On December 26, 1973, President Richard Nixon made aviation history by becoming the only sitting U.S. President to fly on a regularly scheduled commercial airline flight.
When President Nixon Flew Commercial On United Airlines
The 1973 oil crisis began when OPEC cut off oil exports to nations that backed Israel during the Yom Kippur War, sending fuel prices skyrocketing almost overnight. Amid the oil crisis, Nixon and his family boarded United Airlines Flight 55 from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Los Angeles (LAX) on December 26, 1973.
The White House explained that the trip was part of an effort to demonstrate energy conservation and public confidence in commercial aviation. Deputy Press Secretary Gerald Warren told reporters that the President “decided to go to California and thought that he could, as president, take many steps to set an example in the field of energy.”
Nixon, along with his wife, First Lady Pat Nixon, and his daughter, Tricia Nixon, plus 22 staffers, security, and members of the press pool, purchased 13 first class tickets ($217.64 each) and 12 economy class tickets ($167.64 each).
Executive One Takes Off
Because the sitting President was aboard, the flight was temporarily designated Executive One, the civilian equivalent of Air Force One. Operated by a United Airlines DC-10, the flight departed on schedule with a small security contingent and an Air Force backup aircraft in the air nearby (yes, optics indeed). Nixon reportedly made his rounds on during the flight, greeting passengers, shaking hands, and chatting with several travelers as he made his way through the widebody aircraft. One teenager asked if he was Bob Hope, to which Nixon laughed and replied, “He’s a good friend of mine.”
A Singular Moment In Presidential Travel
No other U.S. President before or since has flown on a regular commercial flight while in office. Nixon’s brief trip aboard United Flight 55 remains a one-of-a-kind gesture…part political symbolism, part public relations, and part personal statement during an era of national austerity.
In an era that predated mobile phone and internet, an aide carried a suitcase-sized secure communications device aboard so Nixon could stay connected with Washington in case of an emergency.
CONCLUSION
Nixon’s post-Christmas journey from Washington to Los Angeles stands as a rare moment when the presidency intersected with everyday air travel. For one day, the leader of the free world boarded a standard United Airlines flight alongside ordinary passengers…a scene unlikely ever to be repeated.
The crisis fundamentally reshaped America’s approach to energy, prompting new conservation measures like extended daylight saving time (which ends tonight), tougher fuel efficiency standards, and a nationwide 55 MPH speed limit aimed at saving gasoline.
image: Nixon Library
AA and DL didn’t want the public relations nightmare of Watergate,Vietnam War and famous American figures caught on White House recorders gossiping about Israel.
It’s sad this guy is treated like a pariah in history for one, granted stupid, misstep in his career. He got us out of the worst war in our history and saved many lives that the previous 2 Democratic administrations got us into.
While the guy he is often linked with from 1960 ended up being a POS as a father and husband, hanging out and working with mobsters, banging everything that walked, even sharing some women with his brother. He was willing to destroy the world, right or wrong, over nukes in Cuba. And made deals with the mob to take out Castro covertly. If he unfortunately wasn’t assassinated for reasons we still might not totally understand why, history might view him differently.
Amazing how one event in each of their Presidency determined their historical reputation.
If we overlook all his egregious corruption and excessive abuses of power…
President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by executive order in 1970, consolidating various federal pollution control responsibilities. He also signed the Clean Air Act of 1970, which mandated national air quality standards and significant reductions in emissions. And, eventually he signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Ironically, Nixon even proposed a universal health insurance plan, which included features like requiring employers to offer coverage, which was a more expansive approach than many had expected from a Republican, yet it did not get passed. At least later Republicans like Romney tried to do so for his own state, Massachusetts, when he was governor there. See, Republicans can attempt to be decent now and again…
Nixon was not an environmentalist. His back was to the wall ( ohio river on fire ) and he tried to mitigate as much as he could get away with, under public pressure to do something. Also the rosemary wood tapes have Kaiser & Nixon discussing how to protect health insurance companies by capping benefits and hence came the hmo that a patient cannot sue and only go to arbitration. You should read the transcript of this conversation. It’s ugly.
