Patriot Express Before, During, and After

I wish I had this information ahead of time. Although, your actual travel experience may be different.

Flying with pets:
First, if you have pets, as soon as you have orders make sure you get into your transportation office (with an appointment) 90-days out to get a pet slot, which are limited.  There are very limited slots for in-cabin pets. In-cabin pets are small pets that will fit under the seat in front of you.  Larger pets will go in the luggage area. There is a fee for pets that you will pay at the ticket counter in BWI. For our cats we paid $120 each. Also, at the check in counter at BWI, have a copy of your bilingual (German/English) Health Certificate ready.



Special Diets:
If you have someone in your family with special dietary needs, you need to call the Patriot Express and make arrangements no later than 24 hours in advance.  Do the research so you know who and when to call.

Check In for the Flight:
Please note that the time on your itinerary for check-in is accurate. If it says check in at 1730, get there earlier if you can. The lines are very long and slow. There are two lines, one for families, and one for unaccompanied service members.  When we got in line to check in there were only four families ahead of us and it took about an hour for our turn.  This means have something for the kiddos to do. I emphasize this because when I called the day before, I was told roll call was at 2000. I thought that meant for us and that our printed itinerary was incorrect.  It turns out that "Roll call" is for Space "A" seats.  If you are ticketed, be sure to arrive at check-in!

Now you are checked in:
Once you are checked in, hopefully you will have a couple hours before your flight takes off. There are some nice seating areas close to the security check point with small tables and electric outlets. If you have pets I suggest you wait in this area, outside of security. That way you can take your dog out if you need to.  When we were there, which was December 2014, not all of the plugs worked. Just check around and find one that does so you can charge your phone or lap top.  This is also close to the restrooms.

Food while waiting:
There is a USO available at BWI.  There are also a couple food establishments outside of security and other terminal secure areas. Subway, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, but they are a bit of a walk.  Most of the restaurant options are in the other terminals, inside the secure areas, unfortunately.  Through security in the E terminal there is a small cafe and airport convenience store, but they close early.  Since most of the Patriot Express flights leave really late or early in the morning, don't expect much to be left open. Come prepared.

Going through security:
The line was not bad going through security because most people just went through at different times. It's regular TSA standards.  However, if you are traveling with your pet  that are going in cabin, you need to be aware that you will be carrying them through the scanner with you as their carrier gets scanned with the rest of your personal items. Since we had cats that don't like to be held, I had to put some thought into how I was going to handle this. What I did, and it worked great for me, was I had two baby blankets in each of my carriers. One for them to snuggle with and lay on, the other for me to grab and wrap them up in. Safely keeping their claws all tucked in and away from you.  I have to say this was one of the most stressful times of my whole moving experience. I had visions of one of my poor kitties jumping down and bolting for a hiding spot in the airport, and me being left behind to search for the kitty as he goes on to Germany! Luckily that didn't happen.

Boarding:
From talking with other frequent travelers the PE is often delayed. I think it jinxed us! First our flight was delayed from boarding for 30-minutes (which was more like 45), then we sat on the plane for 90-minutes before it took off. Waiting isn't bad, after all what can you do? It is the lack of information as to why you are sitting there and not moving that drives me nuts.  Boarding will be announced and then they will let you know who is going to board. For us it was high ranking military first, then families with small children, followed by service members in uniform then the rest of us.

The flight:
The planes are a bit older, or at least ours was. But the customer service was great. They offered us hot towels to wipe off with right after take off, then you are offered drinks and a snack.  The leg room was much nicer that on commercial flights. They offer free headphones for you to use on the flight. The only problem is where we were sitting the sound was all static. I can't tell you how it was for everyone else. But perhaps you can plan on bad reception and have a back up plan for entertainment for your children and yourself.  Our flight served two meals. One was a hot meal. For us it was pasta and chicken or beef and potatoes with gravy. The next was a sandwich with chips and cookies.  Once you are in the air the flight takes about 7 hours.

Arrival:
Don't rush to get out of your seat after you land. Seriously don't. If you do they will ask you to kindly sit back down.  Others will get up and start getting ready, but they will have to sit back down. So trust me just be comfortable. After landing an Air Force official will come on board and announce what to do and how to deplane.  For us it was senior officials first, followed by military personnel that would be re-boarding the plane, then the rest of us.

I wish you the best of luck in your travels!

For more information on what happens next see:
 "After Landing at Ramstein," and "The Bus to Grafenwoehr."