A flight left Vandenburg AFB in san diego today w/o 18 passengers?
My grandfather was coming up to whidbey island in WA for christmas. My mom and I were prepared drive to pick him up. He drove in rain is really old guy. Now he won't make it for xmas unless we book him commerical. The pilot just took off without the families waiting. Yes, military flights are not as reliable as commerical, but still... WHy? What could be the reason basically and who to call (if necessary?) since wer'e pis''d
Other - United States - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Wow, where to start... First of all, Vandenburg AFB is not in San Diego, it's near Lompoc. So, it sounds like he missed his flight. Looks like you already understand that military flights are not commercial flights. But you should also realize, whether military or commercial, planes do not just sit on the tarmac waiting for passengers to show up if one is late. Or even 18. Those planes take of at a certain time, whether they have all passengers with reservations or not. I don't know much about military protocols, but perhaps your grandfather could get on a standby flight. Or, as you have already figured out, he may just have to fly commercial. Or take the train. If you have any questions about why the flight took off, you should contact the officers at Vandenburg. I'm sure they will tell you pretty much what I have said.
2 :
Sounds like you grandfather was flying on "Space-A." What that means is that, if a military flight (usually a cargo plane) has space on it, then military and retirees can fly on it for free. However, if there is cargo, or mission-related passengers that need to ride, then the space-a passenger gets bumped off the flight. However, I have a suggestion. Vandenburg is probably not the best place to try to catch a space-a flight out of. I would probably try either March ARB in Riverside or Travis AFB out of Sacramento. Those 2 are both cargo bases, and consequently may have more space-a options. Also, trying to hop to Whidbey Island may be a little tricky, but your options may be better if he tries to take a space-a hop to nearby McChord AFB.
