140 seats to Osan

Author Message   Phyllis DeLancey Senior Member Username: Phyllis Post Number: 2753 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 99.93.231.12 Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 04:37 pm:    Pr you and Forest Gump have some of the same ways, life is a box of chocolates. This has to be one of the many ways you look at life. I just love your adventures, you go for it.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1702 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 205.172.16.179 Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 03:32 pm:    Curt-- I sent you a private message.   Curt Geiger Member Username: Curtisgeiger Post Number: 43 Registered: 09-2007 Posted From: 216.136.12.178 Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 11:54 am:    PR: I am headed to SEATAC this Saturday -- looking to get to Osan on the PE. Any thoughts/guidance for this CAT VI? Curt   Carole G Advanced Member Username: Greengal Post Number: 316 Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 68.205.151.181 Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 02:27 am:    PR, I have been following your posts and enjoyed them. Glad you made it to Hawaii. If you are stuck there a few days it won't be all bad for you. Good luck as you make your way back home.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 331 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 24.60.242.66 Posted on Monday, June 21, 2010 - 02:21 am:    PR: Glad you made it out to Hawaii. If you're stuck there, don't forget Hawaiian Air or Alaskan Air. Both have good fares back to the West Coast.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1701 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 205.172.16.179 Posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010 - 11:49 pm:    Am actually sitting here at Hickam. There was a C17 to Hickam, Andrews, and Charleston. Only 20 folks showed up for the 35 seats. I was shocked. There had been at least 100 people in the day and two before that did not get on flights. At Osan, they seem to only take the Patriot Expresses. Kunsan was an option, but nobody answered the phone over the weekend. I knew a KC10 was there. It lands here tonight. Those west coast prices were the best that I could find within 'the next three days'. Flights from Japan were even higher. I almost set up housekeeping. In fact, I think late Saturday night, I married some girl named 'Juicy' downtown. I new my 'other' wife wouldn't like that, so I got out on the next flight.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 330 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 24.60.242.66 Posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010 - 01:20 pm:    Jack: Where are you getting that West Coast fare? My input was based on the military rate that was quoted to us over in Seoul where my son was stationed. There were 3 offices that we visited: one at the USO, one at the Dragon Hill and the other on Yonsan where the active duty people make their travel arrangements. I don't remember any one way figures in the $900 range and the dollar is stronger now than when I was there last summer. Maybe the airline prices have gone up--I don't know. As to how we got to S. Korea; once we landed at Kunsan AB and that is off the beaten path and is a viable option for PR to get away from the crowds at Osan if any traffic is going that way. The base is a fighter base but has refueler traffic there from time to time and we travelled there on such an aircraft. As it turned out, we were never stuck at Osan, but if we were, we were prepared to take the bullet train to Pusan and ferry over to Japan for our trip back to the States, I believe the commercial airline prices from Tokyo to the West Coast are cheaper than from Seoul. Also, if one gets to Oahu, Hawaiian Air has some good fares back as well.   Jack Wanless Senior Member Username: Jack646 Post Number: 1965 Registered: 02-2007 Posted From: 99.194.52.9 Posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010 - 04:32 am:    PR, "Flights back to the west coast are between $950 and $1200 depending on connections." For that amount of $ I would probably set up housekeeping in the local area...... Unless of course u r married traveling with spouse.... Just a thought....   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 329 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 24.60.242.66 Posted on Sunday, June 20, 2010 - 02:13 am:    PR: Keep an eye on Kunsan Air Base where flights go in from time to time. It is one hour south of Osan and you can get there by bus. Also, I told you about the ferry over from Pusan to ports near Iwakuni MAS. Last year, we inquired at Yonsan about flying commercially to the west coast and were given some flights costing about $600 as the military rate out of Inchon Airport. If I were in your situation, I would have flown to Yokota and then surveyed the flight possibilities out of Atsugi NAS and Misawa which has flights through Alaska. Osan doesn't get as much traffic as the U.S bases in Japan. Good luck.