Need help getting to Ritterhude, Germany From USA

Hello, I have just started with a company(fedex) that from what I understand I can fly nonrev thru. I have never flown stand by so I can use some help on few things.

I live in da U.P. of Michigan and I could fly out of ESC or MQT,I think they fly to Chicago and Detroit. Another Option I can drive to Green Bay WI or Milwaukee WI.

My Mother is born and raised in Germany so half my family is over there. She has been home I would think less then 10 times in the last 30 some years.

My wife and I would like to take her home using nonrev middle of May 2015...15 months from now.

What would be our best bet for 3 seats to Germany? Our goal is Ritterhude Gemany but is fine if we have to train it from Amsterdam or Frankfurt. I would like to be able to spend few days in Amsterdam on the return trip also.

I hope to be able to fly stand by a couple times before then, one of them being Jamaica. I will be making a post with for the most part the same questions but flying to Montego Bay and Kingston Jamaica. If you have any advice for there also please let me know.

Thanks

You guys get ID75 discounts on most (if not all) airlines with which you have an agreement, right? As in, 75% off full fare? Full fare (I'm not talking about what you find on Kayak, I mean the most expensive ticket possible on an economy seat) is very expensive, and even with your discount it may still cost more than you'd think. And you're still not guaranteed to get on (on the bright side, tickets are flexible). I would honestly advise you to find out exactly how much it will cost to go confirmed vs. standby and decide if it's really worth not knowing if you'll get on.

And a more general rule of thumb that applies to even nonrevs flying on their own airline: Places you want to go, like Hawaii, New York on NYE, Las Vegas, Caribbean, Europe in summer... other people want to go there, too. And when that happens, flights are going to fill up. You really have to get used to travelling in the off-season and taking weird routes (which will probably cost even more on an ID75).

By the way, just to give you a ballpark number, I looked up base fare CMX-ORD-FRA on UA. Full Y is $2859. 75% off of that is $714.75. Double that, and that's what you'd pay round trip for the fare alone. But there are also departure taxes, which cost a pretty penny, even when we fly our own airlines (FRA is one of the worst, I think around $150?) and when money is involved, it's even higher yet.

Sorry if your hopes and dreams came crashing down here, but it's VERY easy to get your head in the clouds when you first hear about nonrevving, and some people need a bit of a reality check pretty quickly :)

Also, verify with FEDEX how long you need to work with them before being able to travel (sometimes 6 months) and who can travel, your parents might not have benifits on any/all airlines.
I think you get better benifits with Delta but again, you need to review your travel program. Also, due to weather this time of year is much easier to get to/from Europe than summer time, May is iffy as people try to nonrev before the summer crowds start.

Post back with what your flight benifits will be and it will help with figuring things out.

Great advice from the guys. Spongebue touched on several key points. And as offraoder said, keep us posted and we'll all do our best to assist. Gotta be pretty chilly in the UP right now! We're freezing in KY...

I know how yoopers are, being from the Midwest myself. -60F is a little chilly, anything above is fine. :)

By the way, we'll be at about 60 ABOVE 0 in DEN tomorrow :)

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Originally Posted by spongebue

By the way, we'll be at about 60 ABOVE 0 in DEN tomorrow :)

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60 degrees- why that's our nighttime temperature, will be in the 80's this week-end. Got to find my sunglasses.:cool:

I thought they were Oopers?? My brother went to Michigan Tech for forestry before switching to medical school . The locals called the students "TOOTS" Tech out of towner's. We're getting some good temps tomorrow, too--just enuff to melt a bit of the mess.

It is freezing here in Calgary, Alberta. We have had temperatures as low as -34*F and for days on end.... Not enjoying this at all.... You know it is cold when they say the temperature are warming up to a daytime high of -25*F.

Thank you everyone. It is 6 months till I qualify, not sure if they will even talk about it till then but I will try on Tuesday to talk with someone. I am going on 4 so wont be long.

