So I've researched this quite a bit, looked at the Space A website, looked at tons of other websites, but I just want to make sure I'm reading all the info correctly

My Husband and I are PCSing to Kadena AB/Okinawa in June- he's AD Army.  Twice a year I'll need to bring my youngest daughter back to the States to see her father.  We currently live in Missouri....but as long as I get back to CONUS, we plan on just paying for commercial flights back to MO once we get here.  Anyway, from my understanding we can get EML 2x per year- is that correct?  So if I  use that with her then I won't be able to use EML when Hubby gets leave and we want to travel Space A? So.....would it be in my best interest to just travel as a Cat V w/ her on these trips (unaccompanied command sponsor dependents)?

If it helps the trips will (of course)  be during Christmas break and summer break.  I know, I know busiest times of the year, but I thought if I pulled her out a day or two early from school for Christmas break we'd get lucky and then during the summer I obviously have some leeway as to when I get her back here......


I hope this all makes sense and any advice/help is greatly greatly appreciated!!!

I'm not military, so I can't exactly comment for your situation, but keep in mind, space-A can be rather difficult when the kids are out of school.....even if you plan to leave a day or two early. If you bought a nonrefundable ticket from say Seattle to Missouri and didn't get out on your space-A flight, then you would be up a creek with two non-refundable tickets that couldn't get used. They are really trying to fill those planes up (even during non-peak times) w/ passengers PCS'ing, so there just aren't that many seats left over for space-A passengers. S/times they release 1, maybe 2 seats....if you're lucky. And, that's during non-peak time. If you are a low category and are traveling with a companion, then you may find it rather difficult to get out. Space-A is great, but just make sure you have a back up plan in case you can't get on a flight.

i actually just called Space A in charleston,sc today and asked some questions I had. My husband is also in Japan (yokosuka) and he is on unaccompanied orders..so at first i was like..yea i'll get my passport and be able to go back and forth for basically nothing... wrong.

i was told
1- i would have to fly to the west coast from SC and then apply for space a there. ( he was honest and said...its next to impossible to be able to have a round trip flight from point A to B in the US that space a will be able to get you back in time for ) . like the person above said that they fill those planes so you could be waiting a week in limbo
2- Since my husband is not with me, i would have to either get command sponsorship from HIS base there, which i dont know how that would work with you leaving your duty station.
3- category V is very hard to even get a flight on a plane without your sponsor, especially with a dependant.
I would deffinately call Space A where you are at AND in Japan.

The guy also told me that even if i did get on a Space A flight from the West Coast, i would stop like a bunch of times before i even got to japan. and if the stop was somewhere within CONUS that you wouldnt be able to take that flight.

Good luck though and i would love to know more info. if you find any!

Okay..........I only know how to explain it this way.

So there are only going to be Space A flights as the millitary needs them. So if you have a specific week you need your daughter in Mo they might not be flying planes there around that week.

Next there are differnt lvls of importance like when you go to pick up prescriptions at a naval hospital.
*active duty on Orders Pcsing-are the most important and they go first ect

So how this works is you wont have orders so you will go down to the terminal and get the paper work. You fill it out and its good for 60days if you dont get on a flight in those 60days you have to refill out the paper work again. Then you put yourself on the waiting list for the day(s) you want to fly out. Starting on the first day you pick youhave to wait until your name is called. If you show up with baggage and wait. Sometimes they have 10 seats sometimes they have 1 or 25. You r name is called and you are not there you go to the bottom of the list again.

As far as getting to Mo its probly not going to happen. They only run the MAC flights as needed so unless your trip conesides with an excersise that happends to be going to Mo, the farthes the MAC flights will take you is Seattle. NOW THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! When you arrive in Seattle you need to turn around and sign back up for the flight back to Japan. Then you start the process all over again. I had a friend have no problems getting to Seattle from Japan but she couldnt get on the flight from Seattle to Japan. She ended up buying a commerical ticket that was more money that just buying a roundtrip in the first place. Now some people do manage to use the MAC flights no problem but I dont knwo any of them personally.

