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Message |
    
Alicia W.
Advanced Member
Username: Lilyfrog67
Post Number: 191
Registered: 10-2008
Posted From: 70.161.138.72
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 06:43 pm: | |
My kids are the same age as yours and have been flying Space A for many years. We have flown alot in the past 2 years from Sigonella to Norfolk and have only run into mechanical issues about 3 times with delays..just make reservations in advance at a Navy Lodge or Gateway. The Gateway in Rota does not take children under 12 years of age. We spent alot of time in terminals...the longest amount of time was 18 hours until we were able to get a room at the Lodge. Carry a small notebook that you can use to write down all your phone numbers for terminals, lodging, car rentals, etc. Have euro on you for taxi rides to and from terminals in Europe. My kids love flying Space A and think they are hot stuff flying on all these military flights!!! They usually have the best stories to tell their classmates upon arrival back to school!! |
Mike Schukert
Senior Member
Username: Mike_s
Post Number: 526
Registered: 03-2004
Posted From: 74.243.17.78
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 06:26 pm: | |
Maria: Hopefully the "we" in your initial post includes you and your spouse. If, however, it'll just be you and your youngsters, be prepared for the unsupported/unshared aggravation, anxiety, frustration and unanticipated costs (lodging, meals, commercial tickets, etc.) which could accrue when space-a flights are cancelled, delayed or rerouted. Let's hope that you'll not experience any of these downsides of space-a travel; but, cancellations and delays involving C-5s with mechanical problems are commonplace. C-17s are much more reliable (albeit less comfortable) than C-5s. |
Maria J. Daniels
New member
Username: 03kidmom
Post Number: 2
Registered: 06-2010
Posted From: 80.148.17.182
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 03:47 pm: | |
Thank you for your input. My mom told me it took her five days to get from the East Coast to the West Coast because of "issues" (former military). We will certainly bundle up!
Thank you so much  |
John R Garrison
Senior Member
Username: Majorg
Post Number: 2716
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 208.81.157.86
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 03:44 pm: | |
Maria:
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 Europe to the CONUS 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 |
Carole G
Advanced Member
Username: Greengal
Post Number: 241
Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 68.205.151.181
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 03:18 pm: | |
A C-5 can be very unpredictable. They do have tons of maintenance issues. But hopefully, you will be on one with no problems. The cargo planes are known for being very cold. So dress in layers and have sleeping bags . Try to get a row of seats if it isn't crowded. Buy a boxed lunch.
Good luck and Happy Traveling. |
Maria J. Daniels
New member
Username: 03kidmom
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2010
Posted From: 80.148.17.182
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 08, 2010 - 02:50 pm: | |
We will be flying from Europe to the States (and back) with two children (8 & 10)hopefully in the next few days. This will be our first Space A flight. We have informed our children to expect an adventure, it is unpredictable. They are excited. We expect our flight out to be a C-5. I appreciate tips on flying Space-A with our munchkins! Thank you in advance for any tips |
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