As far as the weather I am sick of it,lol, think we have had 40 some days below 0. 13 out right now, gunna be in the teens till Monday then for a few days might get close to 30...shorts weather :)

Yup I am a Yooper (you-per) :) Here's a basic run down of the U.P. (upper peninsula) and Yoopers I came across on FB today. What in the World is a Yooper? - by Aine MacDermot - Newsvine

Thanks again and when I find out more I will post

Hey, how are the pasties up there lately?

I once knew a kid from IRON MOUNTAIN. He pronounced it IRON MOOWTAN!

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Originally Posted by 29palms

Hey, how are the pasties up there lately?

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I as eating one on my last reply,lol, it was frozen store bought not as good as a fresh one....Homemade is even better!

lol @ iron mountain comment....we tend to draw out our words a little up here

A pastie is about the closest I see to an EMPANADA or meat pie from Australia. Pretty tasty and good I may add. The one I had was made with venison. Had it in Chicago years ago. This guy from the upper peninsula brought some back when he went home to visit.

So I thought I had flight benefits where I worked, turns out only express has it not ground.

My parents friend is a mechanic for delta and said he will get us some tickets so we have a plan B....I'm not sure how they work,my mom said it is a ticket and no standby? They are going to ask next time they see him.

Sounds like buddy pass which is standby. Where the heck is Ritterhude? 3 of you? Let us know what you find out and we'll try to help.

That's what I was thinking also was the buddy pass. Ritterhude is in the North it's right by Bremerhaven, from what I remember it was a short train ride.

My mothers birthday is may 13 and mine the 21, hope to go 2015 and be there for both. My wife and I hope to fly out of Amsterdam so we can take a train the stay the last few days there and meet my mom at airport.

Thanks for the help.

AMS is a very large city for Delta. Wikipedia is nonrev travel's best-kept secret (I can't count how many times I've suggested it here) - there's a page dedicated to destinations served by Delta, and you can go to any airport's page to see which destinations go along with which cities. Delta Air Lines destinations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Keep in mind, summertime is a very scary time to nonrev to Europe. Especially on a buddy pass. You may think that if you were just past cutoff and didn't get on a flight, you'll be on top of the list for the next flight, right? Nope. Each flight is treated 100% independently, and there's no special treatment for those that have been waiting for days.

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Originally Posted by spongebue

You may think that if you were just past cutoff and didn't get on a flight, you'll be on top of the list for the next flight, right? Nope. Each flight is treated 100% independently, and there's no special treatment for those that have been waiting for days.

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Point for FCFS check-in

My heart is supposed to bleed for those with low seniority being bumped around in Europe? FCFS is not the way we do it and neither should anyone else. Nobody wants to see a non rev cluster at the counter.

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Originally Posted by 29palms

Nobody wants to see a non rev cluster at the counter.

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No "non-rev prayer circles" since online check-in and the magic board. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Migflanker

Point for FCFS check-in

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Why? Nonrevs listed for day 2 are suddenly backed way down by prior day's castoffs.

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Originally Posted by Migflanker

No "non-rev prayer circles" since online check-in and the magic board. :cool:

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Not every airport [gate] has GIDS and some international flights do not allow online checkin at all.

And lets see. On your mark, get set......GO!! See who types the fastest, and see who shows up early by 4 hours so that THEY get ahead of everyone else. I understand wanting a level playing field, but not AFTER I have paid my dues for some new hire to come on board and change the game. Nobody accomodated me. I'm still working graveyard shift and nobody is asking me to work days or swings to even out the playing field. Seniority sux and that's a fact jack.

Remember about LHR, due to the taxes to get out most non revs avoid but sometimes you can not get out of Europe but LHR will be wide open, just catch a cheap flight to LHR.

and yes, spongebue, wikipedia is a great source for finding flights, just search an airport code and it will show all airlines that fly there and where they fly to.