nomination. Sunday night, the plane was moved out on the airport apron at Pease to make room for a Bush campaign event inside the hangar.

Fortnam said the Bush charter has been in the works since mid-December, well before planning began for Sunday night's Super Bowl party for the campaign.