MAC Flights As A Retiree

[Bridge End Farm]

Anyone got any info on riding Mac flights abroad as a retiree, myself and some friends are looking into maybe taking a trip abroad this year to the Pacific area like may PI, etc Would like to know if anyone on here has ridden them abroad since the start of the GUlf War again or has any tips .

know already it is space A and cost was $10 to ride

thanks

 

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[birdman]

I know it is a great benefit . I and my family have traveled Mac flights many times from Germany and back and met many retired people catching hops along the way. The thing to remember is as a catergory 5 (retiree) you will be at the bottom of the list. People traveling with orders are cat 1 and 2 . Active members on leave are cat 3 family members of active duty personal are cat 4 when traveling with out there spouse. The best time for you as a retiree to travel will be off season when there are no holidays coming . Ramstein has many flights coming and going and I saw a retired family of 5 traveling one time. They just hoped on a plane ,went to Europe for 2 weeks and then got back on a plane and went home. The main thing is to be flexable. Good luck and enjoy your travels.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

I know it is a great benefit . I and my family have traveled Mac flights many times from Germany and back and met many retired people catching hops along the way. The thing to remember is as a catergory 5 (retiree) you will be at the bottom of the list. People traveling with orders are cat 1 and 2 . Active members on leave are cat 3 family members of active duty personal are cat 4 when traveling with out there spouse. The best time for you as a retiree to travel will be off season when there are no holidays coming . Ramstein has many flights coming and going and I saw a retired family of 5 traveling one time. They just hoped on a plane ,went to Europe for 2 weeks and then got back on a plane and went home. The main thing is to be flexable. Good luck and enjoy your travels.

yeah I used to bring my helo in late at night into MAC Terminals and always find a few retirees hanging out in case something unscheduled came through. I'd count them and then go out and rearrange my cargo so I would have room for them best as possible. Most active folks would leave to a room and not stay at terminal like they did.

but that was before the wars going on and the troop movements we have today

I think it would be quite hard to get on a flight as Space A with the movement of troops today

 

[Montana Jim]

MAC is long gone my friend... it's AMC now and apparently Space A is still a viable option... I found a few sites that might be helpful.

http://www.spacea.info/

http://www.baseops.net/spaceatravel/

 

[Bridge End Farm]

MAC is long gone my friend... it's AMC now and apparently Space A is still a viable option... I found a few sites that might be helpful.

http://www.spacea.info/

http://www.baseops.net/spaceatravel/

thanks very much Jim

 

[$CUERVOJ]

Montana Jim hit it on the head LOL. You can always tell the retired guys when they say MAC flight. The Air Mobility Command has gone through alot of changes. Dependants of deployed members can now travel without their sponsor. You can always call an AMC terminal closest to you as well. Take a look in the foreign clearance guide for the country your wanting to go to and it will tell you which documents are required.

I am the NCOIC of the AMC Passenger Terminal at a deployed location at the moment. It is true that the ops tempo has increased since the begining of Operations Desert Storm and Shield but logistics has never been better. Most of the seats for troops are planned out really well. You can still find lots of space available seats on flights. I have traveled and hopped with my family of five to Germany many times. You may pay a head tax under $20 and meal fee but it still beats paying thousands to get to exotic countrys in the Pacific. Dont hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you have a specific question. I will answer them the best I can or reach in my pool of fellow Air Transporters to help you .

Id like to thank all of you Vets retired or not for paving the way for the rest of us. I hope to leave this place better than it was when I joined in 1989.

Air Power,
Jose

 

[Montana Jim]

Montana Jim hit it on the head LOL. You can always tell the retired guys when they say MAC flight. The Air Mobility Command has gone through alot of changes. Dependants of deployed members can now travel without their sponsor. You can always call an AMC terminal closest to you as well. Take a look in the foreign clearance guide for the country your wanting to go to and it will tell you which documents are required.

I am the NCOIC of the AMC Passenger Terminal at a deployed location at the moment. It is true that the ops tempo has increased since the begining of Operations Desert Storm and Shield but logistics has never been better. Most of the seats for troops are planned out really well. You can still find lots of space available seats on flights. I have traveled and hopped with my family of five to Germany many times. You may pay a head tax under $20 and meal fee but it still beats paying thousands to get to exotic countrys in the Pacific. Dont hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you have a specific question. I will answer them the best I can or reach in my pool of fellow Air Transporters to help you .

Id like to thank all of you Vets retired or not for paving the way for the rest of us. I hope to leave this place better than it was when I joined in 1989.

Air Power,
Jose

Great information! 

And thanks for your service too and on 20 years! 

Can retiree's and family still fly stateside to stateside?

 

[Bridge End Farm]

Montana Jim hit it on the head LOL. You can always tell the retired guys when they say MAC flight. The Air Mobility Command has gone through alot of changes. Dependants of deployed members can now travel without their sponsor. You can always call an AMC terminal closest to you as well. Take a look in the foreign clearance guide for the country your wanting to go to and it will tell you which documents are required.

I am the NCOIC of the AMC Passenger Terminal at a deployed location at the moment. It is true that the ops tempo has increased since the begining of Operations Desert Storm and Shield but logistics has never been better. Most of the seats for troops are planned out really well. You can still find lots of space available seats on flights. I have traveled and hopped with my family of five to Germany many times. You may pay a head tax under $20 and meal fee but it still beats paying thousands to get to exotic countrys in the Pacific. Dont hesitate to email me at [email protected] if you have a specific question. I will answer them the best I can or reach in my pool of fellow Air Transporters to help you .

Id like to thank all of you Vets retired or not for paving the way for the rest of us. I hope to leave this place better than it was when I joined in 1989.

Air Power,
Jose

thanks for your input

 

[birdman]

Lots of flights coming and going from Europe .I have seen empty seats many times.

 

[Bridge End Farm]

We are thinking about taking a ride to P I

stop in have a few drinks
see some friends

maybe have some our friends over there
plan a get together and refresh on our team
skills

 

[hyperion]

We are thinking about taking a ride to P I

stop in have a few drinks
see some friends

maybe have some our friends over there
plan a get together and refresh on our team
skills

I'm a retired (25 years) AF MAC/AMC guy currently working for AMC.

The PI is going to be a tough one to connect with. Clark AB closed after the Mt Pinatubo eruption in the early 90's and regular service there was curtailed. They have very infrequent flights in and out of Clark and a group of ex-Pat's operate a pseudo-terminal there ... not sanctioned by the DoD. There are also infrequent flights in and out of Subic Bay. Here's a link to a wiki article about what's there now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diosdado_Macapagal_International_Airport

An option might be a hop to Yokota or Kadena AB Japan and commercial flight to old Clark or Manila. Most of our traffic is headed through Europe to SWA these days for obvious reasons, but we still maintain a pipeline to our folks in the Pacific. To have the most opportunities you need: Lots of time; flexibility; and the ability to travel non-peak ... when the kids are in school. Travel planned over major holidays and summer break is not a good idea for a Cat 5 traveller.

Good luck ... wish I could get back to the PI to see what Clark looks like these days. I was last there in 1981. 8)

 

[Don in SJ]

JIM!!!! AMC (American Motor Company) MAC, well, I think it was still called MATS when I joined, but not sure, but I sort of remember MAC being the new thought up name about the time the brand new C-141 came on board!

MATS=MAC=AMC= in the future.

I too would be interested in traveling abroad now, but mostly interested in getting to England,(AND BACK) hmmmmmmm, McGuire is right up the road 60 miles.

Don