The decision by First Lady Michelle Obama to leave on schedule for her two-week Hawaii vacation and not wait a few days for her delayed husband will probably cost taxpayers more than $63,000 – and possibly well in excess of $100,000 – in additional expenses, according to a White House Dossier analysis.
President Obama was supposed to depart for Hawaii Saturday, but decided to stay in Washington until Congress finishes its work for the year. He departs this evening. But Mrs. Obama chose to leave without him Saturday, taking their two children and the dog along with her.
Mrs. Obama’s decision to go without the president forced her to take a separate plane, meaning two flights instead of one were needed to ferry the First Family to their vacation destination. Unless for some reason her plane was headed to Hawaii anyway, her trip involves substantial additional costs.
Mrs. Obama jetted out to Hawaii on an Air Force C-40B Special Mission Aircraft. The Defense Department bills other agencies $6,330 per flight hour for use the plane.
Assuming a flight time from Washington DC to Hawaii of about ten hours, the cost to taxpayers for the flight alone would be about $63,000.
But Mrs. Obama’s determination to get her full two weeks of Hawaiian rest and relaxation probably cost a good deal more. By leaving early, she forced a large logistical support operation – including a retinue of Secret Service agents – to get itself up and running.
This is in addition to the support that will be needed to bring President Obama to Hawaii via Air Force One. Since the cost of moving the entire family together on Air Force One would not likely have been much different than that of taking just the president, the first lady’s trip is an add-on.
Also, as several readers have pointed out, the aircraft will likely have to be returned empty to Washington, potentially doubling the cost to about $126,000 for the plane use alone.
What’s more, Mrs. Obama has decided to make a size 14 carbon footprint by commandeering her own jet to take her to Hawaii.
The first lady has previously garnered criticism for her vacation travel, particularly a four-night luxury excursion to Spain last August.
Mrs. Obama’s Hawaii transportation is a modestly sized plane based on the commercial Boeing 737 and seating up to 32 passengers. Here is the Air Force description of it:
The cabin area is equipped with a crew rest area, distinguished visitor compartment with sleep accommodations, two galleys and business class seating with worktables.
The C-40B is designed to be an “office in the sky” for senior military and  government leaders. Communications are paramount aboard the C-40B which provides broadband data/video transmit and receive capability as well as clear and secure voice and data communication. It gives combatant commanders the ability to conduct business anywhere around the world using on-board Internet and local area network connections, improved telephones, satellites, television monitors, and facsimile and copy machines.
Despite the president’s delayed departure, the most recent information is that the entire Obama clan will return to Washington as scheduled January 1.
The first lady’s press office did not respond to requests for comment.
511 thoughts on “Mrs. Obama’s Separate Hawaii Travel Likely Costs at Least $63,000”
We should stop criticizing the first family for doing what our security services require them to do! The cost of doing this is the cost of having a government that protects it’s leader and his family. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.
Bob, the point is it doesn’t have to be that way. The Obama’s have abused their position with outrageous personal expenditures on the public dole :staff, personal PR persons hair stylists etc. No other First Couple have had so many personal aides. It is too much! They don’t need them for safety!
Let’s not forget being accompanied by so many ‘personal friends’ Don’t we all travel with our own enterage? Give me a break. Unnecessary travel. Let’s see how many trips this year for the hard working Mrs. America?
It is not the fact we just spent the money. The problem here is that she could of waited for the O so the taxpayers didn’t have to shell out additional money. It looks real bad because O in the WH is demanding that fellow Americans pony up extra money to support this goverment and of course their lavish lifestyle. Why didn’t they cut back like everyone else. Stay at the WH, go to Camp David or better yet go to Chicago. This is as two faced couple who think that they are above everyone else.
you forget, the plane had to return home at 10 hours in the air, that’s another 63,000 dollars seems like keith koffler must be a committed liberal to to leave that out.
She wouldn’t care if it cost 63 million, just saying……..
And you are really surprised by this?? Come on…this is what she does best….travel on our dime.
who cares???
