MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Service members will no longer have to worry about getting stuck in Tokyo, convoluted journey’s through the mass transit system of Japan, lost children and pet challenges when the Patriot Express triumphantly returns to Iwakuni April 2.
Easing the journey for service members and their families, the Patriot Express will be a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, sporting 314 seats, operated by World Airlines and will become the primary method of airline transportation for service members executing permanent change of station orders to and from the station as well as providing a relatively reliable source of space-available travel out of Iwakuni every Thursday.
For those unfamiliar, the Patriot Express is essentially a minimal stop flight from the United States to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.
Departing from Seattle, the Patriot Express will stop at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo where passengers will have to disembark for a customs check.
After the customs check, passengers continuing to Iwakuni or Kadena will re-board and be dropped off at their respective stops.
The following day, the Patriot Express will return to Seattle via the route in reverse.
“This is really going to bring predictability into how people arrive here and it’s going to really ease a lot of the friction, the uncertainty and the trouble of getting to Iwakuni,” said Col. Michael A. O’Halloran, station commanding officer. “Instead of showing up in Tokyo five hours away, you’re five minutes away.”
Virtually everyone who has traveled to Iwakuni since Patriot Express service here was cut in Oct. 2006 probably had a moment of fear or uneasiness during the journey, and the Patriot Express will alleviate that uncertainty.
“Having us fly directly on base was something that eased myself and my family as far as our nerves coming here because that’s a long flight,” said Olivia Smith, station manpower. “The last thing that you want to do is be lost in a foreign country.”
“I don’t think I personally could have handled being dumped off in Narita like they do now,” added Jennifer Cutshall, station manpower.
Over the past couple of years, service members and their families have experienced a number of attempts by the air station to reduce travel issues such as the funneling of personnel to Hiroshima and, very recently, the addition of the Marine Corps Community Services’ shuttle picking up personnel arriving at the Hiroshima airport.
Despite those efforts, horror stories still occurred including personnel arriving in Shanghai, China or sleeping outside of airport terminals in November because they were lost.
“We did the best that we absolutely could with what we had, but really the right answer is to get an airplane that lands right here,” said O’Halloran.
“By any metric, it costs less and you get a Marine off on the right start, that’s really what you’re trying to do,” he added.
Besides simplifying travel for first-timers to Japan, the Patriot Express will also provide a consistent source of space available travel. Having the Patriot Express will make it much cheaper and easier for service members to return home.
“Honestly, if we had the Patriot Express I would have probably gone home more often than I did,” said Smith. “We spent over 4,000 dollars just on plane tickets alone to get our family home.”
Passengers going on leave using the Patriot Express will pay a nominal commercial airline fee, currently at $27.40, well below a full fare ticket from Tokyo to Seattle.
Of course, once back to the United States, travelers will need to arrange a connecting flight from Seattle to their destination.
To reduce potential issues making connecting flights, Cutshall recommended booking a hotel for the planned night of arrival in Seattle and booking the connecting flight for the following day.
Now that the Patriot Express is returning it will be incumbent upon the air station residents to use it to the fullest.
“Now that it’s coming back I would suggest people use it otherwise, it’s going to be the same situation that it was the last time — they’ll wind up losing it,” said Smith.