Signing up for multiple departures, s...

Author Message   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2702 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Sunday, June 06, 2010 - 01:51 pm:    Jimmy: Thanks for the kind words. "Can you elaborate on why you wouldn't get one? " Because they don't print them out?...Cost saving?...I really don't know. There are usually less than 10 SPATS and the PaxReps apparently don't need to issue them in order to keep track of everyone. That's my guess. Happy travels, John   jimmy Member Username: Jrowland Post Number: 7 Registered: 05-2010 Posted From: 66.8.198.193 Posted on Sunday, June 06, 2010 - 06:34 am:    Thanks for all the replies, these forums are an amazing resource. John R: First of all, thank you to you and all the volunteers that keep the various terminals posted. The "historical" value has been great! Question on what you mean by "no boarding pass with Fairchild"? Does this mean that you can possibly be manifested and just shown to the door? I've flown on several military birds from various AMC terminals in my various deployments, and I've always gotten a boarding pass. Can you elaborate on why you wouldn't get one? Dinotars: thanks for the references to spacea.net. I've actually covered almost every inch of that site over the past few weeks as I've prepared for my first adventure. Without any experience under my belt yet, some of the information is a little overwhelming, so I'm asking clarification questions here. The big benefit for me on this trip is that I have family members in the Travis, McChord, and Fairchild areas. Having a free room and board and ground transportation at all of these places is a big stress reliever. I have a feeling I'm going to be driving from Seattle to Montana - about 9 hours to my destination, have done it many times. But, I'd rather only drive from Spokane, since it's just a 3-hour trip. I might even be able to borrow a car from the Spokane clan.   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 4613 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Sunday, June 06, 2010 - 06:04 am:    Yes, no boarding pass would be a problem! I wonder would a note from a parent (at Fairchild) work?   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2700 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 10:52 pm:    Jimmy: JohnD, of course, would be quite correct about using your Fairchild Boarding Pass with a Hawaii Final Destination noted on it...that is IF Fairchild would give you a Boarding Pass (they haven't...the last ten or so times I've flown with them!). Happy Travels, John   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2699 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 10:48 pm:    Jimmy: I post for Fairchild. You are absolutely correct that there are very few flights from McChord to Fairchild (usually two weekends per month...with a Friday and a Sunday). Most folks, including myself, will either book a SWA commercial ticket (same day on line, about $100) if traveling alone or book a one-way drop-off rental car if traveling with two or more (also about $100+). You'll probably spend more on lodging/food waiting at McChord than either the rental or SWA ticket. Happy Travels, John   dinotars Senior Member Username: Dinotars Post Number: 6772 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.169.151.24 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 10:10 pm:    jimmy, You need to review spacea.net, especially the procedures and differences between the terms, "final destination" and "manifested through".   jimmy Junior Member Username: Jrowland Post Number: 6 Registered: 05-2010 Posted From: 66.8.198.193 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 09:50 pm:    Hmmm... good point, John, I hadn't thought of it in that light. That raises another question: If I depart Hickam, and the PSA was kind enough to book me /through/ McChord with a final destination of Fairchild... how likely is that? I'm seeing almost daily flights to McChord, but only 3 or 4 times a month from McChord to Fairchild. Do I need to time it so that there's a pending flight to Fairchild? Will they even consider giving me a final destination of Fairchild if there's nothing on the boards into Fairchild yet? If they do book me through to Fairchild, will my luggage be lost in lala land if I land at McChord, but there is no projected flights to Fairchild? I appreciate the responses and patience. I'm down to 6 days before my first attempt at being a SPAT, and the jitters are starting to get to me. :^) Jimmy   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 4610 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.80.143 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 08:11 pm:    Jimmy, If you are manifested through McChord then any existing signup at McChord would remain in place. If you are just transiting McChord on different missions then just use your signup from Fairchild on your way back to your "final destination".   dinotars Senior Member Username: Dinotars Post Number: 6771 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 173.169.151.24 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 08:07 pm:    jimmy, See spacea.net,Item 3.9: http://spacea.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Space-A_Travel_FAQ#How_long_is_my.22 _sign-up.22_valid.3F   John R Garrison Senior Member Username: Majorg Post Number: 2697 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 208.81.157.86 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 08:07 pm:    jimmy: The issue is when McChord clears off the first sign-up from their system. If you sign up the second time sitting on the tarmac and they haven't cleared the first sign-up off the system, then your second sign-up replaces the first and the second sign-up is also cleared from the system. Wait until you get to the next base before re-signing up. Happy travels, John   jimmy New member Username: Jrowland Post Number: 5 Registered: 05-2010 Posted From: 66.8.198.193 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 07:25 pm:    Thanks, Danny. That's pretty much what I gathered. I wonder, though, where the mythical line in the sand is? I have an iPhone with always-on internet connection. Can I send an email to McChord while sitting on the tarmac still at McChord? Does the plane have to take off before I'm eligible to re-signup? Do I just have to get through the security checkpoint?   Danny Hamilton Senior Member Username: Dannyhamilton Post Number: 613 Registered: 03-2004 Posted From: 68.105.203.149 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 06:49 pm:    Dream on, Jimmy! Sorry, but it is not possible to sign up at a base from which you havent left yet....although I seem to recall that someone wrote about dropping a self-sign up request into the collection box as he was leaving to board a plane on which he was manifested. I have no idea if that plan worked or not. For sure, though, you can send an email sign up request from the first place you land after leaving the base on which you want to get re-signed up for your return trip. In the scenario you mentioned, getting manifested on a flight from McChord to Fairchild removes your name from the McChord Sign Up Roster. As soon as your plane lands at Fairchild, get thee to a computer and send a new sign up request back to McChord.   jimmy New member Username: Jrowland Post Number: 4 Registered: 05-2010 Posted From: 66.8.198.193 Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 06:33 pm:    What's the best way (how? when?) to sign up for multiple departures from the same base? If I make the manifest, can I go over an sign up again before boarding? My plan is to try to get as close to Montana as I can from Hawaii. There are many options. One of the options is routing through McChord on a Hickam->McChord->Fairchild route. If successful, my best route back home to Hawaii would be a reverse of that: Fairchild->McChord->Hickam. I will sign-up at multiple terminals this Friday when my leave begins (Hickam, k-bay, North Island, Travis, McChord, Fairchild as minimums). If I'm able to get through McChord, outbound to Fairchild, when and how do I sign up again for another McChord departure? As soon as I make a manifest? Thanks for any advice.