Believe me, I’d’ve voted for JFK in 1960, Humphrey in 1968, and McGovern in 1972, and to impeach, convict, remove, and not to pardon; and, most importantly to pass laws and amendments, not rely on mere norms, to ensure nothing like this ever happened again, including with campaign finance and media, yet, we didn’t do that, and here we are…
Nixon was pardoned by ford, Carter communed the sentences of the WH plumbers, and Citizens United was promoted by democrats ( 1990? ) the biggest Scotus mistake ever made ( my opinion).
The McGovern family were my friends. And if you voted for him you must have been in Maryland.
There are books that claim Nixon was railroaded via taking the “smoking gun” tape remarks out of context and trampled on Nixon’s due process rights forcing him into a resignation. Note: I’m not saying this is true or not, but revisionist history is part of history. Did we revise our thinking from the 1950’s when Native Americans were portrayed as simple minded ruthless savages in westerns?
That said, the 55 mph speed limit was one of the awful remnants of the era which was commonly flaunted and provided ticket revenue for revenue hungry police departments. Good Riddance although the song “I can’t drive 55!” is an all time great from the era.
Wasn’t 55 under Carter?
I am wrong. I won’t blame the Mandela effect; I flat out didn’t remember it correctly. Add to my screwup, I bought my first car in 1973 and had to deal with this.
You are so right. There will be lots of reasons why your hero Criminal Trump gets the right up in history as the worst world leader there has ever been, not least his support of genocide committed by the State of Israel in Gaza.
Swallow it down lad, swallow it down, he’s rotten to the core just like his supporters and you’re on the wrong side of history Davey lad, the wrong side.
Let’s give Nixon credit for his greatest accomplishment: opening up diplomatic relations with China. Let’s give him demerits for Watergate. So call it a wash. Every other detail of his presidency nets to a big negative. A terrible, terrible president. But, yeah, better than LBJ, a Trump without social media, and JFK, who knew Vietnam was a mistake, but continued our involvement because it served his reelection desire. After Eisenhower and until Reagan, we had corrupt and/or incompetent presidents. As a guy who thinks JFK’s elimination of confiscarory tax rates is one of the smartest things done in this country, I can’t give him praise for the unnecessary deaths he caused in Vietnam.
Let’s not forget his (and Kissinger’s) ‘deeds’ in SE Asia. In 1973, after President Richard M. Nixon ordered secret bombings of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution to reassert its power over foreign wars. Those laws are being challenged today as Trump extrajudicially kill’s fishermen in the Caribbean and Pacific, and starts a wider war with Venezuela without any authorization from Congress. Personally, I’d like to see regime change there, but, he should do so with approval from Congress; if someone from the ‘other team’ did this, you’d call then ‘war criminals.’
During the 1973 oil crisis, Nixon would run the fireplace ( middle of summer ) and turn up the air-conditioning. He also then hired the White House plumbers to break into the democratic headquarters. ( Watergate ). And while our nation is in a meltdown now, trump wants to show off his tacky remodel of the Lincoln bathroom. At least Nixon was aware enough to demonstrate a conservation effort.
I enjoyed this post, as a reminder Nixon had some redeeming value.
The time the Pope flew on a TWA 747. They installed a bed for him on the upper deck. The time a punter played QB in an NFL game. It happens.
Richard Nixon was flawed, but I would take him any day over the pathetic excuse for a leader America has right now. At least Nixon had a conscience.
I agree. I never thought there could be a worse president for this country than Nixon.
And then trump proved everyone wrong.
I agree. Trump=disgrace to humanity
Wow, President Nixon also had bad taste in airlines… /s
First costing only one third more than economy. I guess the economy price is inflated by regulation – closer to $1,000 in today’s dollars.
DONALD TRUMP IS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO RICHARD NIXON!
Again I agree. Tricky Dick was judge too harshly! And now we have don’t care for America trump.
Rip Tricky Dick
BTW, on a lighter note, I enjoy the “hidden” screen that permitted us to watch the same lousy movie with headphones that were rubber tubes.
That was back in the days of eight abreast in economy on the DC-10.