Delayed Vacation For President Obama

Barack Obama’s final flight on a presidential plane lasted a little longer than he and his family thought.

Obama, who left office on Friday when Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, was flying to Palm Springs, Calif., to enjoy some much-needed vacation time with his family before returning to Washington D.C. as a private citizen.

But the first day of no longer being a federal employee was hampered when rainy, stormy weather prevented the plane from landing at Palm Springs International Airport.

Instead, after circling over Palm Springs for about a half-hour, the plane was forced to land almost 50 miles west and more than an hour after its planned arrival, at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, Calif.

Oh, and by the way, the Obamas were flying in the same plane they had used for the previous eight years. Outgoing presidents are traditionally given the courtesy of one final flight on Air Force One when leaving office – but although it was the same physical aircraft, its designation was not Air Force One. Only a sitting president, on any plane, can carry the AF1 designation.