As far as when you can use the MAC flights..........all I know is the service member has to be deployed 180days or greater.

Oh and you mentioned Chrismass. Dont plan on getting on a Mac during that time there are actually alot of PCS'res right after Thanks Giving and into the new year. How ever September through Oct is pretty slow so you should have no problem then. But June through Aug is very buissy too. So Feb through April is the time to fly as well.

Slight modification to Rea's post...

We took an AMC flight from Yokota to Seattle and back last year...

We didnt have to go all the way to Yokota to fill out this registration paperwork. We filled it out and faxed it to Yokota, along with my leave chit and EML paperwork.

Also, once you are on the list in Yokota, you are good for 60 days. That is good for any other flights from any other location. So, once you sign up in Yokota, there is no need to re-sign up again in Seattle.

Everything else is pretty spot on...

Hoff: I was told by one of the AMC guys that we need to sign up for the return flight. You could wait until the day you return to Japan, but you'll be further down on the list for the return flight home. You're best off heading down to the AMC desk and signing up the day you fly into Seattle.

http://www.yokota.af.mil/Media/Medi...453&Type=1" class="mainlink_blue_large" style="color: rgb(40, 73, 126); font-size: 16px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; ">Yokota Air Base Passenger Terminal Information

730th AMS Passenger Terminal
80 Airlift Ave
Yokota AB, Japan 96326

24 Hr. Flight Recording:  DSN 225-7111 Comm 011-81-3117-55-7111 (opt. 1)
48-72 Hr. Flight Recording:  DSN 225-7111 Comm 011-81-3117-55-7111 (opt. 2)  
Passenger Service Center:  DSN 225-5661/5662 Comm 011-81-3117-55-5661/5662
FAX:  DSN 225-9768 Comm 011-81-3117-55-9768
Email:  730ams.space.available@yokota.af.mil
Hours of Operation:   Monday-Sunday 0500 to  2000

Eh, maybe it has changed. We flew home last year in May or so, and we did nothing in Seattle once we landed, other than pick up our luggage and head out.

The way it worked for us was the day we got our names on the list in Yokota, that signed us up for any other flights for the next 60 days, and they used that date as the determining factor for who got on the flight first, depending on your category level, of course...

Thanks, this helps. I actually just need to get her to the States and I plan on buying commercial tickets from that point on to get her to Missouri myself so I don't need the MAC flights to get us anywhere but to CONUS. I guess I really need to sign up for the class they offer at Kadena once we get there so I can really get a good understanding of how it all works! UGH! I can leave early maybe 14th-16th and come back early during the Christmas break like well before the New Year (28th or so). Has anyone done that successfully? And would I be more apt to catch a flight to say Travis AFB or somewhere else vs. waiting for Seattle? I'm not picky as long as it's going to the States since MO is smack dab in the middle of the US! lol

When an Active Duty member travels, they are Priority III...and when they are with dependents, they are all Priority III. Dependents slip to Priority IV when the Sponsor doesn't travel with them. As for Space A, only unfunded EL's and EML's take a priority. It would still be advised to sign up when you get to where you are going, just in case there are a lot of people in your category traveling. Some good sites...

http://www.takeahop.com (to sign up remotely)
http://www.pepperd.com (the facebook of Space A)

Its the JB of Space A...not facebook! What am I talking about?!?

Oh your comming from Okinawa.......that makes it harder. It also makes it more frustrating. You see Okinawa is two hours to the southern tip of Japan father to Tokyo. Yokosuka is our "hub" so to speak. I mean sometimes they fly out to Korea but not often. Also when the flights leave here they arnt full. They need to leave room for people in Yokosuka ect. So even if there are 20 seats open on a flight only one or none might be offerd.

Or if you make it to yokosuka (as thats usually where they stop comming and going to Seattle) you could be asked not to board through to seattle because of an emergancy PSC to someon eles having priority over you. When I PCSed in I met a family who got stuck for three days in Yokosuka because they couldnt get on a MAC all the way back. This happends during the PSC seasons alot. So you should have a back up plan and extra funds in case you get stuck. Like you want to come back chrismass break? You probly won't make it back in that time frame. The flights kinda open up more twards mid Jan to early Feb. They move alot of people on and off the island.

