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The 2013 holiday season mailing dates for postal customers assigned to the European theater are:
Space Available Mail — Nov. 26
Parcel Airlift — Dec. 3
First Class/Priority Mail — Dec. 10
Priority Mail Express — Dec. 17
These dates are for mail originating in Europe and destined to locations in the U.S. Mail originating in the U.S. and sent to European military addresses use similar mailing dates.
U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Force Africa postal patrons should plan ahead and mail early to ensure letters, cards, and packages arrive at intended U.S. destinations in time for the holidays.
Customers can avoid long lines at the post office when they mail early and can take advantage of using the cheaper, although slower, space available mail service military post offices offer in Europe.
Space available mail service takes longer to arrive at end destinations and moves on a space available basis once it arrives in the states. If customers want faster service, they should consider using priority mail or priority mail express service. It costs more, but these classes of mail get preferred and or expedited service.
Most mail accepted at military post offices in Europe is flown to the U.S. on commercial aircraft. Costumers should keep in mind, packages transiting through the mail stream are handled numerous times, and therefore proper packaging is important.
The following USPS mailing tips are provided to help ensure packages arrive safely and undamaged:
The Box
Choose a box with enough room for cushioning material around the contents. When reusing a box, cover up or black out any old labels and markings.
Cushioning
Place cushioning around items. Close and gently shake the box to see whether there is enough padding.
Sealing
Tape the box shut and reinforce the seams with two-inch-wide tape. Use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape or paper tape.
Size
The weight of a package cannot exceed 70 pounds. When using Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail services for faster delivery, length plus girth (distance around the thickest part of the package) cannot exceed 108 inches. When using space available mail, the total cannot be more than 130 inches.
Parcel airlift mail is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in combined length and girth.
Correct Address
Using a complete and correct address is critical for timely delivery. Contact your local postmaster for additional information on how mail is dispatched and received at your location, and for advice on the best service to use based on your mailing needs.