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1700 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 61.37.245.12 Posted on Saturday, June 19, 2010 - 06:47 pm:    Bright and early at 4am here on Sunday at Osan. Still trying to get out against the 'out of school' crowd. Yesterday, I had hoped for a C17 to Guam, Hickam, Travis, and McChord. It got cancelled. In the meantime, the broke C5 had shown up and spent the night. Big confusion about folks being manifest past Kadena. Finally, they took all 55 or 60 who had come in and they got to go beyond Kadena. They took no new folks. I don't know if it spent the night at Kadena or made it all the way to Guam. Folks on the flight had various bad stories about waiting more than a week at Yokota to get anything, anywhere. It is hard to do anything here with showtimes generally about 2pm. By the time you don't make it on a flight, there is little time to do much else. Base is not bad. The Lodge is quite nice but very humid and very poor A/C. There is a Chili's behind the Lodge and it is quite good. Today, there are 2 C17's sheduled to head back. One generally to Andrews, and one to McChord, both with stops enroute. Both have showtimes about 2pm. If I get on one fine, if not, I am out of here commercial. Nothing on the schedule for tomorrow. Then the Patriot Express has only 1 seat on Tuesday. Aeroflot has $500 flights to Frankfurt thru Moscow. Also, British Airways has a $575 to Heathrow thru Hong Kong. Flights back to the west coast are between $950 and $1200 depending on connections. In general, Osan is a bit off the beaten track. There are relatively few flights. There are no pop-up planes. It is a fighter base, not an AMC base. It is also difficult to get a flight because the planes often appear to be full of pax from upstream locations. Seems to be an off-season kind of place if you want to come, but then you have the cold and snow. This will be my last post as the site migrates to the new software.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1698 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 61.37.245.12 Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 07:29 am:    I like these maps. Here is Rota: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=36.6409448&lon=-6.3459778&z=14&l=0&m=b Here is Ramstein, but fewer things are labeled. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=49.4451378&lon=7.5964451&z=14&l=0&m=b Even fewer for Spangdahlem: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=49.9765072&lon=6.6978836&z=14&l=0&m=b And last, Mildenhall: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=52.3706997&lon=0.4810381&z=15&l=0&m=b   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1697 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 61.37.245.12 Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 07:20 am:    Here is a good interactive map of Osan AB and Songtan. Drag it and zoom it to see what you want. The blocked areas are named. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=37.0799264&lon=127.0502329&z=17&l=0&m=b   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1696 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 61.37.245.12 Posted on Friday, June 18, 2010 - 02:59 am:    It is about 1pm here at Osan and I am tucked into the Lodge drinking Red Horse beer, apparently from the Philippines. Last night, the showtime for the Patriot Express changed from 0415 to 0900. So, up bright and early about 3am consistent with a CONUS sleeping pattern. Had 'breakfast' at the hotel at 7am. It wasn't much. In fact, while an option, the Song Tan Tourist hotel is generally unpleasant, smelly, noisy, and has flocked (sp?) old wallpaper. Next time, I will try the Asia Hotel. Asked them to call me a cab that could go on base, and it was there in about 3 minutes. Cost to the terminal was $4. The hotel has a van and they will come get you and drop you off, but the driver was busy for another half hour, so I took a cab. Looked like about 100 folks there for 25 seats to SeaTac and another 25 only to Yokota. The rollcall for SeaTac never got below Cat2...ouch! Anyone wanting to go got on for Yokota. Lots of crying moms and kids. About an hour later after some duty no-shows, they had 18 more seats. This got thru only Cat3. The usual broke C-5 from Wright-Pat