Originally Posted by
CJKatl
CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON OR SENATOR on Mon morning, or send an email!!!! I recently had an issue and Senator Johnny Isakson's office had my passport to me in a day. There is staff that handles this every day. Ironically, I used to do this for a Congressman back in the mid-eighties while in college. The passport office can use whatever picture is already on file and send you a replacement. You will need to fax or email a release to your Rep/Sen's office. That's it. No having to show evidence of impending travel, no rush fee, no hassle.
BTW, I was almost you. My passport disappeared while flying to ICN on the upper deck of a KE A380. Several FAs tried to help. Apparently one of them mentioned this to an FA downstairs who had experience this before. She came to my seat, had me get up, reclined the seat fully and stuck her hand behind a hidden console. My passport was there. Since then, the second I am on the plane my passport goes in a very specific place. I also have a pic of the passport saved to both my phones, the cloud and my sister's computer at home so that she can send it to me should all else fail.
Here's a trick.
Your Senator is calling the same line you can call. There is a Passport Agency in Minneapolis. It can issue a same-day passport so that in a real pinch you could replace your passport on the day of travel. But, that isn't the situation here. With three weeks to go, the individual will be told to wait until 2 weeks and at that point, either with an appointment (or without, just show up prior to opening time).
Have all of your paperwork (forms are online and you then print them out) and photos. Remember that a minor's application will need to be signed by both custodial parents or both will need to be present unless the non-present parent's form is properly notarized.
Don't mail your materials or do this at a Post Office. When documents are lost, they are lost and some Senator can personally go root through the garbage at State's processing center and he won't find what a mail clerk can't find.