Shipping to USAFA

usafah

usafah

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Oct 18, 2015
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Hi all,
I recently ordered something from amazon addressed to my PO Box. Amazon says delivery attempted but failed. What address should I ship to and is it important to put the recipient as "Cadet ____"


Thank you!
 
usafah said:
Hi all,
I recently ordered something from amazon addressed to my PO Box. Amazon says delivery attempted but failed. What address should I ship to and is it important to put the recipient as "Cadet ____"


Thank you!
Click to expand...

https://www.usafa.edu/parents/supporting-your-cadet/

You’re welcome - as a future junior officer, you will have to research primary sources yourself using smart search terms. But if you can get kindly retired squids hundreds of miles away to research something at your own Academy on an anonymous Internet forum, you are clearly ahead of the game!
 
2360 Vandenberg # (your P.O. Box number)
United States Air Force Academy, CO 80840

(Note: Different zip code than regular cadet mail)
 
I'm a class of 22 new parent and am trying to get a handle on exactly how all of the mail works at USAFA - packages (by all carriers) as well as letters and overnight mail. I have a number of relatives that have sent or want to send packages and have asked what the best (aka fastest and most dependable) method is. So far, our experience has been nothing short of frustrating. One 2-day flat rate priority USPS box reached 80841 in one day but didn't get to my cadet until 8 days later. Other packages have had similar delays. Amazon Prime shipping seems to be useless. Online research hasn't helped - I'm not getting consistent information (and some is just plain out of date). My cadet says that packages arrive at 80841 in CoS and sit "until there's a truckload and then USAFA takes a truck over to pick them up", after which they are sorted.

Regular letters seem to arrive in about 3 days - but now that they have email, that's not the critical issue. My questions include:
  1. Does the size of the package influence how quickly it arrives?
  2. I've seem two different street addresses for use by non-USPS. My cadet is in Vandy - but the street address he was given isn't the one above, on Vandenberg. Instead, he was given one on Cadet Drive.
  3. If I could track a package with GPS, what would it's path look like each day on it's trip - for USPS, UPS and FeDex?
  4. Based on my experience thus far, I assume that sending perishables is out of the question?
 
There is a significant amount of information (and misinformation) circulated about package delivery. Use address posted at the USAFA link provided by @Capt MJ (and copied for your convenience by @0302grnt) for all non-USPS packages. My personal (not official in any way) perception is: letters are processed and placed in cadet PO boxes daily, but there are a couple of periods a year that delivery slow-downs occur for larger packages (e.g. around A-Day, when new C4Cs receive care packages and many cadets receive online purchases/rentals of textbooks). I believe that much of the delay is caused by a limited number of package lockers available -- while they may be a sufficient quantity for "normal" periods, backlogs occur during peak shipping times and compounded when cadets do not pick up packages on a timely basis (cadet "pick up your mail" messages are common on Jodel at the beginning of each semester).

I would think that you would be safe to send semi-perishable goodies most of the time, but I would avoid the first 2-3 weeks of each semester.

@whataride - welcome to the USAFA parent family. Enjoy the ride... ;)
 
We have two Cadets there and below is the address we use for Amazon Prime which has a different Zip Code than the one posted above, but our son ordered something small Saturday and it was there Tuesday. It is strange as both of our Cadets have a different "Plus Four" at the end of the Zip Code on our Amazon account......Haven't figured that one out yet. As far as "lockers" go, think of the Cadet mail room like a large post office with PO Boxes or "group" neighborhood mailboxes. They each have a small one with their number assigned. For large items, there is a key left in their mailbox to a larger locker. So depending on how quickly other Cadets clear out their items, some things might get backed up. As mentioned by others above, the first several weeks of a new semester are very busy for the mail room. Good luck.

Cadet XXXX
2360 VANDENBURG DR # XXXX (mailbox number)
USAF ACADEMY, CO 80841
 
Back when I was there (which is getting dated!), there was a package delivery address in Arnold Hall that accepted larger items. Not sure if that is still how it works...
 
Nothing bad against USAFA, since this could be the USPS, but I know our DS sent a box to our home after graduation and he never got it. Send your stuff insured, since you may never see it again!
 
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