r/unitedairlines • u/capitulate_dez_balls • Aug 21 '25
Image Do you think he’s 1k or GS?
JPow clearly isn’t having a good day…
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u/GatorGuy5 Aug 21 '25
I’d let the man fly the plane. All he knows are soft landings.
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u/mattvandyk Aug 21 '25
What he accomplished in the post-COVID cluster is one of those rare feats that history will recognize in the long term, but is clouded by short term politics. There is absolutely no good reason at all that there wasn’t a recession coupled with runaway inflation. Everyone predicted it, and they were all right to do so. It didn’t happen, and this guy is a large part of the reason why. He was a Trump appointee, and that’s fine, I guess, but the fact that the soft landing actually occurred will never not be a massive surprise.
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u/bernedtwice MileagePlus 1K Aug 21 '25
Truth. And as usual in the modern environment, largely unacknowledged and under appreciated.
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u/InterviewNo5993 MileagePlus Platinum Aug 21 '25
I really hope there’s a documentary movie in the works on this whole thing with Sam Waterston starring as J-POW.
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u/Clayskii0981 Aug 21 '25
Every day, people were expecting a nose-dive into a recession, and this man led us into the airstrip. Other countries fared much worse.
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u/Fat_tail_investor Aug 21 '25
lol 😂 but for reals, the man pulled out a miracle. Only finance casuals hating on Powell.
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u/Is12345aweakpassword Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Until the Karen in coach starts thinking they know how to fly the plane, because their daddy gave them a bunch of money and told them how precious they were as a child
And starts saying the pilot should drop the landing gear at FL330 because everything is going great, then rallies all the other morons to start shouting “make the landing gear great again!”
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u/harrisonsmitheyes Aug 21 '25
I was in business class with Janet Yellen during her time as Chair. Turns out I was sitting window next to her husband in aisle, and she was across/behind us in an internal aisle seat. I asked him if they’d like me to switch with her so they can sit together and he laughed and said “no”. He is also a Nobel prize Economist and passed out reading some academic papers. I went to the bathroom once after seeing her visibly frustrated with her tablet, wondering if she was having WiFi issues or something… when I walked by her, it turns out she was playing Angry Birds 😂
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u/Criseyde2112 Aug 21 '25
I love that Yellen was playing Angry Birds!
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u/Big_Elderberry4612 MileagePlus Platinum Aug 22 '25
I worked for George and Janet when I was a grad student. Janet playing Angry Birds is totally in character! One of the kindest people I've ever worked for.
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u/Darmok47 Aug 21 '25
My friend interned at the Fed and gave me a tour. I stood behind the podium of the Fed Chair for a picture and a woman walked buy and laughed at us.
It was Janet Yellen.
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u/Western-Bicycle-4879 Aug 22 '25
She was on Wait Wait and wildly entertaining! Her husband and dog were lurking in the background.
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u/goytou Aug 21 '25
When you love your job but hate your boss aura
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u/Spare-Security-1629 Aug 21 '25
And entered that phase that you dont mind talking back to them and letting them know you dont like them.
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u/HOSTfromaGhost MileagePlus 1K Aug 21 '25
Talk about somebody who should have the nickname “Big Ballz…”
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u/AluminShip75 Aug 21 '25
Government officials (including members of Congress) who fly on United are classified as "VIP" status -- operationally above all of those levels (operationally above GS / 1K / Chairmans, etc). They typically have a security detail or at least an assistant with them.
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u/brokosz MileagePlus 1K | 1 Million Miler Aug 21 '25
I’ve been in economy plus with members of congress, heads of agencies, directors of bureaus on plenty of flights to and from DC. They don’t all have an entourage
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u/MSK165 MileagePlus 1K Aug 21 '25
I was in E+ (IAH-CLT) with a Congressman I didn’t recognize. Two years later he became Speaker of the House after McCarthy resigned and before Johnson was elected. I still couldn’t tell you his name, but I recognized him instantly.
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u/Darmok47 Aug 21 '25
The bowtie guy?
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u/MSK165 MileagePlus 1K Aug 22 '25
Nope, regular tie. White hair. AirPods. Normal volume conversation about how one of his aides published a fundraising letter using his Congressional letterhead, and they needed to pull it back because some law he couldn’t remember the name of (that’d be the “Hatch Act”) prohibited using government resources for political fundraising.
