American Airlines CEO Robert Isom shared a remembrance to LinkedIn about American Airlines flying Pope Francis on his 2015 U.S. trip.
As I reflect on the passing of Pope Francis, I remember fondly the honor American Airlines had of flying the pontiff from Washington, D.C., to New York, Philadelphia and back to Rome on his trip to the U.S. 10 years ago. The #AATeam took that responsibility seriously, planning the charter for nearly a year and adorning a Boeing 777-200 with the papal seal and flagpole mounts inside the flight deck. Today, that aircraft dons a special plaque to commemorate the plane’s role as Shepherd One.
Here’s Pope Francis visiting the cockpit during that trip.
And here’s the plaque that’s been installed on ship 7AG (registration N776AN) delivered to American Airlines in 1999. There’s not a single incident or issue that’s occurred with this aircraft in the decade since it served as charter for the Pope.
While Papal infallibility only applies ex cathedra, promulgating official teachings of the Church, his choice of American Airlines ought to have persuasive power for many Catholics who should be AAdvantage and Citi co-brand members?
Popes have a long history of flying American and its corporate predecessors including Pope John Paul:
- Flying TWA St. Louis – Rome on a Boeing 767-300 in 1999
- Flying TWA Newark – Baltimore – Rome on a Boeing 767-300 in 1995
- Flying American Denver – Rome on a Boeing 767-300ER in 1993
- Flying a TWA 727 and 747 on an 9 city tour in 1987
- Flying TWA on a 6 city tour on a Boeing 727 then back to Rome on a 707 in 1979
- TWA Rome – New Yokr JFK – Rome on a 707 in 1965
The Pope’s aircraft is known as Shepherd One, the same way the President flies Air Force One.
American’s 777-200 that flew the Pope has traveled in recent days between London and Charlotte; Charlotte and Rome; Miami and Madrid; Miami and Rio; and New York JFK and Madrid as well as Buenos Aires. It now features Super Diamond business class seats, but in 2015 was outfitted with American’s old Flagship Suites and angled business class, but a more generous nine-abreast seating in coach compared to today’s ten-across seats.
Nice commemoration, Gary. Pope Francis was a good one. Sad for his passing. Proud of what he accomplished. I’m not Catholic. I’m not even a fan of organized religion, generally. But, he was good. Truly cared for the poor, the vulnerable, the migrant. That was good. That was Christ-like. Thank you.
Can somebody tell me why I (non-religious) should care so much about the Pope’s passing? The Pope is but a human being and there are more than a hundred thousand human beings who die each day with zero media coverage.
Catholicism may be the worst religion out there. Adherents call themselves Catholic and believe that makes them morally good. Then, they go through life unethically and with bad attitudes, unencumbered by the consideration of whether they are really doing right or wrong by others.
Catholics can’t get divorced which is an enormous encumbrance in modern times when half of all marriages end in divorce.
Don’t get me wrong — I view some (non-Orthodox) Jews unfavorably but for completely different reasons.
@Unintimidated — Read right above your comment. As an individual in a position of great moral and somewhat actual authority, wealth, power, he spoke out for the needy. His empathy in-action; not perfect, but better than most. That’s the answer to your question.
I flew on a Boliviana de Aviacion 737 that also had a commemorative plaque as the Pope had flown that same aircraft during his visit to Bolivia (one of the world’s most Catholic countries).
@Dolphin — That’s special. A little bit of a sidetrack here, but since you brought up Bolivia, I’m not sure where you flew with BoA, but remember seeing them at MIA with their 767 all the time. Since you’ve been, I’ve always wondered about the high altitudes in Bolivia, namely La Paz, which I read is at nearly 12,000 ft elevation, on-average. So, those folks are ‘closer to god’ already as it is (literally and figuratively, if you appreciate the metaphor). Did you actually fly LPB, or just VVI? I’ve always wanted to witness LPB, known as El Alto, “the highest international airport in the world” at 13,325 ft elevation, with a runway 13,123 ft long (impressive, and necessary to achieve ‘lift’ at those starting-heights). I don’t do well with altitude un-assisted, so would be a struggle for me personally, but still worthwhile, someday. Also, that Uyuni Salt Flat and the Parque Nacional Amboró each look incredible. Not easy to get to, though. Anyway, safe travels and thanks again.
