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Arriving by Plane

If you are flying to General Synod, you must make your flight reservations before you register (the registration deadline is April 24). To make your reservations, contact The Travel Advantage at 800-553-6643 and ask for Kayla or Missy. When you call, please indicate that you are making airline reservations for the RCA General Synod so that your tickets are charged directly to the RCA (travel costs for corresponding delegates are covered by their sending body). The Travel Advantage will take care of all arrangements for you and will work to find the most reasonable airfare available. Through our relationship with The Travel Advantage, the RCA receives credits for travel used throughout the year and receives direct contributions to its mission and ministry. We will not reimburse tickets that are not booked through the Travel Advantage.

Note: If you hope to arrive early or stay late, there are several important points of information you need to know before booking airfare or registering, so please read the FAQ section on “Arriving Early or Staying Late.”

Tucson International Airport is the primary airport for the General Synod. RCA-provided shuttle service will be available for delegates arriving on Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13, and for delegates leaving immediately following closing worship on Tuesday, June 18. Please see the schedule below to plan accordingly. The drive from Tucson airport is between 30 and 45 minutes, but the timing of shuttles may result in up to a 90-minute wait at the airport. For this reason, if you are flying in on the day synod begins (Thursday, June 13), please book a flight with an arrival time of noon or earlier local time if you will be flying into Tucson. If your arrival time would be later than noon, you should consider flying in on Wednesday instead.

Anyone planning to arrive outside of these shuttle hours or at a different airport than Tucson International Airport will be responsible to schedule and pay for their own transportation from the airport to the Westin. Our transportation service will monitor incoming flights – if there is a delay on a scheduled flight that would cause one to miss the 10:00 p.m. shuttle, RCA and the transportation service will still provide transportation. 

Shuttle service

11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. – last shuttle will leave the airport at 10:00 p.m. sharp on Wednesday!

Specific shuttle times will be added later.

When you arrive at the Westin, you will need to check in at the hotel front desk to get your room key. This is a separate check in from the General Synod’s check in process. General Synod check-in for registered attendees of General Synod will be in the lobby of the Westin La Paloma from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, and 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 13. Here you will receive your name badge (which also serves as your meal ticket) and other important items. 

Special note to voting delegates: If you are a voting delegate and plan to arrive at synod late or leave prior to the end of the meeting on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., your classis or regional synod clerk MUST contact Liz Brand, director of General Synod operations, at lbrand@rca.org to give approval. It is your responsibility to contact your stated clerk to let them know you need to arrive late or leave early, and request that they contact Liz. Voting delegates must attend all meetings of the General Synod unless excused by the Committee of Reference. The General Synod will not pay for last-minute flight changes without prior authorization of the sending body (prior to the meeting) or the General Synod’s Committee of Reference (during the meeting).

Tips for Air Travel

  • Occasionally bags get lost. Be sure to put luggage tags with your name and contact information on both your checked and carry-on bags.
  • The RCA will reimburse delegates for one checked bag round-trip. Save your receipt.
  • Pack your carry-on with things you can’t afford to lose, such as medications, toiletries (in TSA-approved sizes), and a change of clothes. Keep electronics such as laptops and tablets in carry-on luggage to protect them; do not place laptops or tablets in checked luggage.
  • Please bring luggage that you are comfortable carrying with little or no assistance. Suitcases with wheels are often the most convenient.

Airport requirements for carry-on bags

  • All liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in 3.4 ounce (or smaller) containers. Larger containers that are half-full or rolled up (like toothpaste) are not allowed and will be discarded by TSA.
  • All of these containers must be placed in a single, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Gallon-size bags or bags that are not zip-top (such as fold-over sandwich bags) are not allowed. Each traveler may use only one quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. 
  • At the airport, you will likely be asked to remove these plastic zip-top bags from your carry-on for X-ray screening. This will allow TSA security officers to more easily examine the items. (This varies depending upon airport.)
  • Depending on the airport, you may also be asked to remove laptops and other large electronics from your carry-on and send them through the X-ray machine separately. TSA agents at the security checkpoint will give you instructions.
  • For other questions about what is permitted in carry-on vs. checked baggage, see the TSA website [link to https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all-list]. The list is quite detailed (and in some cases, humorous. Check out the entry for “light saber.” Who knew the TSA had a sense of humor?).
  • Most airlines permit each traveler one carry-on size piece of luggage and one personal item such as a backpack or purse. If you have more items, you’ll likely be asked to either consolidate or to check some of them.

If you have questions, please contact:

Andrea Grooters
agrooters@rca.org
616-541-0859