Flight Delay Reminder

 

REMINDER ABOUT FLIGHT DELAY NOTIFICATIONS

You will all be getting ready to start your journeys to Berlin for the commencement of the Final Leg.

Please remember to let us know if you experience any flight delays.  This will help us ensure that you are met at Berlin Airport when you (finally) come in.

Let us know by sending an email to:

flightdelay@letr-finalleg.org

Arriving in Berlin

 WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN BERLIN

AIRPORT ARRIVALS

The Berlin Local Organising Committee is making arrangements to collect Final Leg Team members flying into Berlin Brandenburg Airport on Monday, 12 June 2023 and transport then to the Sheraton Berlin Grand Hotel Esplanade.  The will also provide transport from the hotel back to the airport for those team members departing on Monday, 19 June 2023.

If you are flying into Berlin before Saturday, 10 June, 2023, you are unfortunately going to be left to your own devices at Berlin Airport.  there are simply no resources available to collect you.

On Saturday, 10 June and Sunday, 11 June, the Logistics Team will meet and greet arriving team members and provide transport for them to the hotel.

On Monday, 12 June, members of the Logistics Team will be positioned at the airport to meet and greet incoming team members and direct them to the LOC Transport.

AIRPORT DEPARTURES

On Monday, 19 June, members of the Logistics Team will be positioned in the foyer of the hotel to provide assistance to team members travelling to the airport.

HOTEL CHECK-IN

When you arrive at the hotel, you will be greeted by a member of the Logistics Team and guided to the Final Leg welcome area.  Depending on the time of your arrival, your room may or may not be ready.  In the case that your room is not ready, the Logistics Team will store your luggage and you are free to go out for a walk to stretch your legs and blow the cobwebs away.  You will be given an approximate time that your room will be ready.

DELAYED FLIGHTS

In the event that your flight to Berlin is delayed, please find a way to send us an email message telling us as much as you can - where you are, how long the delay is likely to be etc.

We have created an email address which will be monitored from Saturday, 10 June for this purpose.

The email address is:

flightdelay@letr-finalleg.org

DON'T HAVE YOUR UNIFORM KIT YET?

If you have not received your Uniform Kit (you are from Europe or Asia), the Logistics Team will be set up to supply it to you upon arrival at the hotel.

If you have received your Uniform Kit, but some or all of the sizes are incorrect, please tell us on arrival at the hotel and we'll make arrangements to do a swap out.  Please note that we have very limited numbers of spare uniforms so it will be a case of first in - best dressed.

 REMINDER!

WE NEED YOUR FLIGHT DETAILS

On 22 February, we published a post relating to travel to Berlin for the Final Leg.  In that post, there was a link where you could fill in yet another form to advise us of your flights in and out of Berlin.

As of this morning (10 April), there are still 31 Torch Runners who have not completed that form.  You are not going to named and shamed here, but expect an email with a link to this post so that you can fill in the form.  If you are having delays booking your flights, please let us know.

Just so the Torch Runners don't feel like they are getting belted, there are also a few Team Leaders and Logistics Team members who are yet to complete the form - they can also expect an email.

Please click on the image below to fill in the Travel Notification Form

Time is of the essence folks

Thanks

Scott

 Hotel Accommodations - Sheraton Berlin Grand Hotel Esplanade

Greetings Final Leg Team. 

It's been awhile since our last communication and we completely understand that you are starved for more information (in many respects, so are we). I am pleased to announce that our hotel accommodations in Germany will be at the Sheraton Berlin Grand Hotel Esplanade. The entirety of our stay in Berlin will be at this property.

As you can see from the map, the hotel is very centrally located and is walking distance from the Tiergarten, Brandenburg Gates, Potsdamer Platz and Checkpoint Charlie.

I know many of you intend to either arrive early in Berlin, or like me, stay a few days later. Like me, you would probably prefer not to change hotels.

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is attempting to extend the rate they received for our Team stay, for those who wish to arrive early, or stay later. We are still waiting confirmation on availability and rates. 

If you search this property online, you will see the normal nightly rate in June is approximately €293 or about $318 US. 

If you are interested in arriving early, or staying late, and would prefer to stay at this hotel, I need you to follow the link below and complete the form as soon as possible. The information will be shared with the LOC to determine what rooms are available to us.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL IN THE FORM

If you do not wish to wait and want to book your own accommodations elsewhere, please do so. 

As always, please reach out with any questions.

 Travel to Berlin & Shared Rooms

Greetings Final Leggers. We realize it has been quite awhile since we've communicated, however, stand-by for a plethora of notifications. Please check this space often going forward. 

First, we will post information later today specific to our hotel accommodations. 

In a broader sense, it has come to our attention that further clarification is needed regarding travel to Berlin and room accommodations. 

