98, 99, 100!
The kitchen may be able to feed 100 people, but that doesn’t guarantee that there are always 100 people on board. In fact, for the most comfortable ride, 96 is apparently the perfect number. And don’t for a second think that all passengers get their meals for free.
The cost of operating Air Force One is high. We would hope that for a plane ticket fee of $80,000 per journalist per trip, they’re at least getting some water and some pretzels for free. Because of the exaggerated cost, most journalists fly the charter plane that follows Air Force One to the destination.
Presidential Plane Takes Precedence
AFO becomes the top priority with air traffic controllers during a takeoff or landing. It's common practice for traffic control to stop all commercial traffic at public airports when the AFO leaves the ground or returns. The Presidential plane usually lands at military airports for obvious reasons, both for security measures and to avoid the ruckus caused at civilian airports.
When the plane does make a landing, the airport is made aware of its landing well beforehand, and the entire air space is cleared in order to guarantee a safe landing. During its landing, there is no help from outside services, as there is a special Air Force One team that takes care of all of the plane's activities. Of course, the plane has its own baggage loader, so it never has to use an airport’s baggage facilities, which could pose a security risk.
Airforce Jelly Bean
President Reagan had such an affinity for jelly beans that both the Oval Office and Air Force One always had a supply of jelly beans for him. Reagan’s love for jelly beans began when he toured the White House as a young boy and was given some to eat. He felt that jelly beans were a symbol of America.
But, the crew on Air Force One is much better than just providing the President with his favorite candy. They also know how every single person likes their coffee. President Bush drank his coffee black with Equal, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took decaf with cream and Equal on the side. There was no need for them to ask.
Assigned
You might feel like you are in grade school again because every White House administration is equipped with its own seating chart. Secret Service may allow passengers to move freely toward the back of the plane while in flight, but they definitely can’t walk forward past their own seats. The "admins" assign the seating.
Still, more than half of the seats on the plane are saved for press and Secret Service agents anyway, so there aren't too many opportunities to get things messed up anyway. We can only wish regular economy passenger flights were as organized as AFO are.
$660,000,000
The present-day Boeing 747s cost about $380 million to build. If you think that's a lot, try the Air Force One. $660,000,000 - $660 million! With its many features (plus the ones we don't know about), the Air Force paid the bill in installments of $140 million each.
And if that sounds like a lot (because it is), wait until you hear how much the deal former President Donald Trump reached with Boeing Co. for the new Air Force One program- $3.9 billion! So, having a President costs a lot of money, and having one these days of age, costs even more.