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Norfolk to Japan...best route?

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N D
Member
Username: Aviatorswife

Post Number: 10
Registered: 12-2009
Posted From: 203.105.95.180
Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 03:02 am:   

Anne, Yes, I live in Japan now. About the SOFA stamp, there is some validity to that. For instance, some terminals will not even allow you to sign up for a flight to Japan if you do not have a SOFA stamp. I have never used the Pat Ex because I was afraid of getting stuck in Seattle for days because we aren't on PCS orders. I do know someone, however, who did come over with out a SOFA stamp. That may have been a fluke, but you can always call the terminal and ask them! However, if you can get to Misawa, you can always take the Shinkansen to Tokyo then train it to Atsugi! There are ways around it, it just may take a little time, but it sounds like the travel is part of the fun for y'all!
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Anne L Evans
Intermediate Member
Username: Anne_l_evans

Post Number: 54
Registered: 01-2009
Posted From: 70.160.127.143
Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 10:06 pm:   

Nicole, Are you living in Japan now? One reason we are worried about the Patriot Express is the possibility of getting bumped or stuck in Misawa. Since we are retired, we have no SOFA stamp, which I understand from Tom, is a big no -no! We love to travel and will make the best of wherever we end up! See you on the new board! Anne
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N D
Member
Username: Aviatorswife

Post Number: 8
Registered: 12-2009
Posted From: 203.105.95.180
Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 03:24 am:   

Anne,
I am sure that has a little to do with it. You can try to take the Pat Ex anytime you want, you just may not make it on or get bumped. I know someone who got stuck in Misawa (which isn't "far" from Atsugi, well it is, but you know....at least it is still Mainland Japan) waiting to get to Yokota, so after 4 days of waiting, they just took the Shinkansen back to the Atsugi "area" and pretty much said that they are NOT looking forward to doing that again.
I think the best time to try to take the PatEx is during the school year and on Thursdays! No one wants to do Thursday because it stops so much. I was going to try for it, but I called and the guy laughed at me when I asked my chances and he said, even if you are CAT 4...you will be waiting! :-( If I were you, I would try to get here from either Anderson or Kadena! There are always flights popping up from both places and Anderson is about a 3.5 hr flight! Besides, you could stop in Guam and enjoy the beaches!
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Anne L Evans
Intermediate Member
Username: Anne_l_evans

Post Number: 53
Registered: 01-2009
Posted From: 70.160.127.143
Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 12:05 am:   

Nicole, Yes, I guess my daughter and her friends were lucky indeed. She didn't have a pet, but I think her friend did, so I guess that was not a deciding factor. I always thought that the purpose of the PE was for psc and possibly EML. When my son-in-law was deployed, my daughter did, in fact, take the PE from Seattle to Kadena. She said the commercial flight was much nicer. Do individual commands control travel funding in any way that would influence methods of pcs travel?
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N D
Member
Username: Aviatorswife

Post Number: 7
Registered: 12-2009
Posted From: 203.105.95.180
Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 11:20 pm:   

I came over commercial in 2008. Starting last summer, everyone that I know that is leaving here on PCS orders is forced onto the Pat Ex. If you do fly commercial these days, it is on your own dime, unless there is a circumstance when you have to be somewhere on a certain date. We just had a bunch of people come in and out and they have all had to go the Pat Ex route. Your daughter and her friends were very lucky! The only other reason that someone would come over on commercial would be because they had an animal that they were bringing over. The Pat Ex does not allow for animals to come over on their plane.
We do not have an animal, so it will be the Pat Ex for us. BOO!!!!
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Anne L Evans
Intermediate Member
Username: Anne_l_evans

Post Number: 52
Registered: 01-2009
Posted From: 70.160.127.143
Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 10:17 pm:   

Nicole (N D ), Thank you for your response. We will NOT be trying for the Patriot Express. I thought your remark about the PE being full of people pcs ing was interesting. I had thought that anyone leaving on pcs orders from the west coast bound for Japan would be manifested as space required out of Seattle on the PE. When my daughter and her husband transfered to Atsugi from Port Hueneme, CA, the Navy sent them on a commercial American Airlines flight. Ditto for friends of theirs who left shorly before them. Just curious, does anyone know what circumstances dictate PE vs commercial pcs?
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N D
New member
Username: Aviatorswife

Post Number: 3
Registered: 12-2009
Posted From: 203.105.95.180
Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 01:41 pm:   

I would not try to Pat Ex it over to Japan (Yokota). The flights are so packed that some are waiting a very long time to get on even as CAT 4. As of last year, they were sending almost everyone on the Pat Ex so it has made it very hard to fly in and out of Yokota during the summer unless you are on PCS orders! I would err on the side of caution and not go the Pat Ex route. Good Luck!
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Anne L Evans
Intermediate Member
Username: Anne_l_evans

Post Number: 51
Registered: 01-2009
Posted From: 70.160.127.143
Posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010 - 01:50 pm:   

John, Nelly, Thanks for the input. We know well the perils of flying in the summer but have no choice and will still try. I'm trying to figure out if our best chance to Japan is from Alaska or Hawaii. We fully expect to be "stuck" at either location and are prepared for it mentally and financially. Actually, we are planning on making it part of our trip! We have visited Alaska before and enjoyed it, but it might be more fun to be stuck in Hawaii. We just don't want to do that if we have a better chance of Japan from Alaska. It seems like there is too much competition to even try from Seattle or Travis. I guess we'll just keep monitoring this board . Appreciate all the help from spats like you Anne
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Nelly
Senior Member
Username: Nelly

Post Number: 999
Registered: 07-2005
Posted From: 90.202.205.40
Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 06:01 am:   

Anne,

Since you're a Cat VI, you might want to try the Patriot Express out of Seatac International Airport in Seattle,WA. At least they have three flights a week going to Yokota, Japan. From there, you should be able to connect to your final destination.

Please check the flight schedule on Seatac and you might want to check the flight in McChord also. Thats pretty much my route whenever I visit Japan, Singapore and the Philippines from here in UK. Good luck.
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John R Garrison
Senior Member
Username: Majorg

Post Number: 2764
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 208.81.157.86
Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 01:49 am:   

Anne:

Keep in mind that Summer is a very busy time in Alaska (ie do not expect to find quarters on Elmendorf or Ft Richardson (usually taken up by work teams TDY from the "Lower 48" (construction/repair season is very short)). Lots of tourists (height of tourist season) so hotels are at a premium! IMHO, I would not fly to Anchorage with the hope of catching a flight to Yokota...the cost of missing that flight would be enormous.

Happy Travels, John
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Anne L Evans
Member
Username: Anne_l_evans

Post Number: 50
Registered: 01-2009
Posted From: 70.160.127.143
Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 01:35 am:   

I was going to post this closer to my intended date of travel (mid July) but since the new board will be in use, and the old one passing away, I thought I'd better post now that we're all on the same page! Our ultimate desination is Atsugi, Japan. Being Cat VI I know our only ports of entry are Yokota and Kadena. Reading recent posts and monitoring Last Cat Moved, it looks like Hickam is not moving well, so getting to HI from San Diego may mean getting stuck there. It looks like Elmendorf has frequent flights into Yokota. Does anyone have any experience going to Japan from there? Also, I know Ft Worth has flights into Elmendorf. Does anyone know of any other places where there is a chance of seats to Alaska? I would appreciate any and all advice. We live in Norfolk, and could even fly commercial to Alaska if we thought we had a good shot at Yokota from there. Thanks! Anne

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