News accounts indicate he flies commercial

Before he took over as speaker, Boehner said he would take commercial flights back and forth from his Cincinnati-area district to Washington rather than use the military jet available to him.

"Over the last 20 years, I have flown back and forth to my district on commercial aircraft, and I am going to continue to do that,” he told reporters, according to POLITICO.

Many news outlets wrote about his pledge, contrasting it with his predecessor Nancy Pelosi's use of the jet. The New York Times followed Boehner through Reagan National Airport on one of his first flights, noting how he was able to bypass security lines.

In January 2011, in the wake of the shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Boehner's office said he would continue to fly commercial despite any new security concerns.

His spokesman, Michael Steel, told The Hill that Boehner had no intention of reconsidering a decision he previously made to forgo the use of a private jet for transportation to and from his Ohio district.

When we contacted Steel about this pledge, he said Boehner still flies commercial, and the only time he has flown on a military jet was for an overseas congressional delegation.

We also consulted the House statement of disbursement for members of Congress. That reflected a lump sum for travel expenses for Boehner's office of about $66,000 for 2011, the most recent available. But that figure includes such expenses as taxis, parking and mileage reimbursement for all staffers in the speaker's office and does not detail commercial flights taken by Boehner himself.

We will continue to seek more concrete records of Boehner's travels and follow this pledge. If readers see him flying commercial -- or on a military jet -- please let us know. For now, the evidence is enough to move the needle to In the Works.