Passport Renewal

[cale42]

I assume someone has to have run into this problem before. My passport expires in about 4 months. In going to renew it, I am told I have to surrender my current passport, and I will get a new one in 6 weeks. But according to CASS rules, I need my passport to jumpseat. This is a bad catch 22. So what have people done, is there a way around this. Or just hope you don't have to sit up front for 6 weeks??

thanks,cale

 

[propsarebest]

You can go to a passport service center and get it done same day. There are 7-8 spread across the country, Appointments are needed.


I can't tell you the last time I was asked for my passport when jumpseating, it's been months. Now the gate agents want to see my airman cert, and company ID, that's all.

 

[cale42]

The passport service centers will now only take appointments if you can show an itinerary for international travel originating in the next 14 days. So that option doesn't work.

 

[NCFlyer]

Since I don't jumpseat I can't say what each carrier might ask for, but I don't believe a passport is required for CASS approval anymore.

 

[Metro752]

Just get a second passport, and send in the other one for renewal.

If you are lazy, G3 Visas is a highly recommended company.

http://www.g3visas.com/v2/index.html

 

[johnboy99]

Just had mine redone in June. Make an appointment at the passport office closest to you. Get a letter from your employer stating you need it for travel. It does not matter if you fly international or not. If your airline will write you a letter that you need it for work that is all you need. I Made an appointment in NYC passport office for 10 am and walked out the door at 1pm with new passport. A pain in the butt to take a day off to do it but there is no other option if you use the jumpseat on an offline carrrier. Pretty simple just google passport renewal and it tells you step by step how to make an appointment at the closest office.

Good luck

 

[Sandstorm]

Yep. I agree. Just go to the Passport office with a letter from your company saying you are a flight crew member and a passport is required for your duties. I had mine done a couple months ago in Chicago same day. You get your old passport back with a hole punched through the cover.

 

[rickair7777]

I tried this in LA recently...no dice, the ********************ers refused to do it same day even with a letter stating that I had an international flight. They said I could come back the next day or they could mail it. I had child care issues the next day, so I paid all kind of expedite and overnight delivery fees. I got it in the mail ten days later, had to drop the international trip.

I would plan on spending the night in the passport office city just in case.

 

[CA1900]

I'll second the recommendation of G3 Visas. They're very good, and very fast.

 

[cale42]

Thanks for all the ideas guys.. talked to our JS coordinator.. he said the company would write a letter and the Denver passport office will honor that.

cale

 

[Jabwmu]

Since I don't jumpseat I can't say what each carrier might ask for, but I don't believe a passport is required for CASS approval anymore.

I believe you are right.

 

[s.o.sJTB]

A passport IS required for CASS, it dosent necessarily mean you have to show it to a gate agent but you will be kicked out of the CASS system if your passport is not current. When the agent pulls up your CASS info and your passport is expired it will say CASS not authorized with no other explanation. CASS uses your passport for ID purposes, some airlines like AMR and Alaska wont even let you sit in back if you are not CASS authorized, funny thing is a FA can....trust me its happened to me!

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Another great reason to not deal with commuting if not absolutely needed. And a great way to avoid the lousy international overnights too!

 

[Metro752]

Another great reason to not deal with commuting if not absolutely needed. And a great way to avoid the lousy international overnights too!

If you wanna avoid overnights in Canada, get a DUI, or punch a copper.

 

[ultrarunner]

cale42, since you're 4 months out, go with getting a second passport. It's really the way to go for a number of reasons....However, you are still going to have to surrender and renew your existing passport before you can get a second one, since you're within one year of its expiration.

In the event you are in a country and have to surrender your passport, having a second one that can be brought to you makes it relatively easy to sneak out of the country and get home or to a "friendlier" country.

It's also nice if you necessarily do not want the US state department knowing what countries you've been to...

Most of the time, "said" countries will simply stamp the blank white sheets of paper you have placed inside your passport, but you can't always count of that....so a second one can help out....

And lastly, in the event you need to send your current PP out to get a VISA.

 

[Cardinal]

I just went through this rodeo. First, there's a passport office in DEN, Aurora specifically, about 15 minutes from the airport straight down I-225.

Just go on Frontier's nonrev site, list for a CUN flight, an voila, an international itinerary. I showed that and they were happy. Took the stuff in person in on a Wednesday, it was available for pickup Friday.

 

[InTransit]

Very easy way to go about this: Just use a color copy of your passport for CASS travel (as long as it isn't international). I wasn't about to jump through hoops for these people, and this was entirely acceptable to the gate agents I had while waiting for a new passport.

 

[CKS747RCC]

Since I don't jumpseat I can't say what each carrier might ask for, but I don't believe a passport is required for CASS approval anymore.

Not true. Everytime I have requested jumpseat I have always been asked for my passport, airman's certificate(s), medical and company ID. Standard policy. I commute to work and rely on CASS to jumpseat.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

G3 Visas.

 

[Tim47SIP]

2 weeks!

Just had mine renewed and the whole process was 2 weeks. I thought it would take longer but it was fairly quick.