To support host family and orientation planning for hosted participants, approximate return travel dates for core/CBYX hosted participants are available. You can find return dates for Sponsored Program Participants (YES, FLEX, CBYX) here. Please note that actual flight itineraries may not be available until approximately 2 weeks prior to the student’s return. As a reminder, international flights are booked by our AFS sending partners. AFS-USA does not have the ability to change dates or departure location.
Participant return dates are determined when placements are identified. Regional Field Specialists indicate, after discussion with Area Team representatives, the return dates for all participants within an Area Team based upon host school activity end dates and, in some cases, to align return dates for your Area Team. Participant return dates cannot be changed for reason of host family vacation plans, Area Team orientation schedule, or other conflicts. The return airport also cannot be changed.
For participants who have chosen to program release (PR) at the end of their program, these participants are considered “off program” and are responsible for organizing their own return travel so flight information may not be available in Global Link for these participants.
How to determine a participant’s approximate travel dates in Global Link (before final flight information has been confirmed):
Step 1: In the participant’s ”Service Case: Placement Detail” page, identify the “Late Traveler Date Range” which will tell you the approximate date of your student’s return travel.
The first date listed is the participant’s approximate arrival date (Note: in some cases this is the participant’s arrival group so may not be aligned exactly with the arrival date) and the second date (here highlighted in yellow) is the approximate return date.
How to determine a participant’s flight information in MyAFS (when it becomes available):
Please note: A participant’s flight itinerary may not be finalized by the AFS sending partner until approximately 2 weeks prior to return. In these cases, please use the process above to determine the participant’s approximate arrival/return date from Global Link.
Step 1: From the “Team” section of MyAFS, select the participant for whom you wish to know flight information.
Step 2: Click on the “Travel Info” section to view flight information.
Step 3: You should now be able to see the participant’s flight itinerary. (If the flight information is not visible, this means that the participant’s flight has not yet been confirmed by the AFS sending partner and you will need to follow the above Global Link Process to determine approximate travel dates)
How to determine a participant’s flight information in Global Link (when it becomes available):
Please note: Flight itinerary may not be finalized until approximately 2 weeks prior to arrival/departure. In these cases, please use the process above to determine the participant’s approximate arrival/return date from Global Link.
Step 1: In the participant’s “Service Case: Detail” page, click on the “Travel Info” tab as indicated in the below screenshot.
Step 2: Identify the flight information for your participant. Please Note: If you do not see a flight information for your participant, this means that the travel is still in the process of being finalized by the AFS sending partner. Please check back within two weeks of the expected arrival/return travel date.
How to use reports to determine flight information for your Area Team’s participants:
Hosting travel reports in Global Link are also quite useful for Area Teams with large numbers of hosted participants. These reports aggregate hosted participant travel plans by Area Team.
Step 1: To find the relevant travel report, click on the “Reports” section of Global Link and scroll down to the “Travel Report” section.
Step 2: Select the desired report (arrivals or departures)
Step 3: Enter the required information (use drop downs) and click “View Report” to download an excel file with your area team’s available flight information.