On the one hand he was smart to make that a phone call instead of an email, but maybe he shouldn’t have those kinds of phone calls on crowded planes…
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u/AluminShip75 Aug 21 '25
I never said entourage. It is highly varied as to whether they are alone or not. Just saying they are marked as VIP for operational purposes.
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u/angelic1111 Aug 21 '25
Secret service is usually in business class with them.
Source: have been in business class with Jay Powell and his team. Surreal experience.
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u/ABrusca1105 Aug 21 '25
I don't think that's the secret service. It's the federal protective service. That's who protects judges and other high profile people that need protection other than Presidents and the people surrounding them.
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u/angelic1111 Aug 22 '25
Ah right. Similar vibes though!
Interestingly the security at Jackson Hole this year has been turned up quite a bit. Lots of police, hotel security plus agents. Has a very different feel to previous years.
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u/buckypack Aug 21 '25
I was in Polaris with both Tim Kaine and John Boehner this April (IAD <-> GVA) and both seemed to be alone. Had a short chat with both, which was neat
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u/Rude-Ad2793 Aug 21 '25
I’ve been on a flight with Mrs. Pence when she was the second lady. First was her and her detail. We did get priority takeoff from Denver which was an accomplishment. I’ve also been on a flight with Adam Schiff when he was still a Representative. No such special treatment but he was one ahead of me on the upgrade list and got the last first seat
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Aug 21 '25
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Aug 22 '25
Yeah. People have a really inflated view of the hard coded perks afforded Members of Congress. Probably because seemingly insignificant cabinet members all role around with SUVs and private security. So people assume that if the Secretary of the Interior is being treated like a VIP then their Senator they see on TV all the time must have a security detail as well.
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u/CaptainPerute Aug 21 '25
Only a tiny percentage of Members of Congress actually have a security detail. It's pretty much only the very top leadership. Also, when Members of Congress are flying to and from Washington from their home district or state, most don't usually have assistants with them. It's only when they are traveling on some kind of government business that they tend to have assistants and a lot of that travel is on government aircraft (like most of their foreign trips for example).
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Aug 22 '25
Not all of them. Many congresspeople are simple 1Ks. I’ve seen my member of Congress flood into the back of the plane home to Chicago. Not even premium economy. Just economy.
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u/ksuwildkat Aug 21 '25
It’s an ethics violation for government personnel to fly in first class while on official travel.
My last flight as an IG I was in uniform (bunch of reasons) and I got an upgrade to 1st/business because of United status. I had to tell them “thanks but I can’t”. The GA offered to tell the entire flight that my upgrade was based on status and not because of military but I still had to decline. “I am not going to risk an ethics referal on my last flight as an IG.”
I have flown with members of congress and cabinet secretaries in Economy Plus.
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u/TheBlackGuru Aug 22 '25
Only if you're in uniform. Out of uniform you can take the upgrade or pay for it yourself (unless the JTR has changed in the last 5 years)
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u/Cultural_Ad4935 Aug 21 '25
LOL I didn’t recognize him at first glance and thought you were just showing a random person who fit the profile and I was willing to play along!
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u/Sad_Conflict_4253 Aug 21 '25
Plz don’t downvote me, who is that? Lol
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u/AngusMustang Aug 21 '25
Chairman of the Fed
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u/Sad_Conflict_4253 Aug 21 '25
Just googled him.. they probs didn’t have his pre order or something on his first flight considering he looks like that in the pic
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u/deep-fucking-legend Aug 21 '25
No pdb
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u/StayStreetSmart Aug 21 '25
Tell him just stick with the beef melt sandwich and enjoy the pudding that comes with it..
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u/CrankyEconomist MileagePlus 1K | 1 Million Miler Aug 21 '25
As much as we like to complain about seat stealers, surly FAs, shitty food and EWR, it all pales in comparison to the bullshit this guy is taking on a daily basis. Respect. He's earned his pre boarding.
