YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Some family members of military personnel now have a slightly better shot at landing a seat on Air Mobility Command flights worldwide without being accompanied.
Command-sponsored dependents of active-duty servicemembers who deploy for at least 120 days can take one round-trip flight in category 4 of space-available travel while a spouse is away, AMC officials said.
“This privilege was approved by AMC for the purpose of giving deployed members’ spouses the advantage of being upgraded from category 5 to category 4 to increase their chances of getting on a flight of their choice,” said Sonyia Vasquez, a Yokota AMC passenger terminal representative.
She said it affects all command-sponsored dependents of deployed active-duty personnel who are authorized for space-A benefits. The policy change went into effect last month.
The family member must obtain an authorization letter for travel from the sponsor’s command before seeking a space-A flight, according to Vasquez.
Yokota’s AMC terminal is the Western Pacific’s largest hub, handling about 9,000 passengers a month. That figure can climb as high as 13,000 during peak summer travel months.
