KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Embarking on a permanent change of station in Europe during peak PCS season or anytime involves more than just moving household goods and belongings – it’s about navigating the journey.
From flights to driving across international borders, planning your travel is crucial to ensuring a smooth PCS experience, said John Hebert, chief of the Base Support Operations Transportation’s European Travel Branch.
For most PCS moves to and from Europe, the servicemember’s official orders dictate authorized travel, and contracted flights like Patriot Express are often mandatory, according to Hebert.
The two main Patriot Express hubs stateside are Baltimore Washington International Airport in Maryland for the east coast, which services Europe, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington for the west coast, which services the Pacific duty stations. The Patriot Express flights from BWI arrive at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Hebert said commercial flights may also be authorized for a portion of the PCS travel or in some cases the entirety of the travel route – end-to-end – from the losing duty station to gaining duty station.
According to My Army Benefits all travel arrangements must be made through the contracted travel office at the losing duty station, normally CWTSatoTravel. Assignment orders tell the servicemembers when and where to fly, and travel can start as of the availability date from the port of debarkation (departure airport) to the port of embarkation (arrival airport).
Whether flying Patriot Express of commercial air, Hebert recommends confirming flight details and baggage allowances in advance. Also, arriving at the airport with ample time – especially when traveling with families and small children – is highly recommended. For overseas flights, that’s three hours before departure, at a minimum.
For those servicemembers and families driving to their new duty stations within Europe, ensuring their vehicles are properly registered and insured for the countries of travel is also important, said Hebert. Whether driving or flying, carrying passports is a must. This includes official government issued no-fee passports, and in some cases tourist passports. Also carrying PCS orders listing all personnel authorized to travel and all other important paperwork – such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, marriage certificates and more – is critical, too.
Check with the servicing transportation office at the losing duty station for exactly what to carry and what is required. In many cases, while the active-duty servicemember may be able to travel with orders and ID card only, family members are required to have government issued no-fee passports.
Hebert said he served for 15 years in the Air Force. During that time, he PCSed four times. Since being a government civilian employee, he’s PCSed four more, he said, so he has a lot of personal experience combined with a lot of professional knowledge when it comes to traveling from one duty station to another during a PCS.
“I’ve been there, and I know it sometimes can be stressful. Most of my PCS travel experiences were good and everything went smoothly, but not every time. Once when I was PCSing from Italy to Turkey, I didn’t receive my flight information until the day prior,” Hebert said. “The good thing was my household goods and everything had already shipped without any issues, but that last 24 hours was stressful.”
“I get it. I know what it’s like, but we’re here to help,” said Hebert. “That’s what BASOPS Trans and the European Travel Branch does. We’re here for the servicemembers and their families. We understand there can be short-notice flight changes or other travel issues. As a team, the servicing transportation offices, European Travel Branch and CWTSatoTravel work together to ensure issues are resolved or questions are answered immediately.”
Hebert said overall the local servicing transportation offices are the best resources for specific travel guidance related to a PCS. Planning and preparing in advance is key and using all the resources available definitely helps.
“Focus on your upcoming PCS move and all the associated requirements now, so you can focus on settling in and enjoying your new and exciting European chapter soon enough,” said Hebert
With its Consolidated Personal Property Shipping Office and European Travel Branch, BASOPS Trans is a field operating activity under the 405th Army Field Support Brigade providing back-office support functions for personal property shipping, official travel services and quality control for the U.S. military communities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and more. Go here for more information on BASOPS Trans.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website and the official Facebook site.
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