flights for sailors

[Alma Castillo]

Hi ,Does anyone know if our sailors can get any kind of assistance or discounts for flying home for Christmas? My son just graduated from boot camp and he is trying to come home any information will be appreciated. thanks moms

[Paula]

No maam, and military discounts are probably already gone. Search the internet but call the airlines too. Sometimes you get a great perosn like I did on Delta. $596 round trip from Pensacola, FL to Philly 2 stops best price I could get. I was up to $1000 due to his orders. Good Luck and remember at least from tehre he can take the train to the airport I believe.
Good Luck

[Kama]

I agree with Paula. Good Luck anytime. There is rarely military discounts available, esp around Christmas time. The few discounted seats on each plane are usually booked months in advance which is so aggraveting since our sailors usually doen't have their leave approved until much later than that. My son has been in for over 5 years now and I have only gotten a slight discount one time for him to come home. Instead of $750, it was $450. I have a 'trip watcher' on my homepage that keeps track of flights and prices daily and a few times I was able to book some good prices on my own terms for me and grandson to go out to visit my son. I would think the airlines would be ashamed but they aren't.

[Pamela Henry]

what is a trip watcher and how do you get it? I would like to know. There are so many sites out there to go thru and some are cheaper than others, and i always feel like i could have done better. I would like the information if you could get it to me, my son is trying to get a flight home from norfolk for his sisters wedding in two weeks.

[Fay]

I don't know if this still applies, but when my son was coming home- he would find a plane going into NY or near there (CARGO), and hop on it,sometimes it cost him nothing as long as it was going that way. then he would have someonre pick him up- or have the money to taxi it home. I know many sailors who did this to get home..

[NorCal14]

Hi Fay, I hope you are still looking at your mail. Cargo planes.... that's right.... why couldn't they hop on a cargo plane going in the direction they are headed? I knew a teaching assistant who was a vet. I would ask him what he was planning for the weekend & he would say, " Oh, probably dinner in NYC Sat. nite" and he wasn't kidding!
I think I'll ask my son's recruitment officer. Thanks for the tip.

[NorCal14]

Our sailors can receive discounted fares at the MWR and so can family. Book on-line and it is cheaper. But you can also call them & get good information:

www.mwrtravelplus.com
toll free: 1-800-905-9330
They will help with rental cars too.

Another resource is ITT ( Information, Tickets, and Travel). Phone: [phone].
I discovered all these resources after I had bought our air tickets/ rental car for PIR last week. It's all included in the brochure they send you the first letter you receive from the commanding officer. Just keep looking on-line several times a day for airfares. They change constantly. We flew with United from No. Calif. for $550 total r.t for both of us.
By the way, bring plenty of kleenex for PIR.

[Lesli]

Hi I always wonder the same situation and I was thinking not just for the holidays but for in between deployment times. Great question and I am sorry I do not have the answer.