According to the blog Palingates, which first reported the story, Palin took the plane on Nov. 21, 23 and 25 between book tour stops in Rochester, N.Y., Roanoke, Va., Fort Bragg, N.C., Birmingham, Ala., and Orlando, Fla. On Nov. 25, she then flew to Pasco, Wash., for Thanksgiving and was met at the airport by a bevy of journalists who filmed the landing.
Larger media outlets have since played up the apparent bait-and-switch. Yesterday morning on ABC's Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer introduced a segment on Palin's private-jet use by saying that Palin "frequently can be seen photographed in front of the bus that she took on the road. But ... you don't often see photos of her in front of a very expensive private plane she's been taking." Correspondent David Wright then noted that Palin was traveling in style even as "her fans camped out in the bitter cold, just for the chance to meet her."
Palin responded to the reports Tuesday afternoon on her Facebook page. "If you're scratching your head wondering why my flight and hotel logistics warrant news coverage, join the club," she wrote.
Sara D. Davis, Getty Images
Sarah Palin's tour bus rolled into Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in late November.
Deviations from her self-styled everywoman persona have drawn flak for Palin throughout her political ascendance.
While campaigning with John McCain for the 2008 presidential election, Palin consistently described herself as a "hockey mom" with modest needs and amenities – give her a shotgun, a snowmobile and a Bible and she'd be happy.
She even spurned the luxuries afforded to her as governor of Alaska. Luxuries like the official jet that came with the position, which, as she declared in her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, she had sold on eBay. (In reality, the plane was sold through an aircraft broker to a businessman, according to FactCheck.org.)
"I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. That luxury jet was over-the-top," she said. ""I love to drive myself to work."
Palin was also slammed during the campaign for her $150,000 wardrobe, furnished by the Republican National Convention. Afterward, she told a crowd that the clothes weren't hers.
"I'm back to wearing my old clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska."
HarperCollins, which published Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life," told ABC News that Palin had taken the jet on only three legs of her trip and that the publisher had paid for it. They said it was a logistical necessity.
On Nov. 24, Palin's Twitter feed, @SarahPalinUSA, said she was on the bus to Jacksonville, Fla. Matched with the flight plan for the jet, this implies she flew from Birmingham to Jacksonville to Orlando the night before, and then took the bus from Orlando back to Jacksonville 140 miles north early the next morning.
But while her Twitter feed reveals some curious trip planning, it doesn't try to hide the fact that she was both on the ground and in the air during her book tour.
On Nov. 21 at 6:48 p.m. she tweeted, "Just got off flt/got word of Senate's disappointing action..." Another tweet three hours later references having "Landed in VA..."
So while Sarah Palin may indeed love driving herself to work, taking the bus may be a whole different matter.