Who cares? How about the taxpayers! Are you kidding me? This is may not mean much to you but let me clue you in that most people do not make $63,000 a year in one year. And what about all this crap they care about the “middle class”? Come get real and get smart. Pay attention to what is going on here
It’s people like BigJohnnyM who probably voted for him and think this waste is no big deal. Like someone said in one of these comments, does BigJohn know how may kids are homeless and sleep in shelters any given night? BigMichelleO claims to be a child advocate. Forget junk food, homeless kids don’t even get an adequate amount of food for pete’s sake. Get real BigJohn.
Did she also tell us to eat cake? She sets a very poor example to the common people.
She IS common. I can’t think of anyone more common with the typical gauche behavior of the “neveau riche.”
Besides, now she has declared war on sweets to eat, she won’t even let us have cake.
Give me a break! I’m glad she got away early with the girls. President Obama has done an awesome job. Our first family deserve some quality time in Hawaii.. and he did get a lot done this past week. Kudos Obamas!
Where the hell have you been??!!
The issue is not if they are going on vacation. The problem here is she left early which cost the taxpayers a total of $126,000. Gee I wonder were all that money is coming from anyway. Obama did not get a damm thing done it was the Congress that passes the law not the President. All these bills could of been put up for a vote when the Congress (the Senate and House) were in complete control of the Democrates. Why did they wait until the end of end of the year better yet a lame duck Congress to pass all thees bills. The purpose was to ambush the Republicans. They wanted to jam it all down the throats of the American people. Remember this is the same Congress (led by Obama) that could not even pass a budget more than likely the first time ever. Remember the budget was presented in the last State of the Union address was back in January of 2010. I think this is the worst President since Jimmy Carter!
It’s people like this with the devil may care attitude that got these people into the white house in the first place..
With all the nonsense with this political figure and her hubby you would think the American public would smarten up..
The writer states that mrs. Obama’s flight from Washington, d.c. to Hawaii cost $63,000. That may be true but the cost to taxpayers is twice that: the cost to taxpayers is $126,000.
Once Mrs. Obama walked off the jet in Hawaii, the plane was required to depart Hawaii and return to Washington, d.c. WITH NO ONE ON BOARD. Of course, this return trip cost another $63, 000. The total cost to taxpayers is $126,000.
Originally, the obamas were scheduled to fly together on air force one. A round trip from Washington, d.c. to Hawaii on air force one is $200,000 for round trip. Now, with Mrs. Obama’s decision to take a separate flight, the total obama vacation transportation for their 2010 hawaiian trip will cost taxpayers $326,000.
There’s no HOPE–and very little CHANGE left.
Umm, unless AF1 is going to tow this bird back, the estimated cost is probably double their estimate.
Study the look on Michelle’s face she is ALMOST as disgusted with that
loser Barack as I am! We can only wish it was a real “wrap” on his OMG
awful “presidency” that has wrecked the country and put us at each others
throats the most divisive president of all time! As they say “get-outa-town!
Let us eat cake!
Words fail to communicate the contempt I hold for this Michelle “Marie Antionette” Obama. I think she is deliberately attempting to destroy the nation financially. If you look at Alinsky, Cloward & Piven, and the Obama sycophants, it’s not diffifult to see what’s going on here.
Remember that Ms. Obama said they were going to change the conversation and change the culture oft this country. Well we see it everyday. Remember this is the same President that did not pariticpate in the National Prayer Breakfast, bowed to the Kind of Saudi Araba and was seen on a prayer rug out on the Washington Monumnent grounds with fifty thousand other Muslims.
What arrogance! Just about as responsible as the bail out. She has no right to do this, certainly no moral right. $63,000 would easily be better spent on feeding homeless or a number of other causes. It is not HER money it is OURS. Her favorite saying “let them eat cake” – as long as its non fattening
Who cares? You’re just a hater!
