Ramstein Air Base is in the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC), the largest U.S. military community in Europe. It’s 90 minutes from Frankfurt and about 4 hours from Paris, making it a great starting point for exploring Europe or other places in Germany. Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to fly Space-A to Ramstein.
If you are new to Space-A flying, read this Quickstart Guide to Space-A Flights first to get a basic understanding of how the process works.
1. Ramstein is the most accessible base in Europe when flying from the Continental United States (CONUS).
The CONUS locations with the most frequent flights to Ramstein are Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Dover Air Force Base, Joint Base Andrews, Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), and Joint Base Charleston.
There are also regular, but not as frequent, flights from several bases in other parts of the U.S., including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Travis Air Force Base, and Joint Base San Antonio.
2. Ramstein is on the Patriot Express route originating at BWI.
There are usually two flights per week from BWI to Ramstein. About half of those flights continue to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. Despite the frequency of flights to Ramstein, BWI is not necessarily the best place to fly Space-A. Particularly during summer PCS season, Patriot Express flights tend to be full of active duty passengers, and BWI does not have any other military flights.
3. The immigration process at Ramstein is easy.
There is a German Customs & Immigration official in the terminal who will stamp your passport as you enter. Passport control is available for all inbound missions to Ramstein, so you do not have to worry about returning to the terminal to get your passport stamped if you arrive late at night.
4. The Ramstein passenger terminal has a very nice USO on the second floor.
With friendly, helpful staff, the USO is a great place to have a snack, unwind, and get your bearings. You can use the phone, computers, or WiFi to make hotel and rental car arrangements.
About the author
Hi, I’m Stephanie! In 2015 my husband retired from the Army and we took a year off to travel. I quit my job, and we set off on an adventure to break from our routine and explore the world. Military resources and Space A travel were a major part of our strategy for making our voyage affordable. The other part – immersing ourselves in the local economy – not only saved money, but gave us unique experiences we never would have shared if we followed the tourist circuit or stayed exclusively on military bases.
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