Christmas

[Melanie A.]

Anyone know how those in training can get home for Christmas if they get leave? My son is in Dive dchool in Fla, and he might get leave. Do we just book a flight on a commercial airline or what? He said he won't know until two weeks before whether he actually gets leave. That's late to schedule a regualr flight.

[Mary, Proud Mom of Nick]

If you make his reservations before he gets approved leave - you may be in a position of canceling them or at least changing the date/time. Many families are dealing with this right now but until they have approved leave there is no guarentee that he will be home for the holidays. So you need to either sit tight or make reservations and be prepared to pay some extra fees to change the ticket or even cancel it.

[Donna]

The best way to do this is to get airline tickets with no restrictions. My son has tickets with the right to change or cancel without losing any money..that ticket cost around 700.00 dollars but that is from Seattle to Connecticut.. I know the flights are fllling up fast so this may be the way to go.

[fly 2]

Where is your son stationed in Seattle? My son is also stationed up there. He is on the Stennis?

[navymomBonnie]

My son went to bootcamp on Sunday. He was living with his father in Farmington, CT. Where are you located in CT if I may ask? My son is 22 years old. I wonder if they might know each other.

[Joy (Brandon's Mom) Div 252]

I am running into the same issue - the tickets from Meridian, MS to Arizona are close to $800. If you know anyone that works at an Airport, see if you can get/buy a Buddy Pass from them. That's what we hope to do for our son. They will be on a waitlisted flight, so the earlier they leave the better. Otherwise, opt for the ticket with no restrictions.

[Dianne]

Melanie, The only way he is going to get leave is to do a leave CHIT and get all the paperwork completed to have his leave approved. Tell him to jump on it right away!!

[Melanie A.]

Thanks, Dianne. I will get him to hop to it - though he has always been a procrastinator.
Melanie

[Dianne]

Aren't they all LOL!!!

[Sandi]

If your son is in boot camp he may not be able to take leave at all. When my son was in boot camp he didn't get leave for thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years. They let them go to families in the area but not home. If he is in A school then he may be able to come home but only for the days that they aren't have classes.

[Sheila]

Hi my son Ben is at P-cola. He says most of them there get Dec 19th to Jan 4th leave. They pay their own airfare, there is an office who will do the Airlines tickets for them. My Son is having his taken out of his savings. He has to do nothing but ask them to get his tickets for him.
Sheila

[Melanie A.]

Thanks, Sheila. I will pass that along to my son.
Melanie

[Carla Street]

Some info I've pulled from my files from several moms for several years, HA!

Military Discounts

http://www.baseops.net/marketplace/

Hello All
My son Frankie always uses this site for planning his tickets , he
swears by them - he's used them several times and says they are
cheeper ! Hope this link works :
http://militarytogo.com/
If not you can email me and I'll forward it on
Hope ya'll having a Great start to your day !
Sheri
PNM of Nick
PAM of Frankie

Call the airline, don't book online and tell them it is for someone military and often you will get discounts. Blue Star mothers has recommended American Airlines.

This was posted by Andria in 2005 but had some good info on it

1. What the Blue Star Moms have accomplished: 04/24/03 Passage of California State Assembly Resolution H.R. 26
12/12/03 Passage of H.R. 2115 U.S. Congress Flight 100 of The Century Aviation Act, amendment, section 427
06/16/04 Passage of California Joint Resolution, SJR16


On December 17, 2003 President Bush signed H.R. 2115 Flight 100 of the Century Aviation Act - (Military Airfare Reduction) which includes the language of HRES 236 introduced by U.S. Representatives Mike Honda (D-San Jose) and Ellen Tauscher (D-Walnut Creek). Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) also assisted with the passage of this resolution during the FAA conference committee meeting. The pertinent language is set forth below:

(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS - It is the sense of Congress that each United States air carrier should:

(1) establish for all members of the Armed Forces on active duty reduced airfares that are comparable to the lowest airfare for ticketed flights; and
(2) offer flexible terms that allow members of the Armed Forces on active duty to purchase, modify, or cancel tickets without time restrictions, fees and penalties.