broke yesterday at Yokota on the way here and then broke again this morning on the way here. They think it might get in here tonight but will need a crew rest waiver. The mission number changes at Kadina, so the pax reps can only manifest folks to Kadina...not on to Guam, Hickam, Travis, or Wight-Pat. I suspect with breaks at Guam and Hickam, it will take about 2 more weeks for that thing to get home. There is a C17 tomorrow to Guam, Hickam, Travis, and McChord. I hope to get on that back to McChord and my car. Hopefully, it won't stop at Guam but just Hawaii for the night. So, I have a room here for 3 nights and we will see. In the meantime, I have 'gone local' and gotten myself a ration card. You need one to buy anything at the BX. It allows me '3 units' of liquor per month. I hope that isn't single beers. If it is, I am in deep trouble.   Lester Green Advanced Member Username: Rtgreen5 Post Number: 326 Registered: 03-2007 Posted From: 24.60.242.66 Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2010 - 05:58 pm:    PR: I was at Osan last summer trying to get back to the States and was lucky to catch a flight to Yokota and then another flight from Yokota to McChord. If no flights materialize, you have the option of catching a train to Pusan (Busan)on the coast and taking a boat over to Hiroshima or nearby ports. From there, you can try for the Rotator out of Iwakuni MAS, which is nearby, or a flight up to Yokota or to Kadena. This may place you in a better position to get home rather than remaining at Osan, if there are no flights going your way. Did you get to the Kimshi Museum in Seoul where you can sample the varieties of this native food, or any of the major department stores which are a sight to see? Also outside of Yonsan, there is a major electronics market where they sell computers and all types of electronics and parts, if that interests you. Have a good flight back.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1695 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 119.194.82.92 Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2010 - 03:55 am:    About 2pm on Thursday here at Osan. The weather is hazy, not hot but humid. I got up about 3am this morning in Seoul to head down to Osan for the Patriot Express. Got up about 3am, checked out of the hotel, $8 cab ride to the Dragon Hill gate. Got on the 5:50am bus to Osan. The ticket office was closed. The driver collected my $5.60 when we got to Osan. The bus was about half full. Real fast at just under an hour. Walked the block to the Pax Terminal. The PatEx had been delayed by a day either at SeaTac or at Yokota. So, no plane today. No other options. Wandered over to the Lodge. I could only get a reservation yesterday for tomorrow. They had no rooms for tonight. They said to check back about 11am for early checkouts. When I did, no luck. Grabbed a cab for the Songtan Tourist Hotel. The cab was only $2.90 and required $US only. The hotel was only 80,000won total, including tax, breakfast, and internet (wired). So for, what I think, is $65, not bad. The room is a little smelly and odd. There are no hotels that you can book thru the internet here outside of base. So, I just showed up and asked for a room. There is a 7-11 right across the street and a bakery to the west one block. I wandered around the 'shopping area' and it was fascinating. I actually find this area more interesting than Seoul. There is a 'wet market' just next to me and it is wild in there. It is still early and the bars are not yet open. I may wander around again later. The area looks like it used to be alot busier. It appears that 'back in the day' there were plenty of service folks. It is hard to believe that those stationed now at Osan support this type of area anymore. The new 'one mistake' Air Force would have difficulty keeping an area like this going at night. So, the PatEx has a showtime of 0415 tomorrow. If I don't get on that, there is a Wright-Pat C-5 in the late afternoon going to Kadena, Guam, Hickam, Travis, then W-P. That is the one that breaks for a week or so at each stop. I will be hard pressed to actually climb up on that. Then there is a C17 on Saturday, non-stop to Hickam. I have a reservation for a few nights starting tomorrow at Lodging, so I can wait.   Furman Neeley New member Username: Neeleyf Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 75.149.211.182 Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 02:38 am:    AAFES runs taxis back and forward from the Itewan area to the base. These Taxis can come directly on base. You can hail them on base in front of the PX and off base in front of the Hamilton hotel in Itewan where they turn around for the return to base after dropping off U.S. passengers. They are Black with yellow AFEES marking on the door. Ask any GI in Itewan to help you spot one.