Pacquiao entourage also gets star treatment

DALLAS, Texas — Several years ago, when Manny Pacquiao was an obscure journeyman still seeking his destiny in the United States, he would fly commercial and dump himself in the economy class.

No problem with that then.

But he’s now a multi-millionaire – in dollars at that – and millionaires no longer travel economy.

In fact, with his stature, commercial flights are no longer the travel of choice.

So on this day and in the recent past, Pacquiao, as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, travels in luxury.

Which his entourage, a hundred or so, also experienced as it moved from Los Angeles in California to Dallas, Texas.

In getting here from Los Angeles on Monday, Pacquiao arrived on board a chartered Boeing 737-800 that carried his training team and friends and media from both here and the Philippines.

StarFlite International took charge of the trip and its president, Stephen Lyons, was on hand to preside over the check-in procedure that was just as strict as the ones being done in US airports.

As if to show that Pacquiao is in a rarefied status, Lyons said basketball star Kobe Bryant had just been flown to the player’s residence in Orange County on a chopper a couple of hours before Pacquiao’s trip, using the same facility located just beside LAX International.

Lyons then mentioned that his clients include the entire LA Lakers squad as well as the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics and in one instance in 1992, he handled the flight arrangements of The Dream Team.

Along with Pacquiao, there were 141 passengers and one dog – Pacman – the Jack Russell Terrier that always runs with his master during morning workouts. The flight took two hours and a half to complete.

Before takeoff, the passengers were treated to a late-lunch of Filipino food. When they arrived in the city of Grapevine close to midnight, there was another long table of native delights that the tired guests feasted on.

Needless to say, the trip was pleasant and fulfilling from beginning to end as Pacquiao made sure no one went to bed hungry. — Nick Giongco

Source: mb.com.ph