@unintimidated
The Pope is a Head of State. End of story.
The Vatican has diplomatic relations and an equivalent of an embassy in the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The Pope should have been offloaded and handcuffed for being in the cockpit during flight! Jail! Hire lawyer!
(just kidding about the jailing the Pope comment above)
@derek – are you the same derek who posts anti-Black racism routinely on One Mile at a Time?
@1990 – the 737 with the papal plaque was a domestic flight within Bolivia. Apart from transiting VVI I’ve only visited Cochabamba in Bolivia, the altitude there is similar to Bogota or Mexico City so you can feel it but it’s nothing like La Paz I’m sure.
BoA replaced their old 767s with ex-VA A330s. They sometimes sell business (fully flat seats) for $700 oneway between MIA and VVI, which is a steal for a 6+ hour flight.
I’m in Rome now and attended the funeral. We also spent a couple of hours yesterday to view his body as it was lying in state in St. Peter’s
Both my wife and I are very passionate atheists. Having said that, Francis was the leader of 1/6th of the planet’s inhabitants. He brought a profoundly human and decent quality to the position and got attention focused of countless people who’ve been forgotten and left behind. In that way, he was the finest pope of my lifetime.
It’s a potentially very relevant institution. Hopefully, Cardinal Luis Tagle when he becomes Pope Francis II will continue the good progress
Thank you, Gary, for your View From The Wing article titled “‘Grounded For Deep Cleaning’: Chicago Cops Board Southwest Plane After Naked Woman Poops On Seat.” I propose a conflict resolution solution to help Southwest Airlines alleviate passenger concerns about their new baggage and other fees. If Southwest Airlines were to follow American Airlines’ example, as described by Robert Isom regarding how their American Airlines 777-200 was fitted with the Papal Seal and flagpoles for Pope Francis’s 2015 ‘Shepherd One’ flights, Southwest Airlines might prevent incidents like naked passengers causing disturbances and pooping on their seat. The Pope blessed this American Airlines aircraft, and it had no issues since it served as a charter for the Pope. Adding a Papal Seal and flagpoles to a Southwest Airlines aircraft, inviting the next Pope to enjoy the luxury of a Southwest Airlines flight, and waiving the Pope’s baggage fee could create a more positive atmosphere for all frequent flyers.
@Dolphin — Epic. Thank you for clarifying. I had considered a visit but the visas were challenging for US citizens, and the 767 with the older recliners didn’t seem ‘great.’ Glad to hear that they ‘upgraded’ somewhat to the a330 with lie-flat at ‘wow’ prices. I was based in MIA, but now NYC, so maybe someday someone will operate out of here, but seeing how the world is going, I doubt there will be additional US-Bolivia flights anytime soon.
@Tom K from Seattle — That’s incredible. I’m glad that you (and so many others of all backgrounds) were able to witness this world event and honor this great individual in-person. As for the next chapter, it would be fascinating to have a pontiff from Manila, and would be appropriate as a majority of the world’s population is in Asia, and the Philippines has a long history of Catholicism, for better and worse, thanks to the Spanish, etc. How prescient of you!
@Ken A — Correlation does not imply causation. It’s a questionable-cause logical fallacy. In honor of the pope, in Latin, ‘cum hoc ergo propter hoc’ which translates to ‘with this, therefore because of this.’ Fun thought exercise though. More airlines could always be like jetBlue and add fun names to all their planes instead. I particularly enjoyed one of their a220s, ‘Never Gonna Give Blue Up.’ Always nice to get ‘Rick Rolled’ on your flight.
Flying TWA St. Louis – Rome on a Boeing 767-300 in 1999
Flying TWA Newark – Baltimore – Rome on a Boeing 767-300 in 1995
Flying American Denver – Rome on a Boeing 767-300ER in 1993
Flying a TWA 727 and 747 on an 9 city tour in 1987
Flying TWA on a 6 city tour on a Boeing 727 then back to Rome on a 707 in 1979
TWA Rome – New York JFK – Rome on a 707 in 1965
How did that work out for TWA?