Space A to Ramstein In July

Author Message   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6432 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 12:05 pm:    Yes, check with the originating location to see if they can manifest through. Unfortunately sometimes you will get a pax rep (on the phone OR, worse, when you arrive in person) who is poorly informed (&/or lazy?) and doesn't want to make the effort to get people from that location all the way through. They CAN call the "controlling" terminal and *possibly* get permission to put X number of people on the manifest all the way, but may not understand this concept or be willing to try. This will be a case where you must seem extra nice but also be extra persistent -- try asking for a supervisor to "help." And understand that if they are too busy (or too stubborn), or the base that "owns" the flight will not cooperate (or in many cases cannot do so, because of too many unknowns concerning the cargo load) you still may not prevail. Any time we seek to board a flight at a location other than its last departure point from CONUS we may face this problem. It's a fact of space-a life because, after all, the cargo and any space-required pax are the reasons for the flight, not us would-be tag-a-longs!   Michael Johns New member Username: Mikeandsabrina Post Number: 4 Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 98.179.191.49 Posted on Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 08:55 am:    Thanks John D. I guess the key is to verify, rather than assume, by contacting the origin first to see if they can manifest through an intermediate stop enroute to the final destination.   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 4635 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Wednesday, June 09, 2010 - 03:45 am:    Michael, Yes, one or other location will be allocated (and control) a certain number of the outbound manifests. One can manifest through to their final destination if the seats are available past the intermediate stops and the intermediate stop doesn't have a need for the seats. This can be true of Dover, BWI, Andrews and many other locations.   Michael Johns New member Username: Mikeandsabrina Post Number: 3 Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 98.179.191.49 Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 11:06 pm:    Bill, you mentioned that McGuire controls the seats to Germany. Is it common for one location to control the outbound manifests? I thought one could manifest through to the final destination. If so, is this true of Dover, BWI, and Andrews? Thanks. Mike   melissa strombelline Member Username: Mlissmelissa Post Number: 9 Registered: 06-2010 Posted From: 80.148.25.170 Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 10:02 pm:    I just flew into Ramstein from the states this past Saturday...personally with my experience: I tried for 3 days to get out at Charleston and their flights kept getting cancelled even though they had at least 2 scheduled per day! We also went to BWI and they never got past CAT 3 for their flight. We didnt try Dover because the day we were going through they didnt have anything. Personally we got out at McGuire. They usually go to Ramstein a couple times a week. However, as Earl said, missions change frequently so you may find that once you are actually trying to fly it may be totally different! Oh and as he also said, Wright Patt has a flight every monday to Mildenhall if thats an option for you. Mildenhall goes to Ramstein every couple days as well. Good luck   Bill Mathews Senior Member Username: Bill_mathews Post Number: 1215 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.71.47.192 Posted on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 - 08:52 pm:    Seems like your best gateway would be to keep checking with North Island (looks to be not far from your home) and hope for any flight to the Med (Rota, Naples or Sigonella).. then if you must, Rota & Sig. can have flights to Ramstein, but not often. As you need 2 seats the C40's could have room. If it does not work, you can head back home with ease. The somewhat sure thing/flight would be to fly Southwest to Jackson, MS for their early and late in the week cargo flights to Ramstein. Problem there is the lack of a good back up plan in the event you don't get out. And Jackson has been going through McGuire recently, which may control the seats to Germany. C5 Bases can work, but if the flight delays/cancels, your back up plan can be a problem. If you traveled in the Fall, then you could fly to the East Coast out of North Island, then work your way to Europe. If you are a seasoned traveler with lots of time, you could head to the East Coast any way you can; commAir or SpaceA, and be prepared to wait at Dover or McGuire, where ever you find the most flights that week. Andrews & BWI might not be a good option in the Summer months as a Cat 6. Likewise Norfolk could be hard in the Summer. Call Memphis (their C5's may be more dependable) and if they can manifest you all the way to Europe, that may be your best bet. We have found that for Summer travels, it is best to travel where the planes/seats go and not try for a specific location. In the Spring & Fall we fly out of Jackson a lot and even have Ryan Air tickets waiting for onward travels 3-4 days later from Frankfurt Hahn. The key is finding an almost sure flight. From Calif. that is hard to do, especially in the Summer. North Island to the Med. (or even through Shannon) to the Med. is what I would try for. Then visit the Med. while I waited for a flight to Germany.   