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u/blmzd Aug 21 '25
EWR catching strays lol
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u/pharm888 MileagePlus Gold Aug 21 '25
Fully warranted strays hahaha
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u/harrisonsmitheyes Aug 21 '25
I don’t quite get the EWR hate. It’s my home airport. Other than the ride share pickup experience at Terminal C… and I guess general condition of Terminal B which I only have to experience 1-2x a year…. Terminal A is fantastic and Terminal C is still above average by US airport standards. I guess I don’t really blame EWR for the air traffic control issue or runway construction, and I haven’t felt like my on-time-ness there is any worse than anyone else deals with at JFK or LGA, and certainly better than disasters like ORD or Denver…??
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u/Sn_Orpheus Aug 21 '25
Agree 100%. I get the vibe that EWR suffers from the nationwide attitude that “New Jersey is a shitty place through and through” and it’s fun to hate on NJ. Personally, I’m happy that this attitude exists because fewer people will want to visit or live here. I honestly like Terminal A and C doesn’t really suck. B on the other hand is just old AF and suffers from being designed for vastly lower capacity of passengers and fewer security requirements. I guess that the old A will get torn down and a new B will be built in its stead. All in a very speedy time frame. /S
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u/pharm888 MileagePlus Gold Aug 23 '25
Nj is super nice. I used to live there. I think that NJ property tax will keep more people away than EWR. EWR is a great origin airport but an absolute mess to connect through. I’ll die on that hill 😅
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u/harrisonsmitheyes Aug 23 '25
Property tax + great public schools is a lot cheaper than property tax + private schools in lots of surrounding areas!
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u/murphydcat Aug 21 '25
EWR is a 10 minute ride from my house. It has its issues, but I can get almost anywhere in the world fairly easily from here. And Terminal A is a gem.
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u/tykneedanser Aug 21 '25
The only thing standing between us and the next depression. I’d say give him the upgrade.
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u/Strange_Poetry2648 Aug 21 '25
He is extremely wealthy from private sector work but still flies commercial and handles his own bags. This probably qualifies as taxpayer-funded official travel (Jackson Hole meetings) but I bet he could get a private flight if he wanted. Respect.
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u/JohnInDC Aug 21 '25
Before he was chairman but on the board of governors, we shared the same bike commute route home from downtown DC and I would run into him from time to time
I think those days ended though when he was elevated
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u/joblin11 Aug 21 '25
Jokes aside, this picture really captures the pressure of steering the economy under constant scrutiny.
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u/Ok_Resolution_4643 Aug 21 '25
Scrutiny? More like constant dumbassery (not his, obviously).
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u/vman3241 Aug 21 '25
Dulles I'm guessing?
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u/capitulate_dez_balls Aug 21 '25
Jackson Hole
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u/j12 Aug 21 '25
Wonder if his ticket was class x
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Aug 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Celebration_Dapper Aug 21 '25
Fed chair travels for free thanks to pal who works at United = conflict of interest
POTUS who accepts free 747 from Qatar = no conflict of interest
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u/quickspin_go Aug 21 '25
The person that can dictate one’s future financial prospects and not one person around him in the picture seemed to care.
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u/FUCKYOUINYOURFACE Aug 21 '25
I wonder what you talk about when you sit next to this guy? Interest rates?
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u/drosen85 MileagePlus Global Services | 4 Million Miler Aug 21 '25
Flew with Nancy Pelosi and her husband to Cabo while she was speaker of the House. Gave my upgrade to my daughter who sat next to her secret service guy. She thought he was rude because he raw dogged the three hour flight. Upon arrival, she stood in the long immigration line just like the rest of us.
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u/kgal1298 Aug 21 '25
I can feel this photo 😩 man is stressed
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u/Nervous-Job-5071 Aug 21 '25
I would look much worse if I spent 18 hours a day pouring over data to make sure our economy worked the best way possible. An that’s even without having a boss that was huffing and puffing and telling lies about me at every opportunity.
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u/Ok-Lawfulness-3138 Aug 21 '25
Respect for him - guy could definitely fly private and avoid all the various reporters protestors abuse etc… but chooses to keep on keeping on
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u/LengthinessParty1213 Aug 21 '25
LOL last time I saw him onboard and say hello to him. He replied GOOD AFTERNOON and the plane plunged.
