2013 holiday mailing dates set

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brian Stives
  • 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs
RAF ALCONBURY, United Kingdom --  The 2013 holiday season mailing dates for postal customers within the 501st Combat Support Wing were recently released.

These dates are for mail originating in Europe and destined to locations in the United States. Mail originating in the U.S. and sent to European military addresses use similar mailing dates. The dates are:

Space Available Mail (SAM) - Nov. 26
First Class/Priority Mail - Dec. 13
Priority Mail Express - Dec. 13

"Postal patrons should plan ahead and mail early to ensure letters, cards and packages arrive at their intended U.S. destinations in time for the holidays," said Tech. Sgt. Joedon Messer, 423rd Communications Squadron assistant postmaster.

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 U.S. Postal Service 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.

Correct Address
Using a complete and correct address is critical for timely delivery.