Travis to Hawaii

Author Message   Shannon Marone New member Username: Smarone Post Number: 3 Registered: 02-2010 Posted From: 84.11.139.171 Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 07:08 pm:    thanks John.   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2653 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 07:03 pm:    Dave: Welcome to the Board! If you have not yet done so, please familiarize yourself with JohnD's SpaceA Pages (link top left), the general layout of this site and the Search Function (magnifying glass at top center) of this site. Nearly all questions can be answered from those three sources. Having read thru the FAQs is a great start and I would suggest reading thru the other sections on JohnD's site as well. In relation to your proposed trip, traveling SpaceA to/from McChord/Travis (or anywhere in CONUS) to Hawaii in the summer will be very challenging. We try to avoid the Summer (15 May to 15 Sep) as this is typically one of the busiest times (Christmas (15 Dec-10 Jan) being the other) with a lot of competition for spacea. Please ensure that you are prepared to spend more time in terminals than you can imagine. Also be prepared for additional food, lodging and expensive, last minute commercial tickets should you be time restrained upon your attempted return. As stated often on this site, experienced SPATS avoid Christmas and Summer travel whenever possible. In sum, can it be done??..Yes, Just be mentally prepared for things to not go as smoothly as you might be expecting...and be pleasantly surprised when they work out. Happy travels, John PS: Yes, the "trial" was extended/made permanent...the Family may travel anywhere in the CONUS with their sponsor. (See JohnD's FAQs) As an AD member, you sign-up for SpaceA travel as soon as you begin your leave, also sign up for your return at the same time (see JohnD's FAQs).   Shannon Marone New member Username: Smarone Post Number: 1 Registered: 02-2010 Posted From: 84.11.139.171 Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 06:51 pm:    My family and I are trying Space A for the first time. We're CAT IV trying to go from McChord or Travis to Hickam. I have 30 days of leave coming off of a year-long deployment and want to give it a try. My question is the following: can I travel within CONUS with my family on space A? I saw a message about a rule from 2004 that allowed it on a trial basis and I'm unsure if it is still in effect? I.e If it's easier to go from Travis to Hickam, can I fly from McChord to Travis since there's about 5 flights a week? I'm about 60 days from the time I want to leave--is this when I should be submitting my leave for to sign up on the roster? thanks, Dave Marone   Neil Makela Member Username: Neilmak Post Number: 47 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 98.231.248.165 Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 05:32 pm:    Thanks for the info, Joe. Looks like they are due for another run soon.   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6387 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 - 11:33 pm:    Paul B., I completely understand your thinking on the 40+ days vs. 50+ days on the roster when trying for Hickam from Travis. (We ourselves aim for 50-55 at all other terminals, including returning from Hickam to the mainland.) My theory is based on observations that most of the flights to Hickam from Travis take only a few (or no) passengers, but on rare occasions (every week or two?) there may be a BIG plane that takes a whole lot of folks regardless of whether some who get on it have 10 days more on the priority list than some of the others who get manifested. But because there may be a longer wait than we think of as normal for that "big plane" to pop up, it's a good idea to have more days (say, 20 instead of 10) available in which to wait before the signup runs up and we drop back to the bottom of the list. But as all of us here certainly can agree, space-a is a crap-shoot and Lady Luck is as fickle as ever -- so everyone has to play the odds as they see them!   Phil Doubleman Senior Member Username: Phil Post Number: 1608 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 68.35.26.65 Posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 - 10:03 pm:    Just like the "old days"... why waste the cargo space?   