travel reimbursement

singaporemom

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I have read that plebe will receive travel reimbursement for that first flight out to USNA for plebe summer...is this a reality?

About to book flights using miles, but would rather save them for us to fly out on PPW.
 
They are supposed to get reimbursed, but I doubt you will ever see any money. Count yourself lucky if your then-plebe tells you he received the reimbursement (I believe it goes directly into their account). I asked mine in emails several times and am still waiting for a reply. That's how we "communicate" these days :wink:

In other words: pay for his ticket, use points for yours and Thanksgiving/Winter Break.
 
thanks...i ended up posting this in two places, so sorry.

Sounds like if 'we' get reimbursed then it will be used by mid.
 
Flat out "YOU" don't get reimbursed ... the mid does ... they present thier ticket/proof of paymet/cost and eventually the money is put in their account ... parents need to work out with their mid whether they actually get paid back ... lord knows there's enough they need to buy once they get a chance to go to the mid store ...
 
ya, I got the impression by other posters that the reimbursement will go to mid's account. At least I can budget for that and know it'll be there for him. Thanks everybody. Now I can purchase tix and have that part finished.
 
Flat out "YOU" don't get reimbursed ... the mid does ... they present thier ticket/proof of paymet/cost and eventually the money is put in their account ... parents need to work out with their mid whether they actually get paid back ... lord knows there's enough they need to buy once they get a chance to go to the mid store ...

True. Welcome to your child being an adult and a member of the military. He/she will be reimbursed for coach airfare, car miles, bus fare, whatever. There may be limits on airfare costs (it's been a LONG time since I've done this and we drove), so you may want to check on that. It MAY be that your mid needs to book his travel through USNA -- a current mid/parent may know more about that.

You (parents, guardians, etc.) won't be reimbursed for anything.

Finally, save yourself some heartache and don't start booking those non-refundable T-giving and Christmas flights yet. Unless your mid lives relatively close, Thanksgiving could be dicey given when he/she can leave and when they need to be back. Holiday break is good for most but the dates will depend on your mid's exams, military duties, etc.
 
We booked our son's (and our) travel for I-Day 2009. We had no contact with any USNA travel office. At Christmas, plebe son booked his own travel to Houston for the Texas Bowl game to coordinate arrival with other companymates. He was reimbursed (two months later) by USNA ... it takes quite a while ... lesson learned!

We booked son home for Thanksgiving ... and we live on the west coast ... he came home Wednesday, had to go back Saturday ... it was worth the outrageous cost. He needed to touch base with us ... East Coast mids don't have to go back until Sunday ... but there were no flights that could get him back to BWI by 2 p.m. from here
 
That is really good to know. What about the flights during leave for christmas and other breaks? I have heard the part about riding on other military flights. How does that work?
 
That is really good to know. What about the flights during leave for christmas and other breaks? I have heard the part about riding on other military flights. How does that work?

They're called "hops." Basically, you can fly "space A" -- meaning space available -- on military flights. There is a priority system, based on a combination of why you're flying (military need, leave, etc.) and when you sign up/show up.

You can end up on a passenger-type plane or a cargo plane or . . . lots of different planes. You might get a direct flight or you might get part of the way there and have to hop further or pay your own way. A lot of mids use hops to get to Europe during leave.

The major downside of hops is that there is NO GUARANTEE you'll get one going or . . . getting back! You are responsible for being back when you're supposed to be and the fact that you couldn't get a hop is NEVER an excuse. This can lead to your having to buy a one-way ticket back at the last minute, which can be $$$. Also, it tends to shorten your trip in that you have to wait to catch a hop out and you tend to take an early hop back.

So, hops are great but I don't know many mids who relied on them for anything other than a long leave period.
 
They are supposed to get reimbursed, but I doubt you will ever see any money. Count yourself lucky if your then-plebe tells you he received the reimbursement (I believe it goes directly into their account). I asked mine in emails several times and am still waiting for a reply. That's how we "communicate" these days :wink:

In other words: pay for his ticket, use points for yours and Thanksgiving/Winter Break.

Hmm, that's interesting.

So, you're saying that they just throw some money into their account as reimbursement?

I wonder if my sons will get that reimbursement although they actually flew into BWI for "FREE", as I am an airline pilot and our family gets to fly for free (although on standby). I'm going to have to ask them how that was handled during I-Day processing.
 
As with all government reimbursements, if you don't have the proof, you don't get the credit. Make sure to bring a receipt that shows the cost -- whether it's a plane ticket, gas receipts, or cab fares.

Memphis,

Unless your sons get a receipt, I wouldn't expect to get any money back.
 
So, you're saying that they just throw some money into their account as reimbursement?

No, they throw in the money that was actually expended on travel which is demonstrated by receipts for that travel. They typically will reimburse coach airfare, bus, train, or based on mileage for POV (car) travel. They don't require a receipt for car travel -- will reimburse based on mileage b/t your home and USNA, if you indicate you came by POV.

I wonder if my sons will get that reimbursement although they actually flew into BWI for "FREE", as I am an airline pilot and our family gets to fly for free (although on standby). I'm going to have to ask them how that was handled during I-Day processing.

I wouldn't think so. If you/your son didn't pay for the ticket, there is nothing to reimburse. And asking for reimbursement for something that wasn't paid for could be considered fraud. If your child flies free, you are out nothing and the taxpayer benefits.

It goes w/o saying but for the newbies out there, travel for leave is always at your own expense. The travel to USNA is reimbursed b/c you are traveling for a military purpose -- joining the military. Later on, you will be paid to travel to new duty stations, which most do via POV. If you fly, etc., you will need to go through the military travel "agency" in setting up flights, etc. I don't believe USNA requires that for new plebes but am not sure.
 
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