Numbers show Palin spends less on travel

Travel expenses have plummeted under Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. A look at the numbers shows that former Gov. Frank Murkowski spent more than half a million dollars on travel in his last year in office. On the other hand, Palin’s first year in office shows she spent less than $115,000 on travel. That is less than any governor in recent memory. It’s not just because Palin flies on Alaska Airlines instead of former Gov. Frank Murkowski’s executive jet — which Palin later ordered sold.

Palin has been more likely to travel to Naknek for a community potluck, while Murkowski toured east Asian capitals toward the end of his single term as a governor.

“I guess I’d have to say that I’m not surprised,” said Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, and a vocal critic in years past of Murkowski’s decision to buy a Westwind II jet over the objections of many legislators.

The biggest factor in the decline in travel expenses was the sale of the jet, which cost $1,689 an hour to fly. Palin traveled frequently, sometimes commercial and sometimes by a King Air turboprop owned by the Department of Public Safety.

A look at the numbers shows that even comparable trips by the two governors had different costs. Both Palin and Murkowski, who finished third in his bid for re-election, attended the National Governors Association meeting in Washington. D.C. While Palin spent

$1,885 on lodging, Murkowski spent $6,599, staying in an “executive” suite JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue for a week at a cost of $937 per day, including tax.

—The Associated Press