Now that we are living OCONUS, I finally was granted the ability to travel Space A without my husband as long as I only went from Point A to Point B and back to Point A. Having made friends with several Air Force couples since we moved to Alaska, I was able to talk with our pilot friends about what it's really like to travel Space A. It calmed my nerves quite a bit to talk with our friends, learn what it's like to fly in a C-17, and realize that if you're even a little bit flexible and make travel decisions based on research, it's not so terrifying!
How I Got Started
Tracking Flights
For many, many months before I finally made the leap to travel Space A, I started tracking flights. I was obsessive about tracking the arrivals and departures here at JBER. As you will find when you start tracking flights to/from your installation, there are some flights that occur more regularly than others. Here at JBER, there are a handful of places that are easy to travel to and from. Knowing that we have dear friends in Japan, I watched the flights to/from Yokota AB, just outside of Tokyo, religiously. I found that several times a week, the Air Force flies to and from Yokota. Perfect! The chances of getting stuck were much less knowing that this hop occurs quite often.
As I tracked flights, it became apparent that there are several regular flights leaving JBER to the following locations: Yokota (Japan), Hickam (Oahu, Hawaii), Travis (near San Francisco), McChord (Washington State), and Charleston (South Carolina). The trick with some of these though is that the return flights are not as regular. Yes, it's easy to fly to Charleston, but there are hardly ever flights back to JBER. If you're traveling unaccompanied like I was, it's not a good idea to travel someplace unless they have return flights. This is how people get into situations where they have to pay for a return flight or wait for weeks for a flight home. Depending on your situation, it might be worth it, but often it means long waits with hotel stays. I decided that if there's ever a flight to Michigan, I'll hop on it because it would get me home, but it's almost guaranteed that I will need to buy a return flight on a civilian airline. For me, it would still be a savings in a one way versus round trip flight.
There are a few ways to keep track of flights:
First, www.pepperd.com is a great resource! Not only do they have discussion boards tracking specific locations' departures, but they have lots of useful information about how to travel Space A. There's a great FAQ section too. Typically, these boards are updated for each location at least once a day, often more. If you want to track the flights on the discussion boards, you will need to create a login, but it's simple and painless. PepperD was my first stop when starting to track flights. Although it's not always 100% accurate, it gives you a great starting point and a good feel for comings and goings.
Second, each AMC (Air Mobility Command) terminal has a call in line. We are very fortunate to have an awesome AMC here at JBER. Their call in line is updated several times a day. The person on the recording always speaks clearly, and they give as much information as possible regarding each flight. You can check arrivals and departures, and there is also an option to speak with one of the airmen/employees at the terminal. I call this line all the time whether I'm planning to travel or not. Keeping the pulse of the arrivals/departures helped me to figure out how easy it is to travel to different locations. I have found that the airmen and civilians who answer the phones are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. They do their best to have accurate and up-to-date information. What I did find is that even though the recording can be very recent, things change quickly. If you're tracking a specific flight, it's a good idea to double check with a real person often.
You can usually find this call in number for your specific location on PepperD, but you can use the main Air Force AMC website (http://www.amc.af.mil/amctravel/) to find location specific information.
Finally, several of the AMC Terminals have their own Facebook page. This is not the case for many, but both JBER and Hickam have active pages where they post departures. They often also answer questions posted to the page and have links to useful places nearby such as lodging, the main post page, and other area information. Search for your local installation to see if they have a page.
Hickam, Hawaii AMC - http://www.facebook.com/HickamAMC
JBER, Alaska AMC - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Joint-Base-ElmendorfRichardson-Passenger-Terminal/204965679537720
What are your travel restrictions?
Depending on where you are stationed, if your sponsor is deployed or not, and whether or not you'll be traveling alone will all determine if and how you can travel. Because we are OCONUS, I am allowed to travel unaccompanied. Although, within this, like I mentioned above, I was only able to travel to/from one location, I cannot hop around. (I've had two people tell me recently that since we're in the US Pacific Command I am able to hop around within this command, but I have yet to confirm this.) If you're CONUS, you can only travel with your sponsor unless your sponsor is deployed. Then, depending how long your sponsor is deployed, your travel category may change. I am by no means an expert on qualifications though so be sure to check with your chain of command and local AMC for specific information.
What category are you?
There are six travel categories that determine your priority for open seating. Typically, as a spouse, we are Category III, IV, or V. Because I am OCONUS and traveling without my sponsor (who is not currently deployed), I travel as a Cat V. This means that the only people lower than me are retirees, NG/Reservists, and ROTC cadets. Like I said above, depending on your specific status, your category can and will change.
You can review all of the categories here:
- CAT I: Emergency Leave Unfunded Travel
- CAT II: EML (Active Duty and their accompanied dependents)
- CAT III: Active Duty Ordinary Leave and accompanied dependents,, House Hunting Permissive TDY, Medal of Honor Holders, dependents of deployed service members whos sponsor is deployed in excess of 365 days (selected behind active duty members regardless of date/time of sign up)
- CAT IV: Unaccompanied Dependents on EML or dependents of deployed service members who's sponsor is deployed in excess of 120 days but less than 365 and DoDDS Teachers on EML During Summer
- CAT V: Unaccompanied Command Sponsored and Non-Command Sponsored Dependents of Active Duty, Permissive TDY (Non house Hunting), Students
- CAT VI: Retired and their accompanied Dependents, Reserve, ROTC, NUPOC, and CEC
What did I need to travel?
Because I was traveling unaccompanied, I needed a signed letter from our company commander with specific information included. Our commander is very on top of things, and he already had a form letter that just needed to be specified with my information. If your commander doesn't have a form letter on file, you can always call your AMC Terminal locally for information. This letter is only good for a certain period of time, but it's easily resigned by the commander once the original letter is created. You must have this letter in hand when traveling Space A.
If you are traveling internationally, it's also important to have a current US passport. Depending on where you are trying to go, it's also a good idea to check the specific country requirements as some places are more strict than others in regards to visas and expiration dates.
I'm sure you all know this already, but you also need your military ID. Let's get serious though, you already knew that. I mean you can't even buy groceries without that thing, did you really think they'd let you fly on a military aircraft without it?
I hope this information gets you started on your own Space A journey. As I continue this blog, I'll talk about my specific experience, helpful hints, what to bring when you travel, how to pack, where to stay if you get stuck, and any other information I can think of! Although I'm not an expert, it's always nice to hear first hand experiences and advice!