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1694 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 222.106.49.65 Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 01:04 am:    It is about noon here in Seoul. The weather has been just OK. Sort of hazy, but no real rain. Yesterday, I did the hop on- hop off bus. It was only about $8 and took 2 hours. Nice orientation to the city. Plenty of palaces. Cabs are really very cheap. About $10 from the Army base over here to the COEX area on the other side of the river. Getting back to base by cab is tough given that most can't go on base. It appears that getting dropped off at gate 10 is best. Gate 10 is on the east-west road that is in front of the big War Memorial. This road cuts the base in half. The BX and stuff is on the north side and the Dragon Hill Lodge is on the south side of this road. There is a foot bridge over the road where the gates are. From these gates, for a subway, you can head west a little ways for Samgakji, or an equal distance to the east to Noksapyeong station. The one to the east is near the Itaewon shopping area. I also think the road that cuts thru the middle of the post is Itaewonnae, but not sure. I went out to Inchon airport to do a little recon. I took the KAL bus (kallimousine.com) out. It was about $11 and picks folks up right at the main hotels. It was great. Only about 24 seats and all like first class airline seats. Took just under an hour and was very nice. Coming back, I took the new A REX train to Gimpo airport and then the subway back in. This was only about $5 but it was very painful. Several changes of train. Over 2 hours long. Had to stand for about an hour or it. Only use the KAL bus! There is a bus line to and from the Army post, but I didn't try those. The Renaissance Hotel is very nice. Breakfast, as in most of Asian hotels, is just fabulous. The streets are funny around this newer area of Seoul. The main streets are big skyscrapers and very modern, but right behind these are little alley ways that have very interesting little businesses. Heading back down to Osan tomorrow to start looking for flights home. I will take a cab to the Army Post and then walk the block to the base bus station. It is one block north of the gates that I have described. It is about 3 blocks north of the Dragon Hill Lodge over the foot bridge. The bus runs about hourly thru the day. The first is at 5:50am. The last is at 9pm, except on Saturday when it is 10pm. Of course the Osan pax rep yesterday said the Patriot Express was Thursday. The one today says that it is Friday. C'est le space a, as the French say.   Brian T. Edwards Intermediate Member Username: Briane Post Number: 149 Registered: 06-2007 Posted From: 64.93.125.243 Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 02:16 pm:    Camp Humphries is actually near Pyeongtaek. I think you are thinking about Taegu AB. (K-2) Taegu AB, Korea ROK 96213-2166 Phone: 011-8253-980-4162 DSN: 766-4162 Fax(DSN): 766-4701 Reservations Phone: 766-4162 http://dodlodging.net/vt_taegu.htm   Lee Russler Intermediate Member Username: Lrusslerjr Post Number: 98 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 72.72.162.165 Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 11:01 am:    I understand Camp Humpfries is near the Daegu area. Can anyone give me an idea of where to stay in Daegu - especially on a military base and the best way to get there from Osan?   Furman Neeley New member Username: Neeleyf Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2010 Posted From: 75.149.211.182 Posted on Monday, June 14, 2010 - 11:57 pm:    Sorry to hear of your difficulty finding reasonably priced lodging. I was stationed at Camp Humpfries from 2005-2007. I spent many a weekend at Osan and Seoul. There are indeed many reasonably priced hotels within walking distance of the main gate at Osan and the opposite direction from Itewan in Seoul. I only wish that my addled senior brain could remember the name of the Seoul hotel around the corner from the USO in Seoul. It wasn't more than $60 a night and even has a DSN number for reservations.   