Pavel and Macinka Flew to New York on Separate Planes — But They're Staying at the Same Hotel

Czech President Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka both flew to New York for the UN General Assembly on Sunday, but they took different flights to get there. The president travelled on a government special aircraft, while the foreign minister opted for a regular scheduled flight — even though, according to the president's office, a seat on the special plane had been reserved for him.

The Foreign Ministry explained the decision by pointing to differing itineraries and a desire to save money. "The reason lies in how the return flight was arranged, not the outbound one," said ministry spokesman Adam Čergo. Macinka is due to stay in New York until Friday, while Pavel is set to head to Nebraska on Thursday. According to the ministry spokesman, buying two separate one-way tickets ended up being cheaper than a round-trip ticket, which is usually pricier. That said, despite the claimed savings, part of Macinka's team did fly with the president aboard the special aircraft.

Same hotel, possible meeting

Although the two politicians flew separately, they'll have plenty of chances to cross paths — both are staying at the same hotel in New York. The president arrived there around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, with the minister expected to check in later. Pavel himself suggested he and Macinka might run into each other, for instance during the national addresses at the UN General Assembly.

No formal meeting is on the schedule, but the president said he wouldn't mind having a chat. "I don't expect either side to have a problem with that," Pavel said before departure, commenting on the possibility of speaking with the foreign minister sometime during the week.

Source: novinky.cz