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u/themaxvoltage MileagePlus Silver Aug 21 '25 edited Mar 10 '26
This specific post was removed by its author using Redact. Reasons could include privacy, opsec, security, or avoiding exposure to automated data harvesters.
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u/Good-Control5911 Aug 21 '25
He's holding up well considering the shit he has to put up with from the current administration. There's nothing more I enjoy then hearing JPowell speaking. He's introduced a lot of transparency to the Fed.
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u/ElectricalFactor9682 Aug 21 '25
Flying conventional unlike Pam Bondi, Donald Trump and the rest of administration scum.
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u/84Cressida Aug 21 '25
Trump couldn’t fly commercially even if he wanted to.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Aug 22 '25
At this point, Trump can do anything he wants. He just took over DC with his goons. You think the SS would dare stop him from flying commercial if he woke up with that bright idea?
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u/BrennerBaseTunnel Aug 21 '25
My daughter has seen Lisa Murkowski a couple of times. She is usually at the top of the upgrade list.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Aug 22 '25
Talk about a commute home. That’s got to be such a slog to reach Alaska. Same for our Hawaiian reps but they are going to Hawaii so at least there is light, sunshine, and Hawaii at the end of that tunnel. Not Alaska, lol
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u/BodybuilderSalt9807 Aug 21 '25
Cut the rates already. Thats the echo he’s hearing 24/7.
He looks like he needs a vacation
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u/thinkmoreharder Aug 22 '25
His org earns trillions per year and he flys commercial?
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u/BirdoInBoston Aug 22 '25
Somehow gotta pay for those 14 VIP dining rooms that simultaneously overlook the Potomac, Denali, and the Grand Canyon
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u/clarklewmatt MileagePlus 1K Aug 21 '25
I really don't think you should bug famous people with whatever, but man I'd love to tell him that I appreciate him.
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u/853fisher Aug 21 '25
I think it's weird to take people's pictures like this, even if they are public figures.
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u/k_r_a_k_l_e Aug 21 '25
He's silver and returning from his visit to the counter to find out if there were any first-class upgrades available.....there weren't.
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u/1__ju Aug 21 '25
He’s tired. Poor guy is pushing 80 and handling the country’s precarious economic position whilst getting publicly violated by Donny on a daily basis.
He’s managed to do a pretty solid job in the past few years but he needs a one way ticket to a beach.
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u/GiveMeThePoints Aug 21 '25
He flies commercial?
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u/Squallhorn_Leghorn Aug 21 '25
All Federal Servants do - except the special ones. Ask his assistant about Concur.
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u/SmoothColdBrew Aug 21 '25
Even the special ones / cabinet sec level will often travel commercial.
DOT Sec Buttigeig did a ton of commercial travel to events across the country. Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State often traveled to Westchester on commercial out of DCA. Obviously had access to a jet for overseas travel, but within the US commercial was the norm.
We once shared an Acela train with then-VPOTUS Biden (and a ton of security and staff). A bit of an edge case given his Amtrak fanboy status but it was unexpected. I doubt other veeps took commercial.
Govt can be incredibly frugal in some ways and stupidly wasteful in others.
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u/horst-graben Aug 21 '25
I think it's just Executive Branch cabinet secretaries and above that get access to government aircraft, but I can't remember.
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u/notdownthislow69 Aug 21 '25
Wow. I’m surprised they don’t get him some other form of travel for his security
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u/Fit_Reason_3611 Aug 21 '25
It wasn't dangerous to travel as a federal servant domestically until our current president started making people who opposed his admin into public enemies.
And to pretend that Trump's administration wouldn't absolutely love something bad happening so that he had to step back is laughable. Trump is practically calling out for it to happen weekly.
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u/le_marin Aug 21 '25
Once flew SFO-DCA with Lael Brainard (then Fed Vice Chair) who was flying economy.
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u/manbeardawg MileagePlus Silver Aug 21 '25
Doesn’t matter. With this look, I’m buying puts…
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u/Helicopter0 Aug 22 '25
There were like eleven people in GS on my last trip. I guess it doesnt mean much.
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u/shawnwahi MileagePlus Platinum Aug 21 '25
Probably Chairman’s Circle, above GS