From the Family Guide by RTC: (Italics and Bold mine)

DEPARTING RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND AFTER PASS-IN-REVIEW

Sailors transferring to Great Lakes “A” School:

If your new Sailor is attending “A” school in Great Lakes please note they will need to check into their new command before they can go on liberty. The Great Lakes “A” schools are not located onboard Recruit Training Command. The check-in process may take up to 5 hours. Please ensure your Sailor has your phone number so they can contact you once they have completed the check-in process.

Sailors transferring to “A” School Outside of Great Lakes:

If your new Sailor is attending “A” School outside of Great Lakes, generally they will depart RTC the day after graduation. Travel arrangements are made by RTC; therefore, Sailors are required to travel on their government orders. If your Sailor is flying out of state they must travel to the airport using government transportation, you may not escort them to the airport; however, you may meet them at the airport.

Your Sailor will receive guidance from their Recruit Division Commander regarding their liberty period on the day of graduation. Your Sailor may be required to check out with their RDC prior to commencing liberty. Please ensure you return to RTC with adequate time for your Sailor to reach his barracks prior to expiration of liberty.

RTC does not have your Recruits liberty or travel schedule, so you will need to stay in contact with them. Only your Recruit and their supervisor know their specific liberty schedule.

A few extra details and possibilities:

Sailors transferring to Great Lakes “A” School

This means Sailors who will be attending “A” school at Great Lakes Naval Station most likely at TSC – Training Support Center. They transfer from RTC Friday, after Graduation, to move over to their new barracks. This can take from 3-5 hours. I do not know how much time they get directly after graduation to spend with you before they have to go move their things and get settled and briefed. I am sure it is not very long though. Make sure they have a working calling card to call you when they are done. When they are done they may spend the rest of PIR day with you. They will be given a time to report back to their barracks. Then they should get Saturday and Sunday to spend with you. Times and such will be given to you by your Sailor. This could change daily! Sailors transferring to “A” School Outside of Great Lakes

This means those Sailors who will be attending “A” school somewhere other than Great Lakes. They usually get to leave right after PIR and spend the rest of the day with you. This is subject to change. The time they report back to RTC on Friday …is subject to change! (Are we seeing a pattern here?) It is usually 8-9 PM. They then get ready (or already are)…TRY to get some sleep and then muster up and board the buses to go to their airports around 1-3 AM Saturday Morning (this can vary). Their flight could be ANYTIME on Saturday…the Navy only makes ONE trip for all Sailors. There are three airports. Midway, (Milwaukee-don't hear much about them departing from here), O’Hare. You won’t know which one probably until PIR day. It is possible to find out before PIR though. If there are flight availability issues then they will “depart” RTC another day…these Sailors will be “on hold” on RTC and may have extra liberty (yippee!)

Here is what happened to me:

My Sailor PIR’d on a THURSDAY (Memorial Day weekend – If there is a Federal Holiday PIR is one day earlier and on Thanksgiving week it is on Wednesday),and was supposed to depart FRIDAY AM. He was attending “A” school AWAY from Great Lakes. While I was flying to PIR on TUESDAY he called and left a detailed message that everything had changed and he would now not leave until Sunday around 1-2 AM! “Subject to change.” His report time every night was different. His Pick up time in the AM each day was different. He had watch on Friday from 4-6 PM and none on Saturday.

So, what I was advised to do was book to stay the extra days (Stay through until Sunday or even Monday AM) if I could…even though up until the day I left he was still supposed to leave the morning after PIR. IF he got the extra days then…YAY…if not then I had decided that I would just sight see and or rest!

I am so glad I did because it ALL changed! I would not have got to spend time with him if I had gone home Friday and he would have been stuck on base. I just decided that IF he did leave Friday (normally Saturday…remember we had a Thursday PIR) that I would take a vacation!