You bet we are!!! I am not ashamed to admit that one little bit.
if anyone needed further proof that the ovomits have absolutely no respect for american taxpayers, this is it. they are lower than scum.
they are strangers in a strange land….they belong in kenya or europe or china or anywhere else but here.
It’s only money! Other people’s money. Let them eat cake.
Yes the elite first coouple is at it again burnning the so-called CO2 and warming the planet , except when her wide butt blocks the sun!
Now that’s enough to cool the planet!
damn, its good to be queen.
oh. and the ovomits hawaiian vacation utilized 40 hours in the air, 24,000 miles and 60,000 gallons of gasoline and cost taxpayers at least $326,000.00….for rour people and a dog to go to hawaii for two weeks.
Send her a bill! She couldn’t wait a couple of days, too bad!
Nice try…with this strawman argument…. You’re educated, you should know better.
The COST to the TAXPAYER will be the cost of fuel plus maintenance. The pilots and the military maintenance crews are not being paid by the hour, and would have had a UP PAID day off if it was not for this trip. The same goes for the secret service. Wikipedia indicates that the cost of the jetfuel on that plane to be ~$8,500.. Less than the cost of three first class tickets. Aside from the fuel, whatever the DoD charges the Whitehouse for the use of the jet will be counted as a surplus to the DoD budget, which means they will require less tax money to meet their budget needs. And the carbon footprint thing? Come on… Have you stopped flying? Would you stop flying? I didn’t think so. Let’s not try to make this into something it isn’t….Oh wait, you already did…
Sorry your cover for the Obama’s did not work. The facts are the facts. Why couldn’t she of waited for the President. Do you not recall that the President could not wait for her so he had Clinton fill in for him at a press conferance last week. These people are elistest. They think they are the King and Queen of America. Well sorry we got rid of the King well over 200 years ago. 2012 will not come soon enough for the American people. The sooner we get rid of these people the better.
Elitist? Like Bush wasn’t elitist? He came from a more privileged family than anyone, and he was given everything his whole life. The only reason he got into Yale and Harvard was because of his dad’s connections. He didn’t earn it. In fact, he failed at everything he ever did in his life and he exited at the World Financial Crisis. And you people elected him to two terms! Somehow I think the right to vote should be earned… Democracy assumes an electorate that is capable of rational decision making rather than blind partisanship.
Will Obama fail? Yes. But given the magnitude of Bush’s catastrophic custodianship of the country, I am actually amazed that we are not all in a soup line right now. And for the record, the Democrats are failing as well. The politics in this country are too divisive, and everyone is holding the line, just to hold the line. Rationality has been thrown out the window on both sides. America better get it together, because China is going to be a big problem. Unless you don’t mind that your descendants will all be working the counter at McWonton?
P.S. If by elitist you mean intelligent, then hell yes I want elitists to run this country. Don’t you want your pilot to be elite? Your fighting force? Your Mechanic? …but not your President…
Blame on Bush! When will this ever end. Remember now Bush is NOT in office. We have a person in the WH said he was going to change everything. More transparency, go through the budget line by line, he was going to save America. BS! The problem here is the fact his wife could of waited for him. She didn’t have to leave early. The other problem I have is the LEFTIST just got through putting the so called rich Americans through the ringer. Demanding they pay more. Demanding fellow Americans that the death tax be put at 55% just so they have more money to spend. Obama runs the deficit up and then cries fowl that he needs more money to cover his himself. Oh lets not forget the trillions needed to pay for his GOVERMENT take over of our health care system.
What do you expect from a woman that wears $575 tennis shoes to dig here failed White House Organic garden.
A woman that failed the bar, then passed in 1989 and then gave up her law license in 1992, less than 2 1/2 years of practice. Obviously paying off the famous student loans was not an issue.
Was she about to be disbarred?
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Liestoppers_meeting/topic/2013979/1/
But no mind, she got a do nothing PR job with a Chicago Hospital to the tune of $300,000 to $500,0000. Do you suppose this was an indirect payoff to Barrack Obama and to affect his actions where the hospital was concerned?
you people are sick add up the number of vacations w took
What “Bush did” is irrelevant, at this point.