I have no idea what this post means.

Posted By chiefs69 on 03-01-2011 10:06 PM
Thanks, this helps. I actually just need to get her to the States and I plan on buying commercial tickets from that point on to get her to Missouri myself so I don't need the MAC flights to get us anywhere but to CONUS. I guess I really need to sign up for the class they offer at Kadena once we get there so I can really get a good understanding of how it all works! UGH! I can leave early maybe 14th-16th and come back early during the Christmas break like well before the New Year (28th or so). Has anyone done that successfully? And would I be more apt to catch a flight to say Travis AFB or somewhere else vs. waiting for Seattle? I'm not picky as long as it's going to the States since MO is smack dab in the middle of the US! lol

You may want to call the terminal in Yokota and ask them how likely it would be for you to get on a flight around that time of year as a cat 5.  I have a feeling they will tell you that your odds are against you.   

Sometimes you can squeeze on a plane if you are traveling alone, and they offer up a seat or two because of a no show, but if you're traveling w/ a/one, it can be quite difficult to get on.  If you happen to get to Yokota, but can't fly out right away, you'll end up wasting precious vacation time sitting around for the next flight out (that you might not even get on). 

I don't want to discourage you, but there's simply a lot of luck involved in catching a space-A flight.  You may find it's a whole lot more trouble than it's worth.  Even if you get out, there's no guarantee you'll be able to get back, and a return ticket around that time of year will cost a fortune because of the late booking.  Space-A is great for people that have a lot of time on their hands and can travel during non-peak travel times.  But, in your case, I just don't see it being that easy.

Not to poke fun...but...to poke fun...and I'll be nice. MAC died like...wow...early 90's? Its called AMC...but Navy folk (and I love you all) insist on saying.....MAC...

Thanks this helps ALOT! Okay, so it sounds like it will work for us during summer months when we have more time to play around but not so much during the Christmas break. Gotcha! What are some of the cheaper airlines I can look at to compare prices and how far out should I book to get the best pricing for holiday travel?

Pssst... Rea, you mean Yokota not Yokosuka. We have no planes on Yokosuka.

Try to get on a travel website that sends you notices when prices fall below a certain amount (I think travelocity does this).  You can s/times find cheap tickets to the states from local Japanese agencies depending on the time of year.  No1 travel just recently had a ticket all the way to NYC for under 20,000Y!

http://www.no1-travel.com/

Those tickets don't last, but s/times you can snag a cheap one.  They also had tickets to LA for 24,800Y (plus taxes).  Ticket prices to the states usually jump up in the summer months though.  If I remember correctly, they had some cheap tickets to NY in early - mid December.  I can't remember how much they were, but my guess is after taxes, it was s/thing like $500/ticket. 

You probably will have a hard time getting out on an AMC flight during the summer as well because that is peak moving season.  People PCS throughout the summer and The Patriot Express is almost always full.  At your category, it's going to be tough.  It could take weeks for you to finally get out.  If it were me, I would just wait for a good price on a commercial ticket.  It's just easier, and a lot less stress.  Besides, you're going to end up wasting money on hotels in Yokota or some other airport in the states (like in Seattle) while you wait to get on a flight.  The savings really may not be there after all the expenses of food, hotel, taxi fare, etc.  Keep that in mind. 

lolz I know its yokota or yokosuka one of the two.

