eSTMP.com for ski country slots

[Apache Guy]

What is the deal with eSTMP.com? Has anyone used this website to get slots? Are they really able to compete with the frax when obtaining a slot?
Has anyone used it for slots?
Thanks,
Mel

 

[AlabamaMan!!]

What is the deal with eSTMP.com? Has anyone used this website to get slots? Are they really able to compete with the frax when obtaining a slot?
Has anyone used it for slots?
Thanks,
Mel

Yeah..one frac in particular usually got most of the spots. However, this year the FAA is cracking down on the slot times. Same 72 hour in advance request period, however to eliminate unused slots (mainly by said fractional), you must re-confirm your slot time from 24 hours to no less than 8 hours before your departure time.

Also, the season for STMP has been reduced quite a bit. Here are the dates per AIN:

12/14/05 until 1/4/06
2/16/06 until 2/21/06
3/15/06 until 4/4/06
6/29/06 until 7/6/06 for ASE and EGE only


Double check with the FAA website on the dates, but hopefully this helps out some.

 

[asolo]

I've used both the on-line and telephone. Online is easier. It can be tough to go to popular places like Aspen at peak times. I have had decent luck in Aspen. There is an article in Aviation International News about this. There is some debate of the frax having some kind of automated system or many people working to get these slots.
One thing in the article that is interesting is a guy that ran a charter Co. and his experience trying to get a slot- He said he would set up mutiple browsers with the info all filled out and when the reservation time opened he would click on one browser only to find out that he was just a bit too early. When he would use the other browsers he had open, he would get a message that the slots were all full. The interesting thing is that when the FAA opens the slot time, they don't download all the slots at once. They actually come in small packets of slots over the course of a few seconds.
Moral of the story I guess is to be ready with all the info at go-time and don't give up just because it says no slots are available. Good luck.

 

[ultrarunner]

What is the deal with eSTMP.com? Has anyone used this website to get slots? Are they really able to compete with the frax when obtaining a slot?
Has anyone used it for slots?
Thanks,
Mel

I have never used eSTMP for ski slots, our owners don't ski...thank god...but I have used it for every sporting event/convetion slot I have needed over the past several years. Never had a problem. I'd need a checklist to do it by phone.

 

[Apache Guy]

I was not talking about the website at fly.faa.gov but a privately owned website that accepts slot requests a year in advance for STMP events including Final Four, Superbowl and what not.
It is NOT the FAA site you are talking about.

 

[Apache Guy]

http://estmp.com/
is the link

 

[ultrarunner]

I was not talking about the website at fly.faa.gov but a privately owned website that accepts slot requests a year in advance for STMP events including Final Four, Superbowl and what not.
It is NOT the FAA site you are talking about.

Never used it. Never had a problem with the FAA sponsored eSTMP site.

 

[Apache Guy]

OK well I pulled the trigger and requested slots for Presidents Day weekend in Aspen. Wish me luck.

 

[CorpLearDriver]

OK well I pulled the trigger and requested slots for Presidents Day weekend in Aspen. Wish me luck.

And you won't know until 72 hours in advance if you've got them.....

 

[Apache Guy]

True but I wont be sitting in front of my computer hitting the back submit buttom all day long.

 

[CorpLearDriver]

True but I wont be sitting in front of my computer hitting the back submit buttom all day long.

May the Force be with you.......Hope it works.

 

[mosta]

My company has used eSTMP.com for a while now and is batting 1000 (61/61). We have obtained slots for Aspen, Sun Valley, Final Four and Superbowl. Here is some info from their electronic brochure they sent me:

What is eSTMP.com?
eSTMP.com is a privately operated website where registered users may submit a "request to obtain an FAA slot" for any STMP event. eSTMP.com continuously monitors the FAA website and the instant slots become available at your requested airport, we submit your request. These requests are submitted from a computer with a much higher data transfer rate than is possible from your home or business, making rooms full of dispatchers (or family members and friends) watching atomic clocks obsolete.
If slots are requested on short notice (less than 72 hours) or slots were not available during the initial request cycle, eSTMP.com continues to request slots on your behalf. Pilots are no longer required to make a pilgrimage to the computer every 15 minutes to try again for their coveted Aspen slot.
How does eSTMP.com benefit me?
The goal of eSTMP.com is to remove the frustration that many pilots and dispatchers encounter when attempting to acquire slots for STMP events. By automating the process of slot request (and truly making it a first-come-first-serve process) we have provided a level playing field for everyone involved while reducing workloads and increasing productivity.
Working with the FAA
Development of this web started years ago and we have worked closely with the FAA to insure we don’t repeat the mistakes of others. While the FAA cannot endorse our system of obtaining slots, we maintain close ties with them to insure users are not abusing the system while providing them with information to make informed decisions regarding their STMP planning.
The FAA has repeatedly pointed out that cancellation of slots (or lack thereof) is the single biggest problem facing the STMP system. At the suggestion of the FAA, eSTMP.com implemented a system where registered users can cancel their slots by simply sending an email back to our system. This has resulted in noticeably more slots being returned to the FAA system for everyone to use.