KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Out-of-town 403rd Wing Reserve Citizen Airmen now have another option to make lodging reservations for Unit Training Assemblies.
In addition to calling the Automated Lodging Reservation System, reservists now can use the ALRS mobile lodging app.
For years, Air Force reservists have used the ALRS to call in and reserve their lodging for UTAs, annual tour, or other duty statuses. With the most recent upgrade of ALRS, reservists can now make UTA reservations from the app as long as it is before midnight, Tuesday before the UTA, said Senior Master Sgt. Lisa Baldelli, 403rd Force Support Squadron services superintendent. Reservists serving in other duty statuses must use the ALRS phone line at 228-377-6522 to reserve lodging.
To use the app, wing Airmen must provide their cell phone numbers to Baldelli so she can enter that information into the system. Service members must have a smart phone and be willing to accept text messages fees and data charges, she said. Unit members will need to go to their respective mobile app store and download ALRS, which is free. The ALRS app will issue users a mobile identification number, and then they will need to set up a personally identifiable number during their first log in.
Users can view their reservation for three upcoming UTAs. From the booking screen, reservists can call, view the map and get directions to the hotel. They can also cancel their reservations from the app.
The 403rd Mission Support Group and Wing Staff Agency Airmen will be the first to use the app in December, and the rest of the wing will be able to use it in January.
“Although the technology has upgraded, it’s only as good as the person who uses it,” said Baldelli. “Whether it’s the phone line or app, unit members still need to make their lodging reservations in a timely manner, which is at least a week before the UTA,” she said.