OH and if flying out of Okinawa know that the commercial carriers cut the planes coming and leaving out of here. So its much more expensive to fly out of Oki now. When I first got here there were lots and lots of flights and it was only like $175.00 to get up to tokyo....You get that now if you are lucky. Its more like $300.00 as an average. And nope you cant take a straight through flight from here. Even to fly to Austrilia I had to fly up to Tokyo and then fly back down. I swear I passed my house ><. So my point you cant fly directly from Okinawa to anywhere, you will have to land somewhere first. Even to freaking Thialand we had to stop in Osaka I think its called.
So I recomend using the H.I.S. traval agency out Kadena gate 2. They have always found me cheaper air fare than i could find on my own. On top of that they must have some sort of points system. We have gotten stuck in Tokyo for a night or two twice now. Its because our flight back to Tokyo landed to late to get the last fight in to Okinawa. But both times they have upgraded my hotel room to the crown plaza hotel. Biggest hotel rooms in Tokyo ever! Also they run specials from time to time like $742.00 to New York between march 12-27th for the time of departure so you just have to watch for their add in Japan update. The down side is they only take yen and the yen rate is in the toilet. So you just have to plan and watch and change the money over on a good day.

Thanks Rea and Yoko Girl for all the very helpful info. I'll be looking at all this info and planning away

Space-A travel: Unique Benefit To Military, Retirees, Family Members
From Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

Every day, around the world, hundreds of military and military-contracted commercial aircraft travel the world delivering troops and cargo. These missions allow hundreds of thousands of military personnel, retirees, family members and other Department of Defense (DoD) eligible travelers to fly at almost no cost, courtesy of the DoD Space-Available (Space-A) travel program.

Space-A flights, also known as “military hops,” are a unique benefit to service members, retirees and their families. Under the DoD travel program, unused seats on U.S. military and military-contracted commercial aircraft are made available to non-duty passengers on a space-available basis (once official duty passengers and cargo have been accommodated).

Space-A travel is free with the exception of customs and head tax fees on these aircraft. To sign up, eligible travelers must present a DoD-issued ID card (for ages 10 and up) and appropriate travel authorization or, for active duty personnel, current leave paperwork.

Eligible travelers can sign up for Space-A, either in person at any passenger terminal, or in one of four remote ways: fax, e-mail, internet and regular mail. Travelers must provide the sponsor’s name and, or names of all traveling family members, rank (active-duty members only), number of seats required and destinations desired.

“Self sign-up is a program that allows passengers to sign-up at a computer kiosk without waiting in line,” said Cindy Rothenbach, Air Mobility Command (AMC) passenger policy branch. “Most locations provide self sign-up kiosk with easy-to-follow instructions for registration.”

Rothenbach also said active-duty personnel must sign-up no earlier than the effective date of their approved leave.

If traveling to and from overseas areas, travelers must know the restrictions of any foreign country to be visited. Status of Forces Agreement restrictions, U.S. State Department Travel Advisory guidelines and U.S. State Department passport and visa requirements are all necessary items to research prior to traveling abroad. The individual country entry requirements and travel advisories may be found on http://travel.state.gov/.

AMC aircraft often have open passenger seats available to fly eligible travelers across the continental United States as well as to and from other countries. However, since missions can be rerouted, delayed or cancelled for a variety of reasons (weather, maintenance issues or higher priority missions), AMC officials advise travelers to be flexible with travel plans and to allow extra time for potential delays.

Officials also recommend travelers have sufficient personal funds to pay for commercial transportation to return to their residence or duty station if Space-A transportation is not available.

According to AMC officials, today’s military operations tempo underscores the importance of properly caring for our military service members and the families who support them. Space-A travel and the DoD travel program are a reflection of the trust and faith DoD officials place on men and women in uniform. “

We want service members, their families, military retirees and other eligible DoD-affiliated travelers to take advantage of this tremendous benefit and the opportunities Space-A travel offers,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth Merchant, AMC director of Logistics.

“We strongly recommend all eligible travelers check with their nearest passenger terminal for Space-A possibilities before making your travel arrangements. We’ve made recent improvements to make Space-A travel more customer-friendly and invite our passengers to tell us what they think of the service.”

For more information, including AMC passenger terminal information, travel eligibility and a downloadable Space-A traveler handbook, visit the AMC travel website at: http://www.amc.af.mil/amctravel/index.asp.

Most of the AMC terminals have Facebook pages & post their 72 hour schedule at least daily. I subscribed for awhile to Andersen (Guam), Hickam (Hawaii), Elmendorf (AK), Osan (Korea), Yokota, Kadena, and few stateside. It gives really good insight as to where you might be able to go.