Bailey in SoCal Advanced Member Username: Bailey_in_s_ca Post Number: 186 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 76.171.127.0 Posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 - 05:56 pm:    Getting home from Hickam can be a problem. Last Saturday I flew McGuire to March. Met a Cat VI couple that had gotten stuck at Hickam, so after 4 days took a direct C17 flight to Andrews (9 hrs), 2 hr delay waiting for Air Force One to take off, then 40 min flight Andrews to McGuire. It was a McGuire A/C. Two hrs later they were on the C17 to March. Made for a long day but it worked. Their son picked them up. Their car was at NASNI. March is "bare-bones" (my car was there), and you can't get around. The front gate is a real hike. Quarters are nice and available except on Reserve Weekends. Last bit if info is that the March C17 was returning from Ramstein and crew had 14 cases of flip-tops strapped down in the empty cargo bay. Happy days are here again   Phil Doubleman Senior Member Username: Phil Post Number: 1607 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 68.35.26.65 Posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 - 01:58 pm:    My rational for the 55 to 59 day rule is that I have a specific window for getting a flight out... usually 5 days. I try to use the time waiting for a flight sightseeing the area. If I haven't made it out by the 5th day, I go home because I have usually seen all of the area that I want to see anyway. My space a flights are adventures where the goal is not totally for getting to a destination. The "going" is more important than "getting there". If I have to "get there", I use a commercial means of travel. That way, I'm rarely disappointed.   Paul B. Senior Member Username: Paseodelasdamas Post Number: 1198 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 216.57.64.33 Posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 - 01:36 pm:    Cherry & RB: I dont agree with the 35-40 day rational thinking on the list when trying to get to Hickam from Travis. If I am in the terminal trying for Hickam, I hope that cat. 6's all have the 35-40 day signup because I will have 55-59 day signup and I can wave goodbye to them as I board the acft.   Joe Joyce Advanced Member Username: Joejoyce Post Number: 156 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 199.224.21.254 Posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 - 11:48 am:    Neil, last month my wife and I flew Pittsburgh to Hickam directly on a KC-135. Ten hours, 5 PAX. This was with PANG 171st ARW and they do have occasional missions (my guess is a half-dozen or less a year)to Hickam. Their recording no. is 412.776.7531.   Neil Makela Member Username: Neilmak Post Number: 46 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 76.111.96.250 Posted on Sunday, May 23, 2010 - 09:35 pm:    I've had good luck getting from North Island to K-Bay in the past. Navy often seems to have multiple flts there with 70+ seats each. Anyone familiar with direct flts from Pittsburgh or McGuire to Hickam? Seem pretty rare.   Phil Doubleman Senior Member Username: Phil Post Number: 1604 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 68.35.26.65 Posted on Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 12:59 pm:    Well Jeffery, you have a lot of opinions. You're going to have to sort for yourself. I'm sure that the advice that you are getting has worked well for those giving the advice, as it has for me. I like the 55 day rule because I have never failed to get on a flight using it. But, I also use discretion when traveling. I don't try to compete with categories that are higher than I. Good luck. I wish you well.   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6377 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 11:38 am:    I agree with RB that it is wiser for Cat VI's to arrive at Travis with plus or minus 40 days on the signup list if hoping for a flight to Hawaii. The standard advice in the past was what many still suggest -- 55 or 60 days seniority. This still works for many other bases and destinations, but a couple of years ago the flight patterns out of Travis headed to Hawaii changed and not in a way that helps SPATs. Whereas in the past there were frequent (like, every day or two) C-5 flights from Travis to Hickam, often with all 73 seats available, now there might be one large plane per week. The terminal still does occasionally get cleared out, but it takes a lot longer to reach that status. And because so many people want to fly that route, all SPATs traveling at ANY time of year should have a realistic Plan B (like, going on line and booking a commercial flight with Hawaiian Air, especially if you need to get to Hawaii by a certain date) or even Plans B and C. The 50-55 day rule still applies at a lot of bases, but at this time IMO it is not a wise way to approach trying for Travis-to-Hickam. (On the return leg the traditional timing still may work, because Travis is not the only destination out of Hickam that most SPATs will accept and flights from Hickam do go direct or even non-stop to a number of CONUS bases in addition to Travis, including some in the mid-west and even the east coast.)   