How much money does the US government charge for evacuation flights?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 38
How much money does the US government charge for evacuation flights?
How much money does the US government charge for evacuation flights?
(for the the average Joe Six-Pack and family who happen to be tourists in
Japan, or any other country that has a natural disater and/or war)
(for the the average Joe Six-Pack and family who happen to be tourists in
Japan, or any other country that has a natural disater and/or war)
#3
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Found this interesting read regarding Haiti evacuation flights after the earthquake there.
http://goatpath.wordpress.com/2011/0...line-industry/
http://goatpath.wordpress.com/2011/0...line-industry/
#5
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From an embassy page instructing people how to make the flight arrangements to get out of Japan:
Do I have to pay for the flight?
U.S. citizens requesting evacuation will be asked to sign paperwork promising to reimburse the U.S. Government for flight costs at a later date. Exact flight costs are not yet available, but should be comparable to a one-way commercial flight from Japan to the safehaven location.
That is the standard message they put up every time they start doing flights, so you will have to pay to get to the safe haven city, where they will have to make their own arrangements to continue on from there. One suitcase (don't think they charge for it) and one carry on per person.
Do I have to pay for the flight?
U.S. citizens requesting evacuation will be asked to sign paperwork promising to reimburse the U.S. Government for flight costs at a later date. Exact flight costs are not yet available, but should be comparable to a one-way commercial flight from Japan to the safehaven location.
That is the standard message they put up every time they start doing flights, so you will have to pay to get to the safe haven city, where they will have to make their own arrangements to continue on from there. One suitcase (don't think they charge for it) and one carry on per person.
Last edited by cordelli; Mar 18, 2011 at 4:19 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 560
For comparison, the recent UK government flights out of Bahrain were about $450 ... it seems that nobody was interested
#7
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,443
For comparison, the recent UK government flights out of Bahrain were about $450 ... it seems that nobody was interested
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 38
Found this interesting read regarding Haiti evacuation flights after the earthquake there.
http://goatpath.wordpress.com/2011/0...line-industry/
http://goatpath.wordpress.com/2011/0...line-industry/
who boarded the evacuation flight from Tokyo to Seoul/Taipei roughtly $3275
and $4278, repectively.(based on mileage and flight hours) That's
a lot more than the standard walk-up airfare between those city pairs.
Is it just me or is that like asking an injured victim to sign a blank check to
cover the ambulance ride, before getting on the ambulance? A few years
ago, I fell ill and was taken by ambulance from the hotel to the local hospital.
Three weeks later, I got a bill for the 2.6-mile ambulance ride, courstey of the
city fire dept.... the bill was $790.... which my insurance company was forced
to pay.... but I think that's like highway robbery... I did not receive any
medical attention onboard the ambulance, other than the EMS guy taking my
pulse and blood pressure...
#10
Join Date: Oct 2006
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I seem to recall that at Star Mega Do 1, we toured the Norwegian rescue aircraft and the military officer-physician who guided the tour said that Norway rescues its citizens from disaster area at no charge to the rescued individual.
And as a physician, I was very impressed with the high quality of their equipment, and the efficiency of their operation.
For the US government to charge its citizens in an emergency what seems to be as much as five to ten times the walk-up price seems rather unfair.
And as a physician, I was very impressed with the high quality of their equipment, and the efficiency of their operation.
For the US government to charge its citizens in an emergency what seems to be as much as five to ten times the walk-up price seems rather unfair.
#11
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There you go. Normal countries don't extort money from their citizens this way.
#12
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I didn't bother to do a search but I believe a Canadian FTer posted about his escape from Egypt last month. If I recall, he paid $400 (not sure if that was US or Canadian money) to fly to FRA.
That doesn't include the bribe to board the plane he wrote about
That doesn't include the bribe to board the plane he wrote about
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 38
I seem to recall that at Star Mega Do 1, we toured the Norwegian rescue aircraft and the military officer-physician who guided the tour said that Norway rescues its citizens from disaster area at no charge to the rescued individual.
And as a physician, I was very impressed with the high quality of their equipment, and the efficiency of their operation.
For the US government to charge its citizens in an emergency what seems to be as much as five to ten times the walk-up price seems rather unfair.
And as a physician, I was very impressed with the high quality of their equipment, and the efficiency of their operation.
For the US government to charge its citizens in an emergency what seems to be as much as five to ten times the walk-up price seems rather unfair.
ferry US citizens out of foreign country in emergencies.(war, disaster, etc) In
which case, it's only fair that they recover the cost of the charter.
On the other hand, I just did some research and was absolutely shocked to find
out the the US State Dept actually has the balls to bill US citizens when they are
evacuated on US military aircraft.(navy, air force, coast guard) Pardon my
French, but ...? A couple wrote in their blog that they were charged nearly
$2000 for a 45-minute flight from Haiti, on US Coast Guard aircraft.
If the Russians, Chinese, or North Koreans lauch their nuclear ICBMs at the US,
will I have to sign a prommisory note before the USAF will retaliate? (that's
about as moral as the mafia charging you protection money)
#14
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They want to get an aircraft as fast as possible, finding a commercial jet is not possible in short notice and lengthy procedures. I mean it need to have crews, getting a plane that is not in service, spare plane may not available on the other side of the country. Then it has to see if the airport is fit for certain planes, etc.
Well then stay and take your own risk, there are plenty of people would want that seat. Just like those people in the close proxmity to the nuclear plant, I am sure if there is a way to get out, they would care less how much does it cost. As those people will more likely die of hunger than from radiation.
If you are in that situation, I bet you would change your mind.
In an emergency situation, I would care less how much the ticket cost, my own life is more important than money.
Last edited by ORDnHKG; Mar 19, 2011 at 6:24 pm
#15
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what a shame that we charge to rescue our citizens from uncontrollable situations
then turn around and waste our taxpayer dollars on such projects as the bridge to nowhere, on the boeing tanker etc
then turn around and waste our taxpayer dollars on such projects as the bridge to nowhere, on the boeing tanker etc