You have been assigned a mission by your respective LETR programs to carry the Flame of Hope through parts of Germany and safeguard that Flame to the Opening Ceremonies on 17 June. A couple of very important points we will make as clear as humanly possible:

1. This is not a vacation

2. You will be up very early each day, and to bed very late

3. There will be NO time (ZIP, ZERO, NADA) to spend with others not on our team

4. Family members are expressly forbidden from traveling with the team. It is a huge distraction to our mission

5. You will be assigned a roommate, likely from the Team to which you have been assigned (these will be announced shortly)

6. If your family wishes to join you after our mission is complete, they are more than welcome

7. Your job while you are with the team is to enjoy the brother and sisterhood of being apart of an absolutely amazing experience, ensure the athletes enjoy the time with the team, and create a network of new partners in furtherance of the LETR

8. We promise this will be an experience of a lifetime, but it needs to be within the parameters of what we know works, based on our collective experience

One, we hope this message is clear, and two, we hope you understand why we need to be so firm on these requirements. 

Thank you very much for all that you do!

As always, if there are any questions, please ask.

Travel to Berlin

 

TRAVEL TO BERLIN FOR TORCH RUNNERS AND ATHLETES

With less than 120 days to go till the start of the 2023 LETR Final Leg, it's now time to get your flights booked to Berlin.

Depending on your decision regarding the Athens Flame Lighting Ceremony opportunity, you will be flying from your home city to Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) or from your home city to Athens and then onwards to Berlin.

Flights for Team Leaders and Logistics Team members will be organised by the Final Leg Planning Committee, following consultation with the individuals.

In the past, flights for Torch Runners were also organised centrally by the Final Leg Planning Committee with LETR Programs reimbursing the LETR Council for the cost.  

In 2023, we have decided that Torch Runner's flights should be booked and paid directly by their LETR or SO Program.

TORCH RUNNERS TRAVELING WITH ATHLETES

In the case where a Torch Runner is travelling with one of the eight Special Olympics Athletes from the same program, we would ask that the LETR or SO program book the flights through World Travel. When the program contacts World Travel at the email link below, advise them that you are booking travel for a Torch Runner AND an Athlete. In the subject line type: Final Leg - Athlete. Please CC Kami Delameter at kdelameter@specialolympics.org on your email. World Travel will bill the program for the Torch Runner and bill Special Olympics (Kami Delameter) for the Athlete's travel. Once the flights have been confirmed, please use the "Submit Flight Details" link below as soon as possible so we may accurately schedule transportation from the airport.

Torch Runners and Athletes need to arrive in Berlin on Monday, 12 June 2023 (no later than 2.00pm) and depart Berlin at the conclusion of the event on Monday, 19 June 2023. 

Here is the information you will need to provide World Travel for the Torch Runner and the Athlete :

Legal Name:

DOB:

Cell phone number:

email address:

Passport Info:

Home airport code:

Destination airport code: BER

Dates of travel:

Known traveler ID (if applicable):

World Travel: specialolympics@worldtravelinc.com

TORCH RUNNERS ONLY 

In the instance when a program is booking travel only for a Torch Runner, you may use any travel booking arrangement that best suits the program. Programs are more than welcome to use World Travel, and the email link is below. If you choose to use World Travel, please advise them in your initial email that you are booking for a Torch Runner only for the LETR Final Leg in Berlin. Programs will pay directly for the cost of the flights. Once the flights have been confirmed, please use the "Submit Flight Details" link below as soon as possible so we may accurately schedule transportation from the airport.  

Torch Runners need to arrive in Berlin on Monday, 12 June 2023 (no later than 2.00pm) and depart Berlin at the conclusion of the event on Monday, 19 June 2023. If Torch Runners choose to stay in Europe for additional time, that is a decision that must be made between the Torch Runner and their program.

Here is the information you will need to provide your booking agent:

Legal Name:

DOB:

Cell phone number:

Email address:

Passport Info:

Home airport code:

Destination airport code: BER

Dates of travel:

Known traveler ID (if applicable):

World Travel: specialolympics@worldtravelinc.com

In a move that may surprise many of you, we have developed another form to collect the flight booking information.  We have done this because we need to have a record of all flights to and from Berlin to ensure that team members arrive and are met in Berlin.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT FLIGHT DETAILS

If the Torch Runner has decided to participate in the Athens Flame Lighting Ceremony, they may decide to travel into Berlin earlier than June 12, however any accommodations necessary PRIOR to June 12 will be the responsibility of the Torch Runner. 

There are no issues with this occurring, but the individuals need to understand that they probably won't be met at the airport in Berlin and will have to arrange their own transportation.

Please reach out to either Mark McCorkle or Scott Whyte if you have any questions about this process.