2. What this means:
Neither the California state resolutions nor the U.S. amendment are binding. They are a show of support by our legislators, but not laws.

3. What the Blue Star Moms are doing now:
We continue to correspond with U.S. flag carriers urging compliance with H.R. 2115 as well as with U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.

4. What you can do:
Search the internet for the lowest ticketed 7 day, 14 day or 21 day airfare before contacting a ticket agent. For your information, military airfares are not accessible on the internet; however, you will have the necessary information to quote the lowest airfare for ticketed flights.
Call the airlines. Are their military fares equal to or lower than the best price a civilian can book?
Ask for the lowest priced airfare you found on the internet. Even if you have only 3 days prior to your leave and the lowest airfare is a 21 day advance booking ticket, the airline should give you the lower price to be in compliance with H.R. 2115.
If they refuse, ask if they are aware of H.R. 2115. If not, speak with a supervisor. Refer to the information contained in #1 above, section (b).
Explain that you expect the airline to honor the Sense of Congress resolution. It is the right thing to do. Tell them: "I urge you to comply with H.R. 2115. Our men and women in uniform deserve fundamental fair treatment and should not be forced to pay higher ticketed airfare because of their unpredictable deployment and leave schedules." Continue to insist they give you the lowest ticketed airfare.
If the airline refuses to comply with H.R. 2115, contact your congressman and advise him or her of the airline's lack of compliance. Listed below are links to assist you finding your congressman's e-mail address:

US House of Representatives: www.house.gov/writerep/

US Senators: www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
5. Airline information:
After conducting phone surveys for over a year, we found that Southwest is one of the top two or three U.S. carriers in terms of responsiveness and willingness to help. They offer an M1MILNR airfare to active duty military personnel, their dependents with ID, and U.S. Military who have been discharged from active duty and complete their travel within seven days of discharge. This fare is available until September 12, 2005 and may be extended for the rest of the year, according to Southwest's representative.

Jet Blue is another low-cost carrier that we recommend checking.

American Airlines now allows travel on its special military fares through January 31, 2006. Active duty military personnel, their spouse and dependent children who are on leave or furlough, (including those traveling within seven days of discharge from active service) are eligible for these special fares. Please click here for further information regarding American Airlines special military fares.

Continental Airlines offers several special fares extending into January, 2006 exclusively for active duty members of the U.S. military who are on leave. As a service to Blue Star Mothers, Continental employees have had special training to assist with military fares. Also, Continental created a direct reservation line for active duty military. The toll free number: 1-877-263-5937. The hours of operation are: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM (CT), daily.

Airlines increasingly advertise and list their fares without including most of the taxes and fees. United, Delta, Northwest and Continental all give the full price up front. Southwest, U.S. Airways, American West and Jet Blue all throw taxes and fees in later. All the major travel agents still include fees and taxes in the prices they list, even if the airline doesn't include them on its own web site. This results in some tickets showing up as one price on expedia.com or travelocity.com and another price on the airline's own site, even though it's actually the same ticket.

For now, check for an asterisk when pricing airline tickets.

Web sites to help you book a flight
WhichBudget.com This web site shows which low-cost carriers fly to and from various cities and countries.
LowCostAirlines.org This web site lists budget airlines in many regions of the world.
CheapFlights.com Domestic and International overview of the best deals and bargains on your route.
SideStep.com Side by side comparison with other low fare sites for airfares, hotels, cars and vacations.
QIXO.com Web site searches more than 28 popular airfare sites and finds the best price and flight time.
AirGorilla.com Their motto is "we stomp the competition". Judge for yourself. Quotes for airfares, hotels, cars, and vacation packages.
Offdutytravel.com Offers special deals for eligible active duty, retired, Reserve, National Guard, DOD civilians and family members on air, cruise and other travel related services.


Our sons and daughters in the military have put their lives on the line for our country's safety and security and they deserve reasonable fares. They should not be penalized or burdened because their jobs require erratic travel or short notice. When the opportunity arises they should be able to come home as inexpensively as possible so that their hearts can be filled with the love and support only their families and friends can provide.

Thank you for supporting our U.S. Military men and women!!!