Bill Gast Advanced Member Username: Actionwriter Post Number: 196 Registered: 12-2008 Posted From: 96.8.222.198 Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 - 09:36 pm:    Thomas; Keep an eye on Kelly Lackland ( San Antonio /Texas) for their schedule. I don't know where you are located but Kelly usually has these flights to Ramstein on the second and 4th week of the month. Short notice--usually three days but they have always had seats out of Kelly every time I have flown. Good luck.   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2665 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010 - 10:46 pm:    Thomas: 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 CONUS (your profile says you live in CA) to Ramstein (or anywhere in Europe) 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 PS: You've been given excellent advice to try for the less traveled routes...for Cat VI travelers, it may be you only reasonable chance for travel.   Cherry C. Senior Member Username: Cherry Post Number: 6406 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 71.163.18.160 Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010 - 10:09 pm:    To expand on some of Earl's advice, I suggest that you do some research into what AF Reserve units or Air National Guard are based within a reasonable distance (a day's drive?) from your home and call them to chat and ask about possible missions to Germany coming up in the next month or two that might take SPATs. Most of the hordes of Cat III families clogging up BWI, Charleston, Dover, McGuire and even Andrews will not know about those other flights so your chances will be much better. But during your conversations, be sure to find out how each base handles signups and time on the list, because they may not strictly follow AMC regulations, and make sure you understand their procedures, how to get updates, and such. If you do find such an opportunity, consider renting a car one way to the hoped-for departure point, so that you don't have to come back there to get your POV. This makes it easier to take any homeward-bound flight when you are ready to return because you are not tied to where you left your car.   Earl Senior Member Username: Myramstein Post Number: 771 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 173.105.50.200 Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010 - 09:04 pm:    Why don’t you wait until September for your trip when things slow down some?? I feel there is no really "best" location. Missions change, cargo changes, etc. Sometimes the "best" turns out to be the worse. This month Charleston looked great to get to Rota and Germany since they had many flights to Rota and Germany. But, lots of those flights took no or few paxs on them. There were days where people got out. During the summer, as a CAT VI party of two getting to Ramstein, may be a challenge from Dover, Charleston, McGuire, and BWI due to the increased paxs flying. Take a look at other places to start your trip from where the volume of paxs travelling in the summer would be less. One such place would be Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio (Dayton area). They have one or two flights to Germany, and/or Spain per week. Other place would be Rickenbacker AFB, Ohio (Columbus area). They have missions to Italy and Germany. Yes, you can get to Germany in the summer; but, as you seem to already know it will be a "challenge." Best I can tell you is to possibly stay away from Dover, McGuire, Charleston and BWI. Also, keep in mind that some of the early morning flights may give better odds of you getting on as a CAT VI since family members with younger kids may be sleeping then and waiting on a flight later that day. Also, keep in mind that you may have to fly west to head east. Meaning I have known spacer-s flying from the east coast, or mid America, to Travis or McCord to catch a flight to Germany in the summer! They called McCord/Travis and found out there were plenty of flights and few paxs waiting. Be signed up at Ramstein and other places in Europe for your return flight. Do not wait to sign up when you arrive in Germany. Try to time your return sign up to have some days under your belt so you are not at the bottom of the list. I fly mainly to/from Spain. Possibly others on here may have some input for you to help you out. Good luck.   dinotars Senior Member Username: Dinotars Post Number: 6741 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.169.151.24 Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010 - 08:49 pm:    Keep checking the flight schedule information forum to determine your best choice of departure locations.Take in to consideration the travel and response time to get there.Sign up early to get more time "in the bank".Summer is more difficult for Cat VI.   thomas r randall jr New member Username: Trandall Post Number: 5 Registered: 02-2010 Posted From: 173.51.160.158 Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010 - 08:17 pm:    Trying to plan a Space A trip to Ramstein in July, reading the threads I know it might take longer than normal. My question is what would be the best departure location BWI, Charleston, Dover, etc. Also route does the Patexpress out BWI go? We are party of two CAT VI. Thanks for your input.