RB Advanced Member Username: Space_ace Post Number: 159 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 76.234.121.239 Posted on Saturday, May 22, 2010 - 04:14 am:    To wait 55 days on a waiting list during summer can hurt more than help. There will be so many attempting flights to Hawaii. It is difficult just to get into cat VI. After a 5 day wait if there are no flights to get on you go back to day 1. I always suggest 35-45 days. Remember, Travis does not fly to Hawaii everyday and are lucky to have at least one large flight in a week. Please ensure to sign up before leaving try to carry a 35-45 day sign up in Hawaii. You will have at least two weeks to be on a list if flights are difficult to vie for.   william brown Senior Member Username: Brown9bill Post Number: 643 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 108.0.100.243 Posted on Friday, May 21, 2010 - 06:47 pm:    Jeffrey: All the previous updatges were great but I must caution you that you could be at Travis a long time waiting on a flight if you are trying to leave for Hawaii in Last May or June. The active duty push will be on and if you look at last years posting, travel to Hawaii from Travis was extremely difficult. Wish you luck and Happy Travels.   Phil Doubleman Senior Member Username: Phil Post Number: 1603 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 68.35.26.65 Posted on Friday, May 21, 2010 - 05:24 pm:    The key to getting out of a popular base is "sign up date". As a Cat VI, the closer that you can get to 60 days on the list when you want to travel, the better. That is valid for both going and coming back. So, you should sign up at Travis 60 days from the last day you will travel and arrive about 55 days before your last day to travel. If you plan on being over there a week, sign up at Hickam and Kaneohe a week after you sign up at Travis. You should start trying to leave Travis on day 55. That will give you 5 days to get a flight. And do the same for coming back from Hawai'i. Remember though... you go past day 60 and you are back to zero.   Roger Curry Senior Member Username: Rcurryastro Post Number: 820 Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 76.123.106.110 Posted on Friday, May 21, 2010 - 04:53 pm:    Hi, Jeff, as you probably know from reading the forums, summer travel can be difficult for Cat VI. Be prepared for days spent waiting, either going over or coming back or both. You didn't mention your daughter's age but presume that she is your dependent with an ID card and eligible to travel with you. Good luck. Roger in Jacksonville, FL   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2623 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 07:20 pm:    Jeffery: Welcome to the Board! If you have not yet done so, please familiarize yourself with JohnD's SpaceA Pages (link top left), the general layout of this site and the Search Function (magnifying glass at top center) of this site. Nearly all questions can be answered from those three sources. Having read thru the FAQs is a great start and I would suggest reading thru the other sections on JohnD's site as well. In relation to your proposed trip, traveling SpaceA to/from Travis (or anywhere on the West Coast) to Hawaii in the summer as a Cat VI will be very challenging. We try to avoid the Summer (15 May to 15 Sep) as this is typically one of the busiest times (Christmas (15 Dec-10 Jan) being the other) with a lot of competition for spacea. Please ensure that you are prepared to spend more time in terminals than you can imagine. Also be prepared for additional food, lodging and expensive, last minute commercial tickets should you be time restrained upon your attempted return. As stated often on this site, experienced SPATS avoid Christmas and Summer travel whenever possible. In sum, can it be done??..Yes, Just be mentally prepared for things to not go as smoothly as you might be expecting...and be pleasantly surprised when they work out. Happy travels, John   Carole G Intermediate Member Username: Greengal Post Number: 136 Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 68.205.151.181 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 06:59 pm:    Flights are either plentiful or not. I believe it was 4 C-5's in one day last week with 73 seats each. We went in Mar from Travis to Hickam and got on a flight within a day. Coming back was much harder for us as Cat VI. We finally reverted to Plan B after 3-4 days of waiting and used airline miles to get back. So you never know. The summer is one of the worst times to try to go anywhere as a Cat VI. You may luck out. Good luck Carole   Jeffery Godwin New member Username: Jeffgodwin43 Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2010 Posted From: 192.35.35.34 Posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 06:41 pm:    Hey all, great threads for traveling around the world and this site is truly a blessing with all the info. Can any of you seasoned space-a travelers offer a first time space-a adventurer any words of wisdom or experience on travel from Travis to Hickam? I have been tracking the daily flights to and from each for the past couple of weeks with available seats but understand it is still hit and miss daily. I want to surprise my daughter this summer with an adventure for just her and me to Hawaii...already have interisland plans set up as my g/f's dad lives on the island of Kauai and she will already be there visiting family and friends. Of course those with experience back from Hickam, your advice is welcome too as we will be over there for a little over a week.