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1693 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 222.106.49.81 Posted on Monday, June 14, 2010 - 08:46 pm:    Well, it is bright and early at 6am on Tuesday here in Seoul. Very, very long and painful flight even without stopping in Anchorage for gas. While rollcall was at 10:30pm on Saturday night, we actually didn't take off until 7am Sunday morning. This was a few hours late due to fog at Misawa. The plane ride was 9.5 hours to Misawa. Then no less than 2.5 hours on the ground there. Then 2+ hours to Osan. Very long day. The new plane is very nice with 2-3-2 seating. While there were 248 seats on the plane, there were only 160 pax, so very few had to sit next to anyone. About two-thirds were space a's. Very few duty pax. I called for a room at Osan and Dragon Hill again from Misawa, and again no luck. When we got to Osan, the army had 5 buses there to transport the 30 or so army guys up to Seoul. I asked if I could bum a ride and they said fine. They had me sign the roster. The bus stopped right at Dragon Hill (with the 'replacement center' right next door). Went in and still no room, but told to come back at 6pm. Went to the 'pub' for a number of beers and to use the wifi. After about 2 hours of beer (and food), it was 6pm and there were still no rooms. This is where Shatner and Priceline let me down. In Korea, you can't bid on room for same day checkin. So, I bit the bullet and got a AAA rate for about $140 at the Renaissance. All hotels are quite pricey here in Seoul with 20% service fees and 20% tax rates. An option that I tried on base in addition to Dragon Hill was the Embassy Association Suites at DSN 738-6124. They are $100 per night and quite close to the Dragon Hill. They had no availability for me. So, after a little 'free' breakfast buffet downstairs, I am off to the subway system. We will see where I end up.   Edgar Inocentes Senior Member Username: Traveler88 Post Number: 563 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 209.242.132.226 Posted on Monday, June 14, 2010 - 04:52 pm:    Actually, several Hotel "lobbyist" will meet the plane at Osan and will give you free rides to their off-base hotels. The off-base hotels are within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants. At least this was the norm several years ago.   Brian T. Edwards Intermediate Member Username: Briane Post Number: 148 Registered: 06-2007 Posted From: 64.93.125.243 Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2010 - 07:02 pm:    I'd check with lodging at Osan to see if they have a list of hotels they use for non-availability. There are a group of hotels outside the main gate. Here is a link that has hotel info. http://www.rao-osan.com/osan-info/osan.home.htm   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1692 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 198.134.93.90 Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2010 - 07:35 am:    Phyllis-- you are beginning to sound like my wife. Everyone who showed up got on. They still said that they had 140 seats. It sure looked like it was close to 140 waiting, but they just processed everyone without any rollcall by signup date or anything. They said that on Wednesday's flight there were initially 0 seats. This turned into about 20 and all but 1 couple got on. So it sounds like it is worth showing up even if it looks grim. It is about 1:30am here at SeaTac. The plane takes off about 4:30am. It supposedly gets to Misawa at about 6:30am on Monday. Then, I suspect into Osan a few hours later. Osan lodging said they had no rooms over the phone, as did Dragon Hill. So, it is me and Shattner on Priceline.   Phyllis DeLancey Senior Member Username: Phyllis Post Number: 2743 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 99.57.145.27 Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2010 - 02:36 am:    PR, are you ever home?????????????????   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1691 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 24.18.169.64 Posted on Saturday, June 12, 2010 - 11:17 pm:    I was driving past Seattle when I called and found out that there were 140 seats on the new Patriot Express to Osan for late Saturday night. ...so, I pulled off the road. I am at McChord now, about 5pm on Saturday. The nice pax reps here will give you a long term parking pass to park here. Parking up around SeaTac is $15/day or worse. The Kitsap Shuttle is about $15 from the Pax Terminal to SeaTac. Be aware that they have changed the times of their runs in the last week or so, so call. The pax reps here also double check your signup date and will mark you present if you want. It will be interesting to try out the new Patriot Express, especially with the new planes and them no longer stopping in Anchorage for gas. I have no plans or reservations. The Dragon Hill Lodge is full according to their website. I will call DSN from here just to be sure. I might also call the quarters at Osan for a night. Failing that, I will try bidding on Priceline. I think school is getting out over that way in the next few days, so I have no hope of ever getting back. More later.