Baghdad - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
The US. - Apr 2019
Last assignment was in Washington, DC. - Jul 2018
East Coast USA. We had the option of flying out of Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) commercially, then transiting through either Istanbul or Dubai. From there it was usually two-more legs to get back to the Land of the Big PX. Alternately, DOS employees and some contractors have the option to fly Embassy Air, a thrice-weekly charter plane to Amman. From Amman there were usually more flight options, although the return flight almost always necessitated an overnight stay at the Amman Airport Hotel (part Days Inn and part house of ill repute). Traveling from BDSC to the Embassy requires a 10-minute helicopter flight. - Jan 2016
Home base is Midwestern U.S. - Trip usually took about two days to get out, three days to get back with a mandated overnight in Amman. - Feb 2014
East coast. From the Embassy in Baghdad, it was a several-day slog home, involving a planes/trains/automobiles kind of transportation model (specifically, a bus to a helicopter to a propellor plane to a series of commercial flights in Amman, all with lengthy stopovers). Coming back to Baghdad entails a stay in Amman, as there is generally a six-hour layover between inbound flights and the Embassy air flight. Expect to arrive cranky, underslept, and smelling of jet fuel. - Jan 2014
I haven't been home since I got to Baghdad, but it would depend on how you went. The trip out is fairly easy-- either you can take Embassy Air at zero-dark-thirty to Amman (2 hours) and then one of the Royal Jordanian flights direct back to the States. I think the most popular one is Chicago, and it's 11-12 hours. On the way back, you could fly direct to Amman, or to Amman through Vienna or Frankfurt, but because of the Embassy Air schedule, any route through Amman will require that you spend the night in Amman. The Embassy Air flight leaves in the morning, then with all the waiting around at BIAP, you're back on compound by mid-afternoon. The trip back in is really annoying. There are more possibilities for flying commercial opening up. I believe it's pretty much the same story, though - going out is okay, coming back in requires an overnight layover somewhere. - Jan 2013
Chicago. There are direct flights to Amman from Chicago and NYC.About 12 hours. There is also a direct flight from DC to Kuwait. There are now embassy air flights going to Amman and Kuwait...no more C130s. - Nov 2011
East Coast. It's a long journey. Plan on 16 or so hours to get to Amman or Kuwait, a down day there, and then a long day into Baghdad, If you aren't 'connected' to get on a helo, you'll spend the day at Sully Compound waiting on the Rhino. - Sep 2010
