Looking out the window on a night flight into Baghdad, you would hardly know there is a war going on. Iraq appears deceptively peaceful during the flight from Kuwait into Baghdad. The lights from cities and towns are clearly visible, as is the excess gas burned off from refineries in the South.
As the flight approaches Baghdad, the size of the city becomes apparent. Baghdad is a sprawling city stretching miles and miles along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. As we approach Baghdad International Airport, some neighborhoods become visible. The grid of Sadr City in the northeast stands out, as does the Green Zone. Baghdad is lit up like a Christmas tree.
The only indication that you are entering a country at war is the rapid, corkscrew-like descent the plane takes on its approach to landing. This approach is often described in very harrowing terms, but the fact is I've taken my kids on amusement park rides that pulled more Gs. The approach is a little unorthodox, but certainly not terrifying.
As anyone who has flown into Iraq using military transport can attest, the process can be long and grueling. After arriving in Kuwait, you need to meet the Public Affairs Officer and turn over you passport for processing (which can take 24 hours or more to complete). You'll wait at Ali Al Salem, the military airbase, where there is little to do but eat fast food and hang out at the internet cafe. After getting your passport back, you have sign up for a space available flight into Baghdad. Flights are occasionally canceled, causing further delays. Military personnel moving into theater have priority in seating. This process can take anywhere from two to five days after touching down in Kuwait or longer if you get bumped from your flight.
There are ways around this. You can take a civilian flight into the civilian side of Baghdad International Airport (known as BIAP), but then you have to clear Iraqi customs. As of last year, the Iraqi government required you to get an AIDS test to enter the country. If you are going to embed with the U.S. military, you will also need to arrange transportation to the military side of the airport in order to get to your destinations beyond Baghdad.
But the best option, in my experience, is to fly Gryphon Air Services. Gryphon provides a direct flight from Kuwait into Baghdad and is the only civilian airline that lands on the military side of BIAP. If you fly the United Airlines flight from Washington, DC, you'll hop off the plane, the Gryphon staff will transfer your bags to their flight, and you'll board the plane in less than two hours.
During the flight, you get something to drink, a sandwich, and a bag of chips. Incidentally, this is more that I received on the short hop on United from Philadelphia to DC. And if you fly a U.S. Air Force flight from Kuwait to Baghdad, the odds are you'll take a C-130, packed into the cargo hold, sitting in web netting seats knee to knee with a soldier across from you.
Two hours after leaving Kuwait, you arrive in Baghdad. The total travel time from DC to Baghdad, including the short transfer in Kuwait, is a little over 15 hours. When you touch down, you are at the military Passenger Terminal Annex (PAX), where you can arrange for your transportation to points in Baghdad and beyond.
The flight isn't cheap--a little over $600 one way--but the time you save from bypassing the challenges associated with flying military air quickly makes up for the cost.
Now, with a little luck, I'll be in Mosul in 12 hours, where I'll embed with a U.S. Army Military Transition Team and their Iraqi Army counterparts inside the City.
(Check back for daily updates from Roggio. --ed.)
