If  he can fly Southwest, they have the Wanna Get Away fares which are not refundable, but you can change the date and time of the flight.  If you make his reservation using the military fare, sometimes it's a bit higher than the Wanna Get Away fare, but it's completely refundable.  I think you may need his DOD number to make the reservation.  My son came back from deployment last May, but he didn't get leave right away.  He had to wait two weeks.  You may not know if he is getting leave until he gets back.  Good luck.  I wasn't able to get to Norfolk to see his ship return, but you can log onto WAVY TV station out of Norfolk.  They usually have a reporter on site and film live shots of the ships returning from deployment.

My sailor is coming off deployment soon, too.  I'm so excited.  I understand not how hard it is to wait for the news.  Perhaps I could message you to see if our sailors are in the same CSG?  Best of luck to you.

Sorry I asked then disappeared. I am a caretaker for my dad, and a very old dog that my son is anxious to see, so sometimes life gets busy. We have hotel reservations made for the night before our son returns, and we have cleared the decks to be there when he arrives (so far, no changes to the schedule).He has added us to the groups he needs to add us to. I hope that I didn't sound entitled in my initial query; so many servicemen & women and their families sacrifice so much and often miss birthdays, holidays, even the births of their children! We certainly appreciate all that everyone does, both at home and abroad. Looking forward to seeing our boy; and thanks to all for the help! Everyone here have a safe and happy holiday season!