Typical. My dollar AGAIN! A least not attacking Ronald McD . What a waste of breathable air.
Michelle Obama is a leach on our society. She should travel on her own dime unless travelling on official state business with her husband. A Hawiian vacation should not count.
Spend spend spend spend spend. One could feed a thousand hungry children nutritious food for the amount she will spend. Then she’ll act all sad about their lack of nutritious food.
Oh shut up….
Another Liberal that believes in freedom of speech but only for their kind. Unless it is something they agree with it no one should say a damm thing about the Obamas. No one should object to vaction after vacation after vacation. Lets not forget the three hour trip to New York, the trip to Spain and now Hawaii. Do you know why? Well they do not own any property expect the joint in Chicago–you know the one they got illegally? Come on lets get real here. Of course they do not want to vacation in Chicago in the middle of the winter. Hey folks you think this is alot of money Just think after he leaves the White House in 2012 he will reap millions of taxpayers money before it is all over with. At $400,000 a year times lets say 30 years he will reap some 12 milllion dollars. Of course we have the rich to support him!
A bargain to haul her gigundous ass to Hawaii
the ovomits refuse to be impeached…..they have chosen to be de-throned.
You mean another vacation? How many is that again? The libtards said Bush took a lot, but damn.
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She is paying back this country that never did anything she was proud of until her hubby was elected. I guess it is her version of reparations.
Total waste of taxpayer money. At least three times additional costs. The sense of royalty and entitlement of these supposed government employees is amazingly shameful. Many taxpayers are out of work or barely making ends meet and these politicos rub our faces in it. Not the way this country’s forefather wanted.
I assume the only meals on board consist of 300-calorie broccoli and brussel sprout-composite veggie slabs, or are those only mandated for her majesty’s subjects?
This is yet another example of Liberalism. This gang of thieves of taxpayers money includes Ms. Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Ried. The very people that demand that Americans be taxed and taxed and taxed. The same ones that demand that the death tax be 75% or better. How else could they live the lifestyle of the “rich and famous” without putting out a nickle of their own money. There was the trip to New York, the trip to Spain and now the trip to Hawaii. Hey folks this will not end until we vote these people out of office! 2012 will not come soon enough for the taxpayers of America.
They don’t get it! Shortly he will be telling us about the sacrifice. I would like to see some leadership by example from both of them.
Oh, what the heck. The Unemployed can help pay for it, they are getting more money.
And why be so petty about 63,000 lousy dollars? Doesn’t everyone spend that much on vacation travel?
damn they all
Why do you people insist on tracking how much the Obamas spend? Don’t you realize that the King, his Queen, and the two Princesses have the ordained right to do what they want when they want. I’m sure they are taking vacations and flying around as they please becasue they were not invited to Prince Harries wedding. I mean royalty is royalty.
i want to see her practice making departures from washington so that they get it right in january ’13; then she can take her husband with her!!!!
Moose-chelle Antionette at her finest.
Let Them Eat Cake.
Blame it on the Republicans. If they had gotten off of their butts and did the same job that they ultimately did, the family could have flown together
Why should you take a vacation during the Holidays-Stay at home where you belong. If we could buy you for what you are worth and sell you for what YOU Think you are worth, Presto – country;s problames solved.
Well we all know that carbon footprints are only bad if the “little people” leave it, not for the high society types like the Obamas. And wasting taxpayer money has never really bothered Michele or Hussein Obama. Remember, they are the priviledged, and we are just common folk.
These people should pay for their own vacations!
She doesn’t care…Queen Michelle spends our money like she earned it…though she’s never really had a real job…She thinks she deserves it.
How this is the last trip of the year.
what kind of math do they teach at princeton?
Are you surprised?? It would be no less from the American Marie Antuanette.
We can eat cake the little people…… LOL
I guess having to slum around The White House for a few more days is just to much to take.
More of the same.If my family vacationed like this,